Authentic Tres Leches Cake Recipe With Step-By-Step Method

There are two types of cakes: those that are sliced and served, and those that are soaked and left to sit while they finish cooking. This cake belongs in the second group, a Tres Leches cake. It starts as a light and airy sponge cake, and once soaked in milk, it becomes a rich and moist cake with the texture of a finely melted.

What makes this cake so good is its balance. The sponge contains no butter, which means it has a strong enough structure to hold up to three milk mixtures without losing its shape. The milk is soaked in a controlled manner and is gradually added to the cake during the soaking process to avoid making the cake muddy.

The result of using the recipe correctly is a moist cake with a structure that allows it to be cut into slices, and it tastes light compared to how rich it actually is.

When you slice into this cake, you see small air pockets filled with milk and coated with a fluffy whipped topping. The taste is pure and creamy, with just the right amount of sweetness. It’s an amazing dessert that can be used for birthdays, holiday meals, or just have on a quiet Saturday.

What is Tres Leches Cake?

Tres leches means "three types of milk", and it is a classic dessert in Latin America composed of a sponge cake that has been soaked in three different kinds of milk, including evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream or whole milk.

In order to make tres leches, first you bake a sponge cake, then use a fork or a skewer to pierce the sponge cake all the way through until there are holes all over the cake. After that, you pour the milk mixture onto the cake to allow it to be absorbed by the sponge. Unlike a dense butter cake, this sponge is designed so that it can absorb all of the milk while remaining intact. This results in a super moist cake without being heavy.

Although the dessert is most commonly associated with Mexico and Nicaragua, there are countless regional variations throughout Latin America. According to culinary historians and references such as "The Oxford Companion to Food", there are early examples of milk products being used to soak cake in places where canned milk became widely available in the 19th and early 20th centuries because there were no refrigerators. The shelf-stable quality of evaporated and condensed milk made creating a dessert from these products both practical and luxurious at the same time.

Today, tres leches cake can be found in bakeries all over the world. The appeal of tres leches cake is in the contrasting three textures of the light and airy crumb, the creamy milk-soaked sponge, and the light airy topping made of whipped cream.

Ingredients for Authentic Tres Leches Cake

For the Sponge Cake

• 150 g all-purpose flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 200 g sugar (150 g for yolks, 50 g for whites)
• 60 ml whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Why these ingredients?

• Structure is created when the eggs are separated, and egg whites are whipped for lifting, as opposed to butter for this method.
• Eliminating fats, i.e., greasy oils or butter, will keep cakes from soaking as much, thus allowing the cake to be lightweight.
• Using whole milk will make the batter softer, yet not heavy.

For the 3-Milk Mixture

• 240 ml evaporated milk
• 300 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 120 ml heavy cream or whole milk

Role of each milk:

• Evaporated milk adds richness without excess sugar.
• Condensed milk provides sweetness and body.
• Heavy cream or whole milk rounds out the texture.

For the Whipped Cream Topping

• 240 ml cold heavy cream
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Optional: ground cinnamon or fresh fruit for garnish

How to Make Tres Leches Milk Cake (Step-by-Step)

Preparing the Sponge Base

• Preheat your oven to 180°C.
• In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• Separate the eggs into 2 bowls, one for the yolks and another for the egg whites.
• Mix the egg yolks and the 150 g of sugar until it is thick and pale in color, then add the milk and the vanilla flavoring.
• Using a whisk or the hand mixer, gently fold in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) to make the batter.
• Beat the egg whites with a whisk or hand mixer until soft peaks form; then slowly add the remaining 50 g of sugar while continuing to whisk until the egg whites are stiff and will hold their shape.
• Add the egg whites to the batter in batches and fold them into the batter with a spatula and light movements so as not to lose any air.
• Pour the batter into a baking dish (do not grease the baking dish) and smooth out with the spatula.
• Bake in the oven for 25 - 35 min, when a skewer is pressed through the middle of the cake, it will come out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool completely in the baking dish.

Tip for Mixing: The batter should be smooth, but not too stiff, before folding. If you overmix the batter, it will lose air.

The 3-Milk Mixture (The Soak)

• In a large bowl, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whipping cream; mix with a whisk until smooth.
• Once cooled, poke holes all over the surface of the cake with a fork or skewer, being careful not to tear the bottom.
• Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake, starting from the corners and edges, and gradually allowing the liquid to soak into the cake.
• Refrigerate cake for at least 1 hour, and ideally 4 hours, or overnight.

The cake should have absorbed most of the liquid, and there should not be any excess milk in the cake pan when served.

Whipped Cream Topping

• Chill a mixing bowl and beaters.
• Whip the heavy cream with the mixer on medium-high speed until it forms soft peaks.
• Once the cream is whipped to the soft peak stage, slowly add sugar and vanilla extract.
• Continue mixing until the heavy cream forms stiff peaks.
• Spread evenly over chilled cake.
• Top with ground cinnamon or sliced strawberries, if desired.

The whipped cream should have a smooth texture and hold its shape, rather than being grainy.

Pro Tips for the Perfect Sponge for the Tres Leches Cake Recipe

• Eggs need to be at room temperature for faster whipping and better incorporation of air.
• Do not grease your pans, as a sponge cake needs something to cling to for it to rise correctly.
• Do not over-mix your batter after you add the flour; stir until your flour is just incorporated.
• If you’re unsure about gradually pouring in your milk mixture, do so one step at a time and allow time to absorb in between steps.
• The best recommendations for cutting into the finished product are to allow for a complete chill before cutting. Cutting into a warm cake will result in a fragile product.
• Use a serrated knife for cutting; this will help you to be more precise with your cuts and provide for clean cuts.

Egg whites entrapping air produce the basis of structure for a sponge cake; gently folding the air bubbles in an egg white maintains those air bubbles, and then, through baking, forms the proper protein networks that will hold liquid after baking.

How to Make Tres Leches Cake: Make Ahead & Storage Instructions

A tres leches cake's improvement occurs with the passing of time; baking one day in advance helps enhance the cake with flavor and texture.

Refrigeration

Cover tightly, and the cake can last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days without drying out.

Freezing

For best results, freeze the plain sponge before soaking. Wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw completely, then soak and top.

While it’s possible to freeze a fully soaked tres leches cake, the texture may soften slightly after thawing.