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overhead shot of tres leche cake with strawberries on top
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Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Tres Leches Cake is a light tender sponge cake soaked in three types of milk, then opped with sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries. Light and delicious.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 471kcal
Author Leigh Anne Wilkes

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar divided
  • 1/2 cup mlik whole or 2 percent
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 12 oz. evaporated milk
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Whipped Cream Frosting

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 pint strawberries for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F>
  • Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non stick baking spray.
  • Separate eggs into two bowls.
  • Add egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat until pale yellow.
  • Add in 1/2 cup milk and vanilla extract.
  • Add in dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined.
  • Beat the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment until sft peaks form.
  • Gradually add in remaining 1/4 cup of sugar into egg whites as they are mixing. Mix until stiff peaks form.
  • Gently fold egg white mixture into cake batter until no white streaks remain.
  • Pour mixture into prepared cake pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Allow cake to cool in the pan. If desired, remove cake from pan onto a serving tray.
  • In a bowl, combine the three milks.
  • Poke the top of the cake with a fork all over the surface.
  • Slowly pour milk mixture over the top and sides of the cake. Let sit for 30 minutes for the milk to absorb. After 30 minutes, if any milk remains on the serving tray, use a paper towel to absorb it.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, mix 2 cups of whipping cream combined with 3 Tbsp powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract until thick.
  • Frost the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream.
  • Garnish cake with fresh strawberries if desired.

Notes

  1. Use three bowls to separate eggs.
  2. Separate first egg putting the egg yolk into one bowl and the egg white into another.
  3. Crack the next egg over the empty third bowl, allowing egg white to go into the empty bowl. Place egg yolk into the bowl with the other yolk.
  4. Add egg white from third bowl into the other bowl with egg white only if no yolk has gotten into the egg white.
  5. Continue with all other eggs.
  6. The advantage of this method is, if you happen to get egg yolk into the egg white, it only affects one egg and not the whole bowl of egg white you have already separated.

Nutrition

Calories: 471kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 420mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 1005IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 253mg | Iron: 1mg