My Tres Leches Cake is designed to be soft, perfectly moist, and NOT soggy! It’s made with a homemade vanilla cake soaked in three milks and topped with whipped cream. You’ll be amazed at how incredible this tastes! Recipe includes a how-to video.
The Best Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Tres leches cake or “Three Milks” cake should be soft, moist, and super flavorful. My recipe checks every box, with a fluffy vanilla sponge cake soaked in three different types of milk and topped with whipped cream. With all that liquid, it’s easy to assume this cake would be soggy–but don’t worry, my recipe has been tested and perfected to be perfectly balanced and NOT soggy!
This is a cake that took me a long time to get just right. Because we’ll be drenching it with a mixture of milks, the base of this cake is critical (and is what took me the longest to perfect).
It needs to be light and airy, but sturdy enough that it doesn’t become a soupy mess. Pound cake is too dense, and classic vanilla cake disintegrates. Ultimately, a variation of my grandmother’s hot milk cake did the trick, and while the cake ingredients are almost identical, you’ll notice the technique is quite different (as is the resulting cake!). You’re going to love it!
What You Need
Here are the key ingredients in my recipe. Some of them may surprise you!
- Eggs. We’ll be using both the egg whites and yolks, but you’ll need to separate them first. Whipping the egg whites adds airiness to the cake without making it so delicate that it dissolves from the moisture of our three milks.
- Butter. Many tres leches cakes do not use butter, but after a lot of testing I’m firmly standing by this version. It produces a light but wonderfully flavorful cake that’s spongy, but sturdy enough to absorb all of the milk.
- Flour. I use all-purpose flour. Cake flour could be substituted if done properly.
- Milks. Precisely three of them. We’ll be using condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream along with just a drop of vanilla extract for our three milks. We’ll also need whole milk for the cake itself.
- Heavy cream. Some recipes use a third milk for the tres leches mixture, but I actually prefer heavy cream. It creates a perfect consistency and doesn’t make the cake soggy or soupy.
SAM’S TIP: I like to top off my cake with a sprinkle of cinnamon (freshly ground, if you have it!), but this is optional.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make It
- Whip the egg whites and 1 cup of sugar to stiff peaks, then set this aside.
- Beat together the butter and remaining 1 cup of sugar until creamy, then stir in the egg yolks and vanilla extract.
- Whisk together dry ingredients, then alternate stirring the whole milk and dry ingredients into your into egg yolk mixture.
- Gently fold in egg whites, then pour into a prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for an hour, poke holes all over, and slowly drizzle with the three milks mixture.
- Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight before frosting with whipped cream and serving.
SAM’S TIP: If you’ve never whipped egg whites to stiff peaks before, it simply means that the egg whites don’t fold over or fall back into themselves when you pull your whisk straight out of the mixture. If you’ve made my meringues or white cake you’ve done this before! For a visual, check out my video below.
With most of my cakes I encourage you to play around with different frostings on top, but not so with today’s recipe. You need something light that pairs well with the milks-drenched cake and the whipped cream frosting is a classic for a reason!
Frequently Asked Questions
The true origins of this cake are actually widely disputed. Many Latin American countries have been named as possible points of origin, and some sources even cite Nestle as perpetuating this milk-heavy recipe as a way to sell more of their condensed and evaporated milk (a delicious marketing ploy, if you ask me).
Kind of. I don’t recommend freezing the cake after you’ve soaked it in the milk mixture. However, if you’d like to make this cake in advance you can bake the cake, cool it completely, and then tightly wrap it and freeze as you would any other cake.
Several hours to 1 day before you are ready to serve, thaw the cake and then follow the instructions in the recipe for drenching with milk and topping with whipped cream.
Traditionally this cake is made with evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk. However, I found that using whole milk tends to make the cake a bit more soggy than is desirable, so for my tres leches cake recipe I use heavy cream instead.
This cake would be a great dessert after enjoying some taco salad or chips and queso!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs whites and yolks separated
- ½ cup (113 g) butter softened
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (235 ml) milk
LECHES TOPPING
- 14 oz (397 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 12 oz (340 g) evaporated milk
- ½ cup (118 ml) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 ½ cups (355 ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon for sprinkling optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with baking spray. Set aside.
- Place egg whites in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer and use an electric mixer or your stand mixer’s whisk attachment to beat until foamy. Gradually increase mixer speed to medium-high and add just 1 cup (200g) of sugar, adding about 2 Tablespoons at a time and allowing about 10 seconds after each addition. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until egg white mixture is thick and glossy and you achieve stiff peaks¹ (much like you are making a meringue).5 large eggs, 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- If you used a stand mixer, scoop egg whites into a separate clean bowl and set aside and carry on using the same bowl for the next step (no need to clean the bowl). If you used an electric hand mixer, just grab a new bowl at this point.
- Place softened butter and remaining 1 cup (200g) of sugar in bowl. Beat until creamy and well-combined.½ cup (113 g) butter
- Add egg yolks, one at a time, stirring after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla extract.1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Using a spatula and stirring by hand, alternate adding milk and flour mixture to your egg yolk mixture (I usually do this in about 4 parts, about ¼ cup of the milk at a time and ¼ of the flour mixture at a time).1 cup (235 ml) milk
- Once milk and flour have been stirred into egg yolk mixture, grab your egg white meringue from earlier and use a spatula to gently fold meringue into batter. Make sure it is completely combined and no white spots of egg remain, but use a gentle hand to not deflate the egg whites or over-mix the batter or you'll have a dense cake.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared 9×13 pan and transfer to 350F (175C) oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Once cake has finished baking, allow to cool for about 30-60 minutes.
LECHES TOPPING
- Once cake has cooled (do not invert it, leave it in the cake pan), prepare topping by whisking together condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract.14 oz (397 g) sweetened condensed milk, 12 oz (340 g) evaporated milk, ½ cup (118 ml) heavy cream, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Use a large fork or a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the cake (poke down to the bottom of the cake pan). Pour milk mixture slowly and evenly over cake. Cover and transfer cake to refrigerator and allow to chill for at least several hours or overnight.
- Once ready to serve, prepare whipped cream:
WHIPPED CREAM
- Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until thickened and you achieve stiff peaks and a Cool Whip consistency.1 ½ cups (355 ml) heavy cream, ½ cup (65 g) powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread whipped cream over tres leches cake and sprinkle with ground cinnamon, if desired.Ground cinnamon for sprinkling
- Slice and serve! Enjoy!
Notes
¹Stiff Peaks
Stiff peaks simply means that if you lift the beater straight out of the batter, the peak that forms will not recede back or melt back into itself. It should hold a tall, stiff peak, and if you turn the beater upside down the peak that has formed on the end of it should hold its shape as well. See photo in post or video for visual!How to Store
Store Tres Leches cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Recipes
Recipe originally published September 2019, it has been updated to include more information but the recipe is unchanged.
Marivel Rodriguez
Look so delic!
Natalie
SO GOOD! Like, serious perfection! The perfect Tres Leches Cake. A few extra steps than a normal cake but not too bad at all, and trust me, its totally worth it! We only let ours soak in the fridge for 2 hours and that was plenty of time. (We were just impatient Haha!) But the next day it was truly AMAZING! My husband and kids BEG me to make this almost everyday!😂
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Natalie! Sounds like you’ll be making lots of cakes in the future. 😉
Nancy Perez
I was feeling in the mood for a Tres Leche cake, sooo I googled some recipes & came across yours.
From what I’ve seen, I like your recipe best. Since today’s my birthday 🥳, I think I’m going to make this and gift it to myself!! 😊
P. S. Your video was adorable & I look forward to more recipes.
Sam
I hope you love it, Nancy! Happy Birthday! 🙂
Cheryl
I just found your recipe and haven’t tried it yet, but I want to thank you for listing the quantities as well as the grams. So many recipes now only list the grams which makes it hard for those in the US who are not used to measuring in that way. Can’t wait to try it!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you find it helpful, Cheryl. Keep me posted on how your cake turns out! Happy Baking. 🙂
Jay
Is there a way to stack this in 9inch round pans? I love the recipe!!! I just want to make a round cake for my son’s birthday.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Jay! I haven’t attempted baking this cake in 9″ pans but it SHOULD be ok! If you try it, keep me posted on how it turns out. 🙂
Sheena
I made this cake for my 31st birthday and absolutely loved it. The recipe is easy to follow and the cake turned out delicious. I let my cake soak/absorb over night.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Sheena! 🙂
Tony
Love the recipe. I tried it two times though and it seems to come out really dense. This last time it was more dense in the middle than on the edges. I followed the directions to the letter and I’m not sure what I did wrong.
Sam
Hi Tony! I wonder if the cake wasn’t quite finished baking in the center?
Rachel
Can I add strawberry jam to the cake?
Sam
Hi Rachel! I’m not sure how that would work. How did you plan on incorporating it?
Ebaker
Question?
I tasted the batter and it was very salty. I used unsalted butter and added the 1 tsp. Is it supposed to be a little salty and the milks will mellow it out? I noticed a lot of other recipes only call for 1/4 tsp so I am a little worried.
Sam
Hmm that is very odd. It shouldn’t taste salty at all. The full teaspoon is the correct amount if you use unsalted butter, so I’m not really sure what the problem could have been. 🙁
Laura F
First of all, OH. MY. GOD.
I have been dying to try your tres leches recipe for MONTHS. Well I finally got a chance to make it earlier today and let me just say, that first bite was an out of body experience! This stuff is absolutely amazing! (and dangerous lol). You’re video was also a big help!
Thank you for yet another amazing recipe!
Sam
Thank you so much, Laura! I am so glad you enjoyed the cake so much. 🙂
Tejal
Hi there
I was wondering in the cake can I half the sugar to 1 cup or 1 and half cups as I don’t like super sweet cakes. Not sure if that will work.
Thank you
PS it looks delicious 😋
Sam
Hi Tejal! You can lessen the sugar if you want. 🙂
Lidia Soto
My cake is in the oven as I type this. I’m so excited to try this. I doubled the recipe in order to make a half sheet cake. But I’m trying to find out to invert it onto a cake board. Should I do it before or after I add the tres leches mixture?
Sam
I actually recommend leaving it in the cake pan to hold the liquid in so the cake gets properly saturated, but I’m not sure that it would invert properly at all if soaked so I suppose I would add the tres leches after inverting. Just keep in mind you may lose some of the moisture from the cake.
Sonal
How do i adjust cake cooking time, i have a small OTG which can fit 8 inches square tin
Sam
I’m sorry I really can’t answer this truthfully as I haven’t tried it. 🙁
Roopa ashwin
Can I do this cake without oven. I mean in cooker?
Sam
I am not quite sure how it would work without an oven, but if you try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Austin Jackson
I’ve made this cake before and it was delicious! But I want to make a chocolate version of the cake and use chocolate sweetened condensed milk. How much flour should I switch out with cocoa powder?
Sam
Hi Austin! I’m sure that would work, but without having experimented with it I can’t advise on the amounts here. I’m sorry. 🙁
Austin Jackson
I made the chocolate tres leches cake this past weekend and it turned out delicious. I used 1 3/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup of cocoa powder and it was puffy when it came out of the oven but when it cooled down it was like a regular tres leches cake.
Sugar Spun Run
That is awesome, Austin! I am so glad that you enjoyed it and that it came out perfectly! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Samantha
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve never made a tres leches cake before, so I was a little nervous making this for Cinco de Mayo. BUT. It came out beautifully. The bottom was a little burnt, so I think I would lower the temperature of the oven next time, but everything else was delicious and moist. The egg whites were so pretty, too! I topped my cake with fresh strawberries—it was the perfect touch to balance out such a sweet cake. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that this recipe made the perfect celebration cake for Cinco de Mayo and you enjoyed it, Samantha! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Candi
Hello,
My cake is baking as we speak and I hope it comes out delicious. I had trouble getting my egg whites to fluff up into peaks. So I used the egg white mix as it was shiny thick fluffy but not like a meringue. Will the cake come out wrong like this?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Candi! It takes some time to whip up the egg whites so it may have just needed a little longer mixing. I have not tried the egg white mix so I am uncertain on how it will do. Keep me posted on how your cake turns out. I hope that you enjoy it. 🙂
Candi
The cake turned out amazing! Not sure what happened to my egg whites but, the cake still tastes delicious. Now I’m determined to whip up some peaks and make another!
Sugar Spun Run
I am happy that you enjoyed the cake, Candi! 🙂
Cris
I made this and it came out wonderful but some parts were dry, but the wet parts were amazing and that’s coming from someone who’s very picky with their tres leches cake. So I’m wondering if you have a pina colada recipe or what should I add to this same recipe thanks
Sam
Hi Cris! Try poking more holes in the cake next time. I don’t have a pina colada recipe. I do have a pineapple upside down cake if you’d like to check that one out. 🙂
McKenzie
Hi I’d love to know what the measurements would need to be for a 8×8 pan? I’m worried I’ll have way too much.
Sam
Hi McKenzie! An 8 x 8 pan would need roughly 60% of the batter that a 9 x 13 would require. If it were me I would probably just made the recipe as is and discard any extra batter, but take care not to overfill your 8 x 8. 🙂