Tres Leches Cake Recipe

This easy tres leches cake with strawberries is a delicious dessert that can be enjoyed year-round. The sweet milk syrup is essential to this tres leches cake recipe and makes it so special. 

 3 leches cake is versatile because you can top it with fresh strawberries for a beautiful cake. I used strawberries and a few blueberries, but you could also use other fresh fruits like mango and kiwi.

Why This Recipe - 

Tres Leches Cake is a Mexican-inspired dessert and is made with three types of milk, hence the name Tres Leches. It is basically a yellow cake that is poked and different milks (well a three milk mixture) is poured over it. 

I have tasted many versions of this cake and I think that the key is that you want one that is moist, but not soggy, this Tres Leches cake is the perfect combination of moist and dry, in my opinion, and it is actually not difficult to make 

Whether you are hosting a Taco Tuesday, cinco de mayo or other type of fiesta, this dessert is perfect when you want to add a little Latin flare to the menu.  

Like my Neapolitan Cake and my Oreo Drip Cake, these looks stunning on a dessert table.

Ingredients For Tres Leches Cake with Strawberries

For the Cake:

Flour  - I used all-purpose flour

Eggs - You will need 5 eggs for this recipe. Be sure to use eggs that are at room temperature for best reults. 

Sugar - This makes the best sauce. You can use another brand of sweet chili sauce if you do not have it on hand.

Milk - For the cake mixture, I use whole milk or 2%.

Spices - salt, baking powder, and Vanilla extract are used in this recipe

For the Milk Syrup:

Evaporated milk - This is the first of the three milks used to make the syrup.

Sweetened condensed milk - 

Heavy cream - 

Cinnamon - perfect

For the Frosting

How To Make Tres Leches Cake

You will need several ingredients for this cake, but many you likely have in your pantry. There are three steps to making this cake. 

1. Baking the cake.
2. Preparing the milk syrup.
3. Frosting the cake.

Equipment and Kitchen Tools

• large mixing bowl
• electric mixer
• cake pans

How to Make Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt
2. In a separate bowl mall bowl, separate egg whites from the yolks and mix the yolks with sugar at medium-high speed.
3. Add egg yolk mixture to flour mixture and stir gently to combine
4. Stir to combine.

5. Place egg whites in a separate bowl.

6.Beat the egg whites at high speed.

7.Add sugar and beat until soft peaks form.

8. Fold egg white mixture into the batter.

 Spread cake batter evenly in prepared pan Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until wooden pick comes out clean.

9. Make the milk mixture.

10. Mix together all three kinds of milk and cinnamon.

11. Poke holes in the baked cake.

12. Pour over poked cake.

Now it is time to make the frosting.

13. Pour the entire milk mixture over the baked cake.

14. In another bowl, add whipping cream.

15. Beat cream until fluffy and add powdered sugar and vanilla.

16. Frost top of the cake and top the whole cake with berries. 

It is such a delicious cake!

Timesaving tips  to make this perfect every time

• Be sure to refrigerate the milk cake for about 1 hour after pouring the milk before frosting so that the cake can absorb the milks.
• When poking the cake, wipe the fork often to reduce sticking.
• You can use a store-bought whipped topping in place of the frosting to save some time. 
• You can make this into a layer cake by using two 9"cake pans.

Recipe FAQs

Does Tres Leches cake need to be refrigerated?

Yes, the cake needs to be refrigerated.

Can the Tres Leches Cake be made ahead?

Yes, you can bake the cake the day before and finish the milk mixture the day that you are serving it. 

More Delicious Dessert Recipes

Mexican Flan - A delicious custard dessert that has been passed down generations.

Sour Cream Cake Recipe - A delicious light pound cake that is perfect any time of year. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Pound Cake - For the chocolate lover, this pound cake has chocolate chips in it. 

Strawberry Poke Cake - that delicious white cake made with strawberry jello poking through. 

Lemon Bundt Cake - A tasty lemon poppyseed cake topped with a light lemon glaze.

Easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting - A delicious banana cake that will go fast so be sure to grab a piece first!

For best results use fresh whipped cream.

📖 Recipe

Tres Leches Cake

Raquel Pineira

This easy Tres Leches cake recipe is a delicious dessert that can be enjoyed year-round. The sweet milk syrup is essential to the cake and makes it so special. 

5 from 39 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 12

Calories 139 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Cake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Milk Syrup

• ⅓ cup milk whole or 2%
• 1 can 12 oz evaporated milk
• 1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting

• 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

Instructions

 

Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Coat a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and dust with flour
• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt
• In 2 small bowl, separate egg whites and yolks
• In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks with ¾ cup granulated sugar until pale yellow
• Stir in ⅓ cup milk and vanilla extract
• Add egg yolk mixture to flour mixture and stir gently to combine
• In a large bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form
• Gradually add ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form
• Fold egg white mixture into batter gently just until combined
• Pour batter in prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean
• Remove from oven and cool on wire rack
• Place large mixing bowl and beater in freezer to chill for frosting

Milk Syrup

• In a medium bowl, combine evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream, stir in cinnamon and vanilla extract until well combined
• When cake is cool, poke small holes in cake using a fork or skewer
• Slowly drizzle milk syrup over cake, allowing it to soak in
• You will now need to use all of the milk mixture
• Set aside

Frosting

• Remove bowl and beaters from freezer
• Add whipping cream to bowl and beat on high speed until soft peaks form
• Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form
• Frost cake after cake cools.
• Serve immediately or place in refrigerator until ready to serve
• Store leftovers in refrigerator

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 156mgPotassium: 27mgFiber: 1gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 109IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

I hope you enjoyed this strawberry cake. It is likley my favorite cake to make. f you are not yet subscribing to my CELEBRATE THE SEASON newsletter, you can subscribe here. I share a few things that I don’t share here and I email you only once a week. I know how valuable your time is and respect that tremendously!