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Tres Leches Cake - 1

Tres Leches Cake

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 1/2 cups (200g) cake flour* (scoop and level to measure)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar**
  • 5 large eggs, at room temperature*
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Milk mixture

  • 1 1/4 cups (295ml) milk (anything but skim)
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
  • 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

Topping

  • 2 cups (473ml) heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • Fresh sliced strawberries or cinnamon, for garnish

Instructions

  • For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13 by 9-inch or 12 by 8-inch baking dish, set aside.
  • Sift cake flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add in baking powder and salt and whisk 20 seconds, set aside.
  • In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy.
  • Mix in eggs one at a time, blending until well combined after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
  • Add in flour in 3 additions mixing just until combined after each addition. Remove mixing bowl from stand mixer and scape down sides and bottom of bowl and fold until evenly incorporated.
  • Pour batter into prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer (it will seem like a thin layer).
  • Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 24 - 28 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack, about 45 minutes. Once cool pierce cake many times all over with a long-pronged fork.
  • For the milk mixture: In a large mixing bowl whisk together milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, the sweetened condensed milk and the evaporated milk until blended.
  • Pour evenly over cake then cover and chill at least 6 hours*** or up to 3 days.
  • For the topping: In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer (or using the stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment) whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.
  • Add in sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. Spread over chilled cake.
  • Cut cake into slices and serve cold garnished with strawberries or dust with cinnamon if desired. Store cake in refrigerator.

Notes

  • *Cake flour offers a better texture here and better absorption. You can generally find it by the all-purpose flour in the baking isle. If you can’t find it you can use 1 1/4 cups + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour plus 3 Tbsp cornstarch.

  • **If you don’t like things very sweet you can reduce sugar in cake to 2/3 cup.

  • To bring eggs to room temperature quickly place in a medium mixing bowl, cover with warm tap water and let rest 5 minutes.

  • Be sure to allow at least 6 hours for the milks to soak into the cake otherwise it won’t have enough time to soak in.

  • Note that this makes a shorter style cake, but it works because cake is very rich so a taller slice may be too much.

  • Recipe source: adapted slightly from allrecipes.

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