The BEST authentic homemade Tres Leches Cake. An ultra light cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture and topped with fresh whipped cream and cinnamon. This simple Mexican dessert is one of our favorites!
Tres leches cake is a popular cake in Mexico and Latin America. It really wouldn’t be a Cinco de Mayo celebration without some Tres Leches Cake! (If you’re still meal planning for Cinco de Mayo then don’t miss my roundup of favorite authentic Mexican recipes!)
If you’re reading this than I’m hoping you’ve heard of Tres Leches Cake or “three milk” cake. This classic Mexican cake is one of my favorites of all time!
The cake is similar to an angel food cake. The whipped egg whites in the batter make it extra light and spongy. After baking the cake you poke holes in it with a fork and pour three types of milk over the top–evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk–hence the name “tres leches”.
Then you smooth fresh, sweetened whipped cream all over the top and finish it off with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and some fresh sliced strawberries if you want. It’s DIVINE. One of the easiest cakes to make and it’s always, always a crowd pleaser!
I hope you all love this easy tres leches cake recipe as much as I do!
Consider trying these popular Mexican recipes:
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The BEST authentic Tres Leches Cake. An ultra light cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture and topped with fresh whipped cream and cinnamon. This simple Mexican dessert is one of our favorites!
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs , separated
- 1 cup granulated sugar , divided
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream , for Whipping
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon , for topping
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9x13'' pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate the eggs into two separate bowls.
Add 3/4 cup sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add the 1/3 cup milk and vanilla and stir to combine.
Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently just until combined (don't over-mix).
- Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites on high speed. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar as you mix and continue beating until stiff peaks.
- Fold egg whites into the batter gently, just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Make sure to smooth it into an even layer so your baked cake doesn't have divots in it.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely.
Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk in a small bowl. Once the cake has cooled use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
Slowly pour the milk mixture over the the top of the cake, making sure to pour near the edges and all around.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk.
- In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks. Smooth over the top of the cake. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
*Depending on your oven and the pan you use, this cake may cook faster! Keep an eye on it around 25 minutes,
Serve with one of my authentic Mexican recipes!
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
This post was originally shared in May 2015 but I’ve updated and revamped it to include new photos!
Mai says
Hello,
If make this cupcake, what would be the right temp how long should it be in the oven? Btw, I already tried it with the baking dish and it was a sucess. I just want to try it with cupcake this time.
Lauren Allen says
Cupcakes would probably bake in 13-15 minutes (I can’t say for sure since I haven’t tested them)–just watch them carefully. I wouldn’t put a liner in them either, since the milk mixture would make it soggy. You would probably want to serve them on a plate 🙂
Sameen says
Hi
I’m going to make this for the first time but I want to halve it.
How many eggs do I put in then?
Thanks
Loki says
I would use two whole eggs plus one extra yolk. YOLKS Make cakes moist while whites add firmness and can be more dry as an end result. Since tres leches is to be moist and fluffy i would do two whole and one yolk . You could also use three medium eggs instead of large to an extra firmness to stand up to the added moisture of the three milks. At the end of the day it is up to your personal preference. I like the cake extra moist and fluffy.
Elizabeth says
Lauren,
Thank you for this easy to follow recipe that yields the most DELICIOUS Tres Leches Cake that I have ever made and eaten!
A new fan of Tastes Better From Scratch,
-Iza.
Lauren Allen says
Thanks Iza! I’m glad you liked it and I hope you get to try more of my recipes soon!
Alma Ramirez-Sherrill says
It not just for Cinco De Mayo – in my culture its a cake, that’s associated with birthday parties, graduations, baptisms, and all kind of celebrations.
Kelli Berg says
I usually use cake flour when baking a cake, instead of all purpose flour. Do you think cake flour would work well for this cake? Thanks!!
Lauren Allen says
It should work fine! Enjoy
patty says
This recipe was delicious!!!! While it was fairly labor intensive and took almost 2 hours from start to putting the cake with leche into the fridge, it was worth the effort!!!