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 or powdered 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!
Jane says
Tres leches is my absolute favorite dessert and I’m so glad I found your blog. I’ve been baking the same tres leches for years, but yours is my new go-to recipe! Even my husband, who isn’t much into desserts, loved it. It’s even better the next day, for sure. For anyone who wants to bake this, I recommend not skipping the cinnamon. It adds a whole new depth of flavor. Thanks for this recipe!
Kate says
Did you add the cream the next day, or make it all at once?
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.
Josh says
Yet you come on here to find a recipe instead of asking a cousin, mom or grandma??? Lmao comment on the recipe your irrelevant personal feelings are not wanted
Josh's Dad says
What a dick. People like you are what’s wrong with this world. Save your irrelevant self hating comments for Facebook.
Nick says
There was nothing wrong with their comment jeez. Who hurt u so bad in life that u gotta be so rude to someone?
Also your comment had nothing to do with the recipe either.
Carolyn says
I didn’t take her comment to be snarky at all! She was just saying that tres leches is a treat that can be shared at any celebration. However, your comment was rude. And for the record, this recipe is delicious!
Taleighsha says
Yeah because there’s different ways to make it. Like this one is like angel food cake while most are like a pound cake this one is different.
Erlybird54 says
Don’t be mean. It is just about cake. She was sharing that it is for celebrations of all kind.
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
Kevin says
How did the cake turn out with cake flour?
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!!!
Erin says
Hello! This recipe looks delicious and I would love to give it a try! Would it be okay for the cake to sit for about 24 hours before cutting into it? I am planning on making this for a party but I don’t have time the morning of to make it and was planning on making it a day before. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Lauren Allen says
Yes, that would work really well 🙂 Enjoy!
Meagan says
I made this for a colleague and we had leftovers for the next week. It actually got better the longer it sat!
Meredith says
Hi there. I see you have doubled up on the whole milk in the ingredients list. It says 1/3 and then 1/4 of a cup. How much whole milk do I add?
Lauren Allen says
You will see in Step 3, that 1/3 cup goes into cake. After cake has baked the other 1/4 c. is mixed with the evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk to pour over the cake. Hope this helps clarify.
Kyle says
I’ve made this recipe twice now exactly as written. The cake turns out better than what we can buy at our local authentic panderia/pastelleria. It’s also easy enough with the directions that my 9 year old (kitchen experienced) made the last one himself with me sitting at the counter supervising, but the end result is spectacular. It does cook quickly in our oven, so pay close attention the first couple times you bake it. The first one we made was still delicious when we finished the last pieces on the third day. We made the second one for a potluck and made the cake and milks the night before. The next day before we left we added the whipped cream topping. We didn’t have any to bring back home. Penzey’s cinnamon, which is quite strong, is a great topper for this.
Rochelle says
Hi, I wanted to bake this cake. But isn’t it too sweet? My husband isn’t a fan of sweet cakes, but I would love to give this a try but I am having doubts about the sweetness of the cake. Thank you in advance.
Lauren Allen says
Hi Rochelle, I don’t personally think it’s too sweet, especially with the whipped cream frosting. Everyone has different sweetness tolerance so it’s hard for me to say, but that’s how I feel about it 🙂
Jessica says
This recipe is incredible! I made it for the first time for a work event and made 3 cakes. It felt so simple because the recipe was laid out so well and I knew exactly what to expect. I refrigerated it for 2 nights and it still tasted delicious when we ate it. Everyone raved about it and it was a huge hit!! I would definitely make it again – thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
Cynthia B says
Can I double the recipe and divide the batter in 2 (9×13) pans? I ask because I’ve doubled other recipes and some don’t turn out and I don’t want to waste ingredients.
Lauren Allen says
Hi Cynthia, I’ve never actually doubled this recipe, but I think it would work!
Kim says
How did it turn out? I’m looking to double as well
naj says
hi,
can you please tell me the flour measurements in grams ?
thank you
Lauren Allen says
I’d suggest looking this up on line.
Alyssa says
I absolutely love this recipe! I was asked to make it three times in a month because everyone loved it so much. I enjoyed how easy it is to make and taste delicious. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
Shubham Singh says
this is really looking so yummy.
Debi Opiela says
Hi, can I freeze the cake for a few days until I’m ready to add the milk?
Lauren Allen says
Yes, I think that should work fine.
Terry says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It was everything you said, easy, a crowd pleaser, and tasted divine! It is now one of my favorites.
Keiry says
Hi! I loved this recipe!
What size would the pan need to be if doing it on a round pan?
Lauren Allen says
Two 8” or 9” rounds should work.
Deannisa says
This recipe is a keeper!
I’m an Asian but I have some Latin America friends in my place.
I baked this one weekend for a gathering and followed all the instructions as it is written and it came out perfect. Everyone loves it! I personally never taste this cake before, but my friends said that it was better than the one they bought.
But the problem is the one on the edge did not get the same moisture as the one in the middle. I was thinking to halve the recipe into 2 pans but it might be too thin. But if I were about to do that, probably the baking time would be half than the normal one (25 – 35 mins)?
Tricia says
Just FYI, this is NOT a Mexican dessert at all!!! This is an authentic Nicaraguan dessert.
Judy says
So, I never, ever leave comments, but this cake was absolutely fantastic! My only complaint is that it’s so good that I can’t stop eating it!!
Janet Beck says
For the third year in a row I’m making this cake for my sons birthday, yours is practically identical to a recipe I found on the food network which is the one I’ve used in the past, it is delicious. I do have a couple of wicked additions, I replace 1/2 a cup of the evaporated milk with Kahlua and grate dark chocolate over the top. Perhaps I should point out that my son isn’t a little child.
Lauren Allen says
Sounds like delicious adaptions!
Leah says
Does it get really fluffy? I’m worried that mine didn’t come out spongy enough. Does the egg white need to be stif to make it fluffy?
Lauren Allen says
I’m not sure what you mean. Yes, the egg white should be beaten very stiffly before adding it 🙂
Jina Gamez says
Hi i was wondering if I made this cake two days before it actually being served. I want to make It for Friday. But I’m serving it Sunday for a birthday party just don’t have time to do it Saturday will the cake be okay? I will add the topping (whipped cream cinnamon and strawberries on the evening it’s being served.
Looks delicious thank you
Lauren Allen says
Yes, I think it will work great made 2 days in advance! Enjoy, I hope everyone loves it 🙂
Cindy Quintanilla says
Hi, I have made this cake a few times now but have been using regualr round cake pans. The issue I keep having is the cake doesn’t keep a nice round shape when taken out of oven which makes it difficult to frost. Just wondering if I may be doing something wrong or is it normal??
Lauren Allen says
Hi Cindy, are you taking it out of the round cake pans to frost? This cake is so light and airy it’s just not dense/string enough to hold it’s shape, especially with all of the milk added.
Jean says
Silly question but can this be layered?
Lauren Allen says
I really think NO, I just don’t think it will hold up. Sorry.
Taleighsha says
Idk about this recipe but yes we often layer this cake
Jose says
Of all the tres leches cake recipes I decided on this one! Can’t wait to make this for my party on Saturday.
Question: I have a pyrex glass pan and I would rather bake the cake in this pan than my aluminum one. Do I need to handle the prep of the glass pan any differently than an aluminum one? Also…I’m assuming buttering the pan rather than using a non-stick spray would work as well?
Thank You! 🙂
Lauren Allen says
Hi Jose, I use my glass pyrex all the time with success! And buttering the pan would work great 🙂
Kayla says
Hi,
Made this cake today and had a problem with it being eggy. Did anyone else have this problem?
Rhonda Graham says
Help! This recipe appears to contain no butter or oil. Yet Rick Bayless’s recipe does. Is that a mistake or not?
Lauren Allen says
You read it right–no butter or oil here. I’m not familiar with Rick Bayless’ recipe.
Paola says
I made this cake for a church gathering and it was the hit of the night. Absolutely delish. Thank you for this and all the amazing recepies.
Hellen says
This is the first time a ever rate a recipe simply because I dont have talent in the kitchen and most recipes turn out bad..BUT!! this is the best cake I ever made! I love Tres Leche cake from my time in Panama and wanted to give it a try. I did everything exactly like its written down in this recipe apart from 1 thing, I used 1 cup of 1,5% milk instead of whole milk and a little less of the condensed and evaporated milk (I just though of the sweetness – still turns out suuuperweet like the cake has to!
When I was down with the first part I thought that the cake might be too spongy or full of air (becsuse of the stiff egg whites) but after making wholes with a fork, letting the cake cool of about 15 minutes and putting the tres leche mixture over it, it just turned out how I knew it, a perfect tres leche cake!
For the frosting I used about 1,5 cup of cream and 2 spoon sugar. Garnish with cinnamon powder and crashed nuts.
BOYFRIEND AND I LOVED IT, thank you so much.
JAYME says
I have lived my entire life in Texas and has MANY different tres leches cakes. This is by far the absolute best recipe ever. My husband that doesn’t even like tres leches loved it and my very pick teenaged son told me he would pay me to make it more often. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is superior.
Sarwat says
Hey i am.going to be trying it for the first time. Can i use cream in the milk mixture instead of.milk? And what quantity?
Lauren Allen says
Just for the 1/4 cup added on top of the cake after baking, that would be fine.
Umaima says
There is no oil or butter added in the cake ??
Lauren Allen says
No.
Uma says
Hi. Would it be possible to make this in an 8″ square pyrex or would it be too tall to add the whipped topping? Thanks!
Lauren Allen says
Hi Uma, you can just cut the recipe in half for an 8” 🙂
Stephanie Stone says
Wow! This Cake was delicious and the instructions were super simple. A cake like this easily goes for $10+ dollars and literally spent almost nothing, for all you needed was the basic ingredients you have in your pantry and fridge. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe
Lauren Allen says
It really is such a simple cake! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your comment.
Yelena says
Tres Leches is a Nicaraguan cake, but I will try your recipe!
Julie Corinne says
Just made this for my family and we all absolutely loved it! And it really was super easy. We were thinking about making a boozy version for the holidays. Have you tried this and if so, what kind of alcohol? And should I cut back on any of the other wet ingredients so it won’t be too wet? Thanks!
Lauren Allen says
Hi Julie, I’m so happy to hear it!
I haven’t added alcohol, but I think just adding some to the milk mixture when pouring it over the baked cake would work well. I wouldn’t do too much, and I’d just take out a little (maybe a few tablespoons) of the evaporated milk and condensed milk. Enjoy!
OMAR says
Yes you can add alcohol and actually it typically is served with Brandy in it or even rum in Latin American countries I usually add up to 1/4 cup to the liquid without having to substitute anything else but you can of course use less than that depending on your taste
Kim says
Best recipe ever! I’ve made this multiple times and the recipe keeps getting better and better. Perfect moisture!!! I’ve added some extra twist to my cakes, fresh layers of fruit etc… I do have a question, I’d like to make a larger version but do not want to screw up the ingredients. Any recommendations on how much more ingredients I need to create a half sheet cake?
Olivia says
Can I add the whipped cream to it if I want to refrigerate it all night or should you wait to add that right before you eat it?
Lauren Allen says
Yes, you can top with the whipped cream and refrigerate. I would recommend using powered sugar instead of granulated sugar when you whip the cream, it will be more stable and hold up overnight. Good luck.
Crystal says
hi first of all I like to say that this recipe was the bomb I’m so serious it was an overly sweet it was just perfect and it was perfectly moist I’ve been looking and trying different recipes but this was the best recipe so thank you this is my second time doing it but I messed up. Lauren or anyone else who might have an idea is it going to be ok because forgot to put the egg whites in am I going to mess the cakes up or will it make a big difference or is it okay to continue with it I already took them out of the oven and they look great but they are missing the egg whites in there I don’t know if I should continue putting the whipped cream on top of itor just redo the whole thing over because I wanted to take it to work please let me know what you think thank you so much!
Lauren Allen says
Hi Crystal , I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it! If you forget to add the egg whites it will change the texture of the cake (it wont be as light and airy) but it will taste fine 🙂
Erin says
Good morning! I’m planning on making this tonight, for tomorrow. I typically bring refrigerated ingredients to room temp for baking. Would you recommend that for this recipe, or is it better if they’re cold? Thanks, in advance!
Lauren Allen says
Yes, room temperature ingredients work best 🙂 Enjoy!
Erin says
Thanks so much! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Celene says
Help!! My glaze hasn’t sunk what can I do to fix this? Or what did i do wrong ?
Lauren Allen says
Do you mean the milk poured on top hasnt seeped into the cake? Did you poke holes in the cake? How long have you waited?
Breeana Espinosa says
This is my go to tres leches recipe now! But have you tried this as cupcakes before? Curious as to baking time & how many it would make?