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
What is Tres Leches?
Tres leches literally means, “three milks” and tres leches cake is an ultra light sponge cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture. Tres leches cake is a popular cake in Mexico and Latin America. It really wouldn’t be a Cinco de Mayo celebration this easy cake recipe!
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”.
If you’re still meal planning for Cinco de Mayo then don’t miss my roundup of favorite authentic Mexican recipes!)
How to make Tres Leches Cake:
Start by combining flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Separate the eggs and add sugar to the egg yolks. Mix well and add milk and vanilla to the same bowl. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir to combine. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl, add sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the batter and fold in to combine. Smooth the mixture into your 9×13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the three types of milk in a small bowl. Once the cake is cooled, poke holes all over the top and slowly pour the milk mixture over top. Refrigerate the Tres leches cake for at least 1 hour or overnight to allow it to soak up the milk.
Spread 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!
How to store Tres Leches Cake:
Store Tres Leches Cake in the refrigerator after coving it with plastic wrap or a secure lid. It’s best to store this cake for several hours or overnight before serving so that the cake has a chance to soak up the milk mixture.
If you have leftovers, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can you make Tres Leches Cake ahead of time?
Yes, you can make Tres leches cake 1-2 days in advance. In fact, I love to make this cake the night before so that the cake has a chance to soak up some of the milk that was poured over top. You can store it with whipped cream on top as well or wait to top it with whipped cream before serving.
Is Tres Leches Cake made with oil or butter?
This tres leches cake is NOT made with butter or oil. And trust me, you won’t notice or miss those ingredients!
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!
Alicia R says
May 4, 2015 at 5:04 pmGoing to make this for Cinco de Mayo!!
Lauren Allen says
May 4, 2015 at 6:10 pmAwesome! Let me know how you like it!
Abir says
November 23, 2017 at 10:13 amI done mine today it looks delicious
Soo good
Chris says
March 21, 2018 at 12:59 pmI do not care about LOOKS. TASTE?????
Adam says
April 9, 2018 at 1:54 pmThanks Chris. It drives me crazy when people post a review for a recipe based only on how it looks.
Jodi Mosqueda says
May 7, 2015 at 6:43 pmthis is almost exactly like my recipe and I always get rave reviews.
Lauren Allen says
May 9, 2015 at 7:36 amIt’s a great recipe and always a fun cake to bring to parties!
ashleigh says
May 10, 2015 at 12:54 pmDo you ice the cake prior to refrigerating overnight or after ?
Lauren Allen says
May 10, 2015 at 10:21 pmEither way works! I personally like to add the whipped cream right before I serve it.
Francine Lopacinski says
May 5, 2016 at 4:10 pmThis is my first time making this cake. I made it for our office Cinco de Mayo celebration. It was easy to make and was delicious! Only change I made was to use all of the milk mixture (rather discarding “about a cup”). My cake baked a bit faster than normal so I think it needed the little bit of extra liquid. The final cake was perfect. Thumbs up from Tres Leches lovers.
Amanda says
May 8, 2017 at 2:36 pmThis recipe was DELICIOUS!!! Everyone loved it! This will be a family favorite. So so good! Thanks for sharing!
Wendy says
May 23, 2017 at 6:30 amPlanning on serving this at a Mexican themed bridal shower, could I make this into cup cakes for easier distribution?
Lauren Allen says
May 23, 2017 at 9:29 amHi Wendy, I haven’t tried this as cupcakes, but im pretty confidant it would work great. I would make them a day head to allow the milk to soak up into the cake more so they’re not super liquid-y. I would even cut down on the milk you pour over them by 1/2 cup.
Faatimah says
May 30, 2017 at 4:51 amHI
I want to try this cake but does it come out really sweet ?
Can I omit some of the sugar in the cake or leave it out altogether?
Thanks
Lauren Allen says
May 31, 2017 at 11:25 amI haven’t tried omiting the sugar so I can’t say for sure. The baked cake is not overly sweet. It’s when you add the milk mixtures that it’s made sweeter.
Rusty says
December 2, 2017 at 10:26 amYou pair it with a coffee no sugar, it’s delicious.
Trinity says
June 13, 2017 at 9:07 amI made this cake ,, followed the ingredients an it did not turn out right at all. It’s like my cake floated on top of the milky substance I pored over the top ,,, it was very soupy .. an same with the whip cream part for the top ,, it didn’t thicken up an separated on the cake.
Lauren Allen says
June 13, 2017 at 10:12 amYou baked the cake first, right? Before adding the milk on top? If your whipped cream didn’t thicken, it needs to be beat for longer. You want to smooth it over the cake when it’s very thick and “whipped”.
Carly says
June 29, 2017 at 3:50 pmI just made this and it came out super thin, and I’m wondering why. Has this ever happened to you?
Mary C says
August 31, 2017 at 12:23 amAwesome recipe! I’ve already made it twice (in two weeks) and can’t get enough of it. Love the combination between the milky sweet cake with the cinnamon and slightly sour strawberries. My only trouble is that the cake falls when it cools so there is a little cake climbing the pan. I think it also makes the cake a bit denser than your pictures show. I do whip everything by hand because I don’t have a mixer. I wonder if that is the problem….
Cheryl says
October 15, 2017 at 10:51 pmI suggest that you invest in a hand mixer. They are not expensive and that will make a difference. I couldn’t imagine how you could beat stiff egg whites by hand. You must be really strong!