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Layered Tres Leches Cake is everything you love about the classic tres leches cake but it’s stunning as a layered cake. This is one of my favorite cakes. A.ma.zing. It’s super moist, not too sweet and incredibly satisfying. We usually make it as a single layer sheet cake but I’ve had so many questions about turning this into a layered tres leches cake that I couldn’t resist.
It worked out beautifully and would make an excellent special occasion cake. I took this cake to my sisters house and brought the cake platter home clean :). Kids seem to really love this cake too. I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients for Layered Tres Leches Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 whole large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided into 3/4 and 1/4 cups
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup 2% or whole milk
Syrup:
8 oz (about 2/3 of a 12 oz can) evaporated milk
9 oz (about 2/3 of a 14 oz can) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Frosting & Decor:
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 lb fresh strawberries
How to Make Tres Leches Cake Layers:
Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour two 9″ round cake pans
1. Set up 3 mixing bowls: 1 medium and 2 large bowls. In the medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
2. Separate eggs into the other two large bowls. Egg yolks into one and egg whites into the other. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow (approx 2 min). Stir in 1/3 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
3. Pour flour mixture over your egg yolk mixture and beat on low speed with the mixer until just combined.
4. With a clean, dry whisk, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form (1 minute). With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high speed until egg whites are stiff but not dry (1 minute).
5. Gently fold egg whites into the yolk/flour mixture until just combined. Divide evenly between two cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool to room temp.
6. When cakes have cooled, trim the edges with a serrated knife to even out the edges.
Prep the 3-milk syrup:
1. In a large measuring cup with a pouring lip, stir together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream.
Assembling the Layered Tres Leches Cake:
1. Place one of the layers, flat side down, on a cake platter. Using a fork, poke the top all around, going all the way to the edges and poke through the depth of the cake. Use a spoon to pour on half of the 3-milk syrup. Let cake stand and absorb the syrup while you beat the frosting (see instructions below).
2 Generously frost the top of your first layer, then arrange sliced strawberries over the top of your frosting.
3. Your next cake layer will be placed with the flat side up; so before putting it over the strawberries, use a fork to poke the flat surface all around, going to the edges. Now place your poked cake top over the strawberries.
4. Spoon the remaining half of the 3-milk syrup evenly over your top layer. Let cake stand 10-15 minutes for the syrup to soak in for easier frosting.
5. Frost the top and sides of the cake and smooth out frosting with a cake spatula. I decorated the top with halved strawberries, placed at an angle around the top border of the cake. It was simple and just perfect.
How to Make the Frosting
1. For best results with whipping cream, freeze your mixing bowl and egg beaters or whisk attachment for 15 minutes. Make sure your whipping cream is very cold.
2. Beat 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream and 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar on high speed until thick and spreadable (about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes). Don’t overbeat or it will turn buttery. Refrigerate Tres Leches cake until ready to use.
Recipe Originally adapted from Ree Drummond’s tres leches sheet cake. Ree is an amazing, genuine and hilarious blogger; definitely one of my role models. If you haven’t yet discovered her, you’re missing out big!
Layered Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake Layers:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 whole large eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar, divided into 3/4 and 1/4 cups
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup 2% or whole milk
For the Syrup:
- 8 oz about 2/3 of a 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 9 oz about 2/3 of a 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Frosting & Decor:
- 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 lb fresh strawberries
Instructions
How to Make the Cake Layers: Preheat Oven to 350F. Butter and flour two 9" round cake pans
- Set up 3 mixing bowls: 1 medium and 2 large bowls. In the medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
- Separate eggs into the other two large bowls. Egg yolks into one and egg whites into the other. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow (approx 2 min). Stir in 1/3 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- Pour flour mixture over your egg yolk mixture and beat on low speed with the mixer until just combined.
- With a clean, dry whisk, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form (1 minute). With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high speed until egg whites are stiff but not dry (1 minute).
- Gently fold egg whites into the yolk/flour mixture until just combined. Divide evenly between two cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool to room temp.
- When cakes have cooled, trim the edges with a serrated knife to even out the edges.
Prep the 3-milk syrup:
- In a large measuring cup with a pouring lip, stir together the evaporated milk, the sweetened condensed milk and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream.
Assembling the Cake:
- Place one of the layers, flat side down, on a cake platter. Using a fork, poke the top all around, going all the way to the edges and poke through the depth of the cake. Use a spoon to pour on half of the 3-milk syrup. Let cake stand and absorb the syrup while you beat the frosting (see instructions below).
- Generously frost the top of your first layer, then arrange sliced strawberries over the top of your frosting.
- Your next cake layer will be placed with the flat side up; so before putting it over the strawberries, use a fork to poke the flat surface all around, going to the edges. Now place your poked cake top over the strawberries.
- Spoon the remaining half of the 3-milk syrup evenly over your top layer. Let cake stand 10-15 minutes for the syrup to soak in for easier frosting.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake and smooth out frosting with a cake spatula. I decorated the top with halved strawberries, placed at an angle around the top border of the cake. It was simple and just perfect.
How to Make the Frosting
- For best results with whipping cream, freeze your mixing bowl and egg beaters or whisk attachment for 15 minutes. Make sure your whipping cream is very cold.
- Beat 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream and 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar on high speed until thick and spreadable (about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes). Don't overbeat or it will turn buttery. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Y’all have to try this one soon. It’s really really tasty! Have an awesome weekend, friends :).
Loved this cake. Baked it yesterday with a twist though. I made a pistachio flavored sponge and pista infused milk mixture. The cake turned out awesome.. your recipes are amazing .. just one doubt though, do we have to serve each slice of the layered tre leches with milk syrup or just soaking the sponges prior to layering is sufficient?
That sounds awesome! I have not tried that flavor yet but I can try that in the future. It should be sufficient as it is already moist on its own but you can also do that and add more syrup if you want it to be super moist! Please let us know how it goes if you try that!
Hi Natasha,
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday and it was a hit.
He loved it. I always follow your recipes .Small request ,could you share a death by chocolate cake recipe?
Love it! So great to hear that he enjoyed his Birthday cake! I don’t have a recipe for that yet, I only have the Chocolate cake recipe which is eggless.
This recipe looks delish, and will be making it in a couple of days for hubby’s Bday. Since its only 3 of us, will the cake hold for a couple of days in the fridge (specially the frosting)?
Sounds like a great plan. Happy Birthday in advance, I have made this the night before and it does work, just make sure your strawberries are fresh, also cover and refrigerate until serving and you should be good but I think it would be best to bake the day before.
Hi Natasha. Thanks for your quick reply. My question was really around how long would the cake last in the fridge after serving it (Bday day). My concern is mostly with the the frosting. Thanks again. Can’t wait to make this!!
Hi Griz, We have enjoyed the cake for a couple of days after assembling it. I wouldn’t go past 2 or 3 days.
I’m so excited to try this recipe! It looks so beautiful and delicious! I am planning to write a message on top of the cake, do you have any suggestions on what icing I can use? Thanks in advance!
Hi, I don’t really have a favorite but you could use the pre-made gels or frostings that are made for writing. Whipped cream would be too light for piping a message.
This looks great! Can I make and assemble the day before? Or will it get too soggy?
Hello Sam, you can surely make this ahead. I have made this the night before and it does work, just make sure your strawberries are fresh, also cover and refrigerate until serving and you should be good.
I made the sheet cake, cannot thank you enough, it was amazing, I have a question cause I am going to make the layered one today, if I do 4 layers, will it be difficult to frost? As the cake is too soft, I am going to make it for my friend’s birthday and I want the cake to be taller.
Hi Najmeh, since this is a softer cake I worry 4 layers may not be as stable BUT, several of our readers have made a few layers of this and it worked fine. Here is what one of our readers wrote. “I stacked 3 layers of this cake for the bottom tier of a 2-tier wedding cake. The lowest layer ended up slightly compressed and leaked some milk after sitting overnight” I hope this helps.
Hi Natasha,
Is it ok to substitute the APF with cake flour on this recipe?
And, will canned peaches work with the Tres Leches Cake as garnish?
Thanks in advance,
Venisse
Hi Venisse, I haven’t tested it but the cake might be too soft with cake flour – it holds a substantial amount of syrup so that would be my only concern about using cake flour.
I’m targetting to do this as Birthday Cake for our Grandmother who’s turning 91y.o so I made a test cake with half recipe. I used a 6″ round pan and it worked just fine. I used canned peaches and it went gone in 10 minutes!😅
Thanks for the recipe Natasha!😊
Oh btw, the cake were baked in 18 minutes, 350F. The cake top went dark brown almost about to be getting burned if I continue baking. I applied toothpick test and they seemed cooked.
You are most welcome! I’m glad the test cake was great, thanks for sharing that with us and Happy Birthday in advance to your grandmother.
We always order tres leches cake from a famous bakery in my hometown. Lately they have lines down the block and we haven’t had the time to wait so I figured I’d try to make one myself.
I doubled the recipe, did three 9×13 layers and put fresh strawberry slices and vanilla pudding in between the layers. It turned out amazing and was gone in minutes. Great recipe!
That is just wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your great comments with us, Victoria. You can now make your very own Tres Leches at home at any time!
Have you ever made this vegan? I’ was asked to make a vegan tres leches and was wondering how to go about it?
Hi Chasteen, I have not tried this as a vegan option to advise. I imagine you will make this with almond flour but this cake does have a good amount of dairy. If you happy to experiment, I would love to know how you like that!
Excuse my english ,
In this recipe we will use 2 round pans??
Hello Maryham, yes that’s two 9″ round cake pans.
Hi Natasha! Can I make the cake layers in advance? Like a night before?
Hi Pauline! That should work! Do not presoak them however or they will turn soggy.
Hi Natasha ! I am planning to make this tomorrow. I need it the day after ! Do you suggest soaking it in milk mixture tomorrow or the day after?
Hi Rinzi, you can do it the day of or a day ahead and both will work great.
I just want to say I love your tres leches cake recipe!!! On Mother’s Day, I made the sheet pan recipe and on Father’s Day, I made the layered. I used your strawberry syrup recipe as a filling along with the whipped cream and it was a HUGE HIT!
I am going to use the double the sheet pan recipe so I can make a large layered tres leches since the regular one disappears in seconds with my family!
I just love how your recipe isn’t overly sweet and just the most perfect consistency!
Your comments are so awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your good experience with us. I’m so happy to know that you and your family enjoyed this recipe.
Hi Natasha, thank you for posting amazing recipes, we are a big fan of your spaghetti and meatball, and sponge cake recipes. I have a question regarding making this cake in a sheet pan. Can I bake this in a cookie sheet pan and cut it into half for layers?
Hi Asma, have you checked out our Tres Leches Cake here? Its made in a sheet pan.
Hi Natasha! Just wondering if this is really correct?
8 oz (about 2/3 of a 12 oz can) evaporated milk
9 oz (about 2/3 of a 14 oz can) sweetened condensed milk
Because in your single layer the evaporated milk was more than the condensed milk. When i followed this it was sweeter than the single layer one.
Hi Cat, the measurements are correct. I used a little less here because it’s a layered cake and I worried that the weight would be too much.
Hi, Natasha! May I use this cake base for a Tiramisu cake? I find that it absorbs so much liquid and holds really well when I followed your Tres Leches recipe. I wonder if this can be used for Tiramisu. Many thanks!
Hi Jessica, I haven’t tried that yet to advise but you might have to experiment. If you give it a try please let us know how it goes.
This is fantastic recipe: my wife loves layered Tres Leches for special occasions from our local bakery, but they were out of commission at her birthday, so I did this has a homemade treat instead: totally awesome! Bad, admittedly, for the bakery: this is so much better.
One odd question: the recipe uses ⅔ of a can of condenses and evapourated milk, so there’s a bit left afterwards. Other that wickedly sweet creamy coffee for a few days, what’s your best recommendation for cleaning up the leftover ⅓ cans?
Hi Jesse, we often use the leftover condensed milk to make coffee creamer afterward, or drizzle over toast. It’s such a yummy leftover to have! Just make sure to store in a different container besides the tin can it comes in. I’m so glad you love the Tres Leches recipe!
Hey Natasha! Firstly, I concur with someone else who’d posted here, this is honestly one of the ONLY recipes online for a layered tres leches and I already have my cake baked as a tester for an order I got. Was wondering how this would pair with a Swiss meringue buttercream frosting on the outside as the cake requires some added decorations that would need the stability of a buttercream frosting esp since this would also need to be transported.
I’m SOOOO excited to try this.
Hi Arathy, I have not tested this with Swiss meringue buttercream but I bet it could work. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
Can keep this frosted cake in the fridge overnight?
By the way, your recipe is amazing.
Hi Taisa, I have kept it covered and refrigerated overnight with great results, but I would suggest adding the berries before serving.
I LOVE this recipe! I made the 9×13 the day of my wedding and everyone loved it! My husband’s family is Mexican, and they always get a tres leches cake from the supermercado down the street for celebrations. I’m starting a home bakery and have tried a few recipes, but always come back to this one! I make a few slights changes (add some vanilla do the whipped cream, add some cinnamon to the syrup, etc), and baked in 2 – 8″ pans with the Wilton bake strips. I wish i could post a picture! Not only does the 8″ pan give me the perfect size layer for the recipe, but the bake strips keep a crust from forming on the sides of the cake, so no trimming! I also hang my cakes upside down while cooling (hang the pans on two short glasses on wire racks, like i do with any chiffon so it won’t sink as much in the center). After about 15-20 minutes the cakes comes out easily and there is zero crust on the bottom also (no crust equals SUPER absorbent spongy deliciousness!). I soaked them overnight and frosted the next day for my nephew’s birthday. EVERYONE raved about the cake, even my nephew, who is quite deadpan, which made me happy! I am going to try to adapt this to make a chocolate version. Thank you for a wonderful recipe! Also, you are adorable, and I love every recipe I have tried (the whole family raved about your crispy chicken sandwiches I made last week)!!
I love your very detailed and awesome comment! Thank you so much for sharing that with us, I am so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed the tres leches!
Hi natasha
Can i make tres leches cake in 2 pans 6 inche each one.
Hi Fanny, I haven’t tried but here is a really great resource on how to adapt baking recipes going from the 9″ to the 6″. You may need to do some adaptation.
Hie Natasha. I totally love your recipes. I want to try this recipe for my son s birthday coming up soon. How can i turn it into a lively birthday cake.
Thank you so much and thank sounds like a good plan. You can use this recipe exactly as it is and just change the design and frosting.