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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 :).
Good instructions but the cake came out almost like angel food cake when all was done. I would suggest using more custard on the cake unless there was an error on my part.
Hi Randi, what do you mean by custard – I don’t have any custard in the recipe. Do you mean the milks mixture?
I want to make this for my friend’s birthday. She’s a big chocolate fan. Do you think it would be okay if I added a chocolate layer in between? If so, should I poke holes in it and infuse it with the syrup? Thanks.
Oh, I see that you’ve already answered that question below: no more layers. Too bad 🙁
Yes, to most people, even 2 layers is bold for this cake. Three would overwhelm the frosting on the bottom layer.
I have had a 3 layer cake from a Mexican bakery. It was 1 layer strawberry and 1 layer dul e de leche filling with whipped cream frosting all over. It was delicious, but too much for me. I make this cake with strawberries/ whipped cream in the middle filling and dulce de leche as the top frosting with Strawberry garnish and whipped cream on the sides. Love it!
Thanks for sharing! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Hey Natasha! Can you make more the two layers without it falling apart? I want to try to make it for my nieces birthday and wanted at least one more layer. Thanks!
Since this cake is so heavy, I wouldn’t recommend more than 2 layers. The frosting wouldn’t hold three layers.
Hi Natasha! I just wanted to thank you for this blog. As a fellow Russian, I really appreciate all the time and effort you put into making these recipes. I can’t wait to try making this cake for my mom’s birthday!
Nelly, thank you for such a thoughtful comment😀. Let me know how it turns out.
I will! I just wanted to ask if I can replace the fresh strawberries with frozen strawberries for the filling.
Hi Nelly, the frosting is very light and fluffy and frozen strawberries can let off quite a bit of liquid which might change the consistency of the frosting touching the frozen berries. This is why I would hesitate to use frozen.
I already made the cake with frozen strawberries, so I guess I will just have to see how it turns out! I must say that this cake was a very easy cake to make and not stressful for me at all. Usually when I make cakes I get stressed out, but this one came out pretty “perfect” I guess. Thank you so much and I am looking forward to trying it tomorrow!
I hope the photos help to keep the stress to a minimum. I’m the same way with cakes because they do take time and for me each one is like a science experiment :). Let me know how it works out with frozen strawberries! I hope you love it!
I just printed out the recipe and made the cake by reading it, rather than looking at the pictures. I agree that cakes can feel like you are making a science experiment! Well, the cake came out AMAZING! My whole family loved it (except for my older sister who complained that it was too sweet). My mom also really liked it, which I was happy with, since it was her birthday cake! As for the frozen strawberries, I thawed them in a Ziploc bag in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes. Then I sliced them into thin slices and placed them on top of the frosting. The consistency stayed the same and it tasted delicious. I will definitely make this cake more. Thank you SO much for this recipe! If I could, I would rate this recipe 10 stars!
Oh awesome!!! I’m so happy to hear that it worked out with frozen strawberries. Thanks for the awesome review!
Hi Natasha, thank you for sharing your family recipes. I have had this type of cake before and it was good, but I was wondering if there is a way to add cooked sweetened condensed milk to the frosting. Or even switch a frosting from Муравейник cake? Do you think something like that would work?
I think it could work with a different frosting. I do like this one because the cake is already pretty sweet being soaked with condensed milk so it’s nice to have a not-so-sweet and lighter whipped cream frosting.
I will definitely give it a try. I don’t always have dessert, but when I do… 🙂 it has to be very sweet and have some sort of caramel in it.
Hi Natasha, I started making this cake and while I was mixing the egg whites and sugar mixture it came out runny and bubbly..?
Most likely, you under beat the egg whites and sugar. Where the egg whites stiff when you finished? Also, was the mixing bowl and whisk completely clean and dry and free of oil? Those might have prevented the egg whites from whipping properly.
Thank God for your blog. If it wasn’t for it, my future husband would go hungry.
Julie, I’m so happy to hear that my blog is a blessing to you. Thank you so much for sharing that with me 😀
I made the cake today! Umm not sure about the frosting, i beat it 11/2-2mim like the recipe said and it did not clme that think like it looks in the picture! Fingers crossed until tomorrow when i serve it! Hope the frosting won’t go watery or something
Cristina, have you used HEAVY whipping cream? Also, what kind of mixer did you use? You really need an electric mixer on high speed to achieve fluffy whipped cream in that amount of time. Finally, it helps if your bowl and egg beater are cold. I freeze them for 10 min before using for optimal whipped cream. It is also important that your bowl is clean and dry. I hope those tips help for next time 😀.
Looks delicious! pastel de tres leches is a very traditional cake in Mexico and I had it at our wedding. It was 3 tiers high and had 9 cakes. Everyone loved it! The lady that made our cake was a baker in Mexico and made our cake out of her home. I am def going to try this recipe!
Well that sounds like a fantastic wedding cake! I can only imagine how beautiful it was!
HI Natasha I have to make a 6 inch and a 10 inch wedding cake for this month and every time I do use this recipe the cake goes flat. what am I doing wrong? Am I not mixing the egg white peaks with the batter completely Also will the frosting/whipping cream melt? Again its for wedding and I have to deliver it.
Hi Andrea, I’ve never had one go flat but I’m happy to help troubleshoot. Did you use the full 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and was your baking powder fresh? The other reason is it maybe you needed to beat the egg whites a little longer – did your egg whites look like mine in the photo? I hope that’s helpful! I’ve never agreed to make a wedding cake – it sounds stressful! I’d love to see a photo of it when you’re done 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Love this cake! Super moist and not too sweet, just perfect. I made it yesterday for my son’s birthday and it was a hit with the whole family….even the usual no-cake-eaters cleaned their plates! 😀
I already have requests to make it again…Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that! thank you Cindy 🙂
Would it be possible to make it three layers? Want a big cake! Or a recipe to make this bigger? My family loves it but making one isn’t enough. Thank you so much btw for sharing this!
You could probably slice the cake into 3 thinner layers. I probably wouldn’t multiply the recipe because if there are too many layers, it will be too heavy for the frosting between the bottom layers. The cake is pretty weighty from being soaked so I wouldn’t recommend increasing the recipe.
Hi Natasha, i have been following your Blog almost a year now. Have tried many recipes and they are a Hit every time. The salmon and your chebureki are my favourite. Just wanted to say thank you from Germany. My daughters first birthday is in two days and i will be serving almost everything from your Blog. Oh, and my daughters name is also Diana😊 thank you so much and god bless you.
That’s so sweet! happy birthday to your daughter!! Your Diana is just two months older than mine :). Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful reviews 🙂
Hi Natasha, Im making your recipe for the tres leches cake but I only want to do a single layer round 9in. cake. I want to know is the measurements of the mix to make the cake mix all the same still?
Hello :). I’ve made this cake round before. Here is the recipe for it, but it was a 2-layer 9″ round cake. I suppose if you are only making half of the cake, you should cut all of the ingredients in half.
Natasha, I am not not seeing butter anywhere in the ingredients or the recipe, but you mention using unsalted butter in one of the comments. Should there be butter added to the cake batter?
Thanks
Hi Ksenia, I only use butter to grease the pans.
Do you add unsalted butter?
Yes, I always use unsalted butter in my recipes. I love to bake and cook with unsalted butter because I can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
Hey Natasha! I’m planning on making this cake tonight for our churche’s zhatva tomorrow, but I would like to turn it into a layered rectangular (or sheet) cake so it could be bigger and possibly add a third layer. Do you think it would turn out okay? P.s Thanks a bunch for your delicious recipes! They never fail to impress!
Hi Inna. I haven’t tried it that way but I think it could work well as a rectangular sheet cake. I don’t know about making it a three layer cake. It is a fairly heavy cake so I don’t think the frosting would hold up well between three layers.
Hi. I am planning to bake this cake tonight for tomorrow’s party. I also have one more party on Sunday night. if I bake two today, will it be too soggy for Sunday?
I think it would be best to bake the day before. It would still taste great even if you made it Friday since this is a sponge cake and absorbs liquid well without turning soggy but for best results, I’d make it Saturday to serve on Sunday if possible.
Hi Natasha
I am planning to make either this cake or the strawberry layer cake for my besties birthday! I wanted to know if it is okay to bake the cake over the weekend- Saturday (as I dont get time after office) and then assemble it on Monday night, as Tuesday is her birthday !!
Please tell me what to do, bake, cover and store in fridge? Thanks 🙂
I think either one would work to bake ahead, let the cake layers cool then cover with plastic wrap loosely but fully and store in the fridge. If making the strawberry cake, keep the parchment paper from baking to keep between the layers so they don’t stick together during refrigeration. Also, either cake can be assembled the night before and refrigerated.
I love this cake. Moist perfectly. Very gentle, everyone always loves this cake when I make it. And cream is so light and fluffy (unless I over beat it, then it’s good just as much but more buttery) thank u
Marina, thank you for the great review, I’m very glad to know that you love the cake :D.