Tres Leches Cake has a soft and ultra-moist crumb. It is soaked with a 3 milk mixture and topped with a lightly sweetened whipped cream. This is an authentic Tres Leches Cake recipe and the best we have tried. It beats any store-bought version all day long!

We love the simple, crowd-pleasing desserts that come together in a casserole dish like classic Tiramisu, our popular Strawberry Pretzel Salad, and of course this easy Tres Leches Cake. They are easy to make and perfect to bring to potlucks and parties. They transfer well and are always the first to disappear.

Slice of Tres Leches Cake on a plate with fork

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What is Tres Leches Cake?

Tres Leches is a popular authentic Mexican cake. I am a fan of moist cakes and this Tres Leches Cake blew me away. The syrup is made of – you guessed it – tres leches (which means three kinds of milk). You poke holes into the cake before pouring over the syrup so every bite is decadently moist. The cake is rich but has a light feel to it and is balanced by the lightly sweetened whipped cream. We even bravely turned it into a Layered Tres Leches Cake!

My cousin Katerina sent me this Tres Leches Cake recipe a (long) while back and I finally found time to make it. It was adapted from the Pioneer Woman.

Tres Leches cake in casserole dish with slice removed to show moist layers

Tres Leches Ingredients:

This recipe calls for very simple ingredients, most of which are refrigerator and pantry staples. It has 3 kinds of milk poured over the cake: evaporated milk, heavy whipping cream, and sweetened condensed milk. It’s topped with a 2-ingredient whipped cream frosting. We love adding fresh berries like strawberries and raspberries over the top for a prettier presentation.

Tres Leches Ingredients with heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, flour, salt and baking powder

Tips for the Best Tres Leches Cake:

  • Watch the video tutorial below before beginning to gauge the process and tools needed before starting.
  • Measure dry and wet ingredients correctly. For the flour, spoon it into dry ingredients measuring cup and level off the top.
  • Cold eggs are easier to separate into whites and yolks.
  • Fold the batter with a spatula just until it is well incorporated then stop. Do not overmix since the cake relies on the volume of the eggs to rise.
  • While cooling the cake to room temperature, avoid any outdoor draft. Any egg-based cake can take on an “eggy” aroma if it gets outdoor air.
  • Let the cake rest 30 min after pouring on the syrup so it can absorb every drop.
  • Bake in a ceramic or glass casserole dish for the best rise and it’s easier to serve right out of the casserole dish.

Moist slice of tres leches cake on a spatula with casserole beneath

Answering Your Burning Questions:

How long does tres leches cake last? You can fully assemble and make a tres leches cake 1 to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Add fresh berries just before serving, especially if berries are sliced.

Is Tres Leches supposed to be soggy? It is supposed to be very moist. The cake base is a sponge cake so it takes on the generous amount of syrup without getting soggy. This is why I avoid using a boxed white cake mix which can quickly become “soggy” since it’s not meant to absorb liquid.

Can Tres Leches Cake be frozen? You can make the cake base ahead of time. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature then cover the casserole dish tightly with a couple of layers of plastic wrap and freeze the tres leches cake base up to 2 months. Thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter before using it. It is not recommended to freeze the cake once the syrup and frosting are added.

Fully assembled tres leches cake ready for refrigeration

How to Make Tres Leches Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a casserole dish. Set up 3 mixing bowls.
  2. Sift the dry ingredients into the first bowl. Separate egg whites and yolks into the other 2 bowls.
  3. Using an electric hand mixer beat yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed, until pale yellow (2 min). Stir in 1/3 cup milk and vanilla.
  4. With clean and dry egg beaters, beat whites on high speed until soft peaks form (1 min). With the mixer on, add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high speed until whites are stiff but not dry (1 min).
  5. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and use a spatula to blend together. Gently fold in egg white mixture until just combined. Pour batter into prepared casserole and bake 30-35 minutes.
  6. When the cake has cooled, pierce all over with a fork and slowly drizzle on the 3-milks mixture. Let rest 30 minutes then top with whipped cream and berries.

step by step instructions for how to make tres leches cake in 3 bowls

This has to be one of the moistest cakes around. It goes down easy and you’ll savor every bite. Make this for your next party and you will become known for your Tres Leches recipe!

Moist tres leches cake on a plate topped with whipped cream and berries

Our Best Potluck Desserts:

If you’re looking for more party favorite desserts that are simple to make, transport well and can even be made ahead, you will love these dessert recipes.

Watch Natasha Make this Tres Leches Cake:

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Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Tres Leches Cake Recipe

4.98 from 1008 votes
Tres Leches Cake Dessert
Tres Leches Cake has a soft and ultra-moist crumb. It is soaked with a 3 milk mixture and topped with a lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients 

Servings: 12 people

Ingredients:

Syrup:

Frosting:

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 cup berries, to garnish, optional

Instructions

How to Make Tres Leches Cake Base:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F and butter a 9x13 casserole pan. Set up three mixing bowls.
  • In a large bowl, sift together 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 salt. Separate egg whites and yolks into the other two bowls.
  • Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer on high speed, until yolks are a pale yellow (2 minutes). Stir in 1/3 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla.
  • 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)
  • Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and combine gently with a spatula.
  • Gently fold in egg white mixture with the spatula until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface and bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the 3-Milk Syrup:

  • In a large measuring cup (or a bowl with a pouring lip), combine 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, 12 oz evaporated milk and 9 oz condensed milk. When the cake is cool, pierce the surface all over with a fork. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the cake.

To Make the Whipped Cream Frosting:

  • Pour 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream and 2 Tbsp sugar into a large chilled mixing bowl and beat on high speed 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until thick, whipped and spreadable. Spread over the cake with a spatula then decorate with berries if desired.

Nutrition Per Serving

415kcal Calories45g Carbs8g Protein23g Fat14g Saturated Fat148mg Cholesterol153mg Sodium302mg Potassium1g Fiber35g Sugar921IU Vitamin A2mg Vitamin C207mg Calcium1mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
415
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
23
g
35
%
Saturated Fat
 
14
g
88
%
Cholesterol
 
148
mg
49
%
Sodium
 
153
mg
7
%
Potassium
 
302
mg
9
%
Carbohydrates
 
45
g
15
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
35
g
39
%
Protein
 
8
g
16
%
Vitamin A
 
921
IU
18
%
Vitamin C
 
2
mg
2
%
Calcium
 
207
mg
21
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword: tres leches cake
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 415

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

We first published this recipe in 2011. We updated the photos and recipe Dec 2019, baking and serving out of a casserole dish and adding a little more evaporated milk to achieve that signature moistness of an authentic tres leches cake. Here is what the original photo looked like: 

Tres leches cake slice on a plate with fresh strawberries

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

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Comments

  • Lisa
    March 14, 2024

    Well, I took it out of the oven, and it looked just like yours. Turned my back to make syrup and turned around and the cake pulled away from the sides of Pyrex baking pan and created a lip around all sides. No drafts in kitchen. What happened do you think. Hopefully, it will taste ok, but it won’t look too good.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 15, 2024

      Hi Lisa! Because this type of sponge has make air incorporated in the batter, it’s normal
      For some shrinkage to happen. It should be excessive. Things that can make this worse: opening the oven door during baking- the loss of heat doesn’t allow the cake structure to set properly and it causes collapsing and shrinkage, baking at too high of a temperature, or baking for too long, over mixing your batter causing it to deflate. I also recommend using an Internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to ensure proper oven temperature.
      This sponge is fairly forgiving. Since it acts like a sponge soaking up the syrup it will also expand a bit while it soaks it up. I hope you love the cake and I hope this helps troubleshoot.

      Reply

      • lisa
        March 15, 2024

        Thanks for your reply. I have an internal oven thermometer. I treated the batter correctly. However, I did open the oven door at 30 minutes and it needed 5 minutes more of time. Perhaps that was the problem. I will definitely try again because the taste was delicious! My daughter ate two large pieces for breakfast!!!

        Reply

  • M
    March 13, 2024

    Can I use 2% milk for the recipe? Or does it have to be full fat?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 13, 2024

      That would be fine.

      Reply

      • Miranda
        March 18, 2024

        Can you make this into cupcakes? How long would I cook them?

        Reply

        • NatashasKitchen.com
          March 18, 2024

          Hi Miranda! Yes, that would work. I have a cupcake version of this recipe in my new cookbook, Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook that uses this very similar recipe. Bake them at 350 for 15-20 mins.

          Reply

  • Nina
    March 2, 2024

    Hi. The eggs and milk don’t need to be room temperature for this recipe?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 2, 2024

      Hi Nina! They do not, but if you’d like to leave the eggs out that would be fine. I’ve had good results both ways.

      Reply

      • Nina
        March 2, 2024

        Thank you so much for the quick reply. Can’t wait to try it! 🙂

        Reply

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