Tres Leches Cake has a soft and ultra-moist crumb. It is soaked with a rich 3-milk mixture and topped with a lightly sweetened whipped cream. This is an authentic Tres Leches Cake recipe and the best I have tried. It beats any store-bought version all day long!
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Helpful Reader Review
“I have been making Natasha’s tres leches cake for years now and I literally won’t make another recipe! She also has a video that helps you along the way if you need it! Best cake ever!!! Truly one of my family and friends favorites!” – Cat ★★★★★
Tres Leches Cake Video
Watch my Tres Leches Cake video tutorial, and you will crave it until you make it. You’ll love the simplicity of this cake.
What is Tres Leches Cake?
Tres Leches is a popular, authentic Mexican cake. I am a fan of moist cakes and the first time I made this Tres Leches Cake it 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.
My cousin Katerina sent me this Tres Leches Cake recipe 15 years ago. She adapted it from the Pioneer Woman. I love this recipe so much that I developed a Tres Leches Cupcake for my Cookbook and bravely turned it into a Layered Tres Leches Cake (the cake is heavy with the syrup, but I did it!).
I 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.
Ingredients for Tres Leches Cake
This recipe calls for very simple ingredients, most of which are refrigerator and pantry staples:
- For the Cake: I use all-purpose flour (although several readers have reported excellent results with 1:1 gluten-free flour), along with baking powder for leavening, salt, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and whole milk.
- For the Syrup: 3 types of milk are poured over the cake for moisture and rich flavor: evaporated milk, heavy whipping cream, and sweetened condensed milk.
- The Topping is a simple whipped cream frosting sweetened with sugar. Traditionally, people sprinkle ground cinnamon over the top, but I love using fresh berries over the top for a prettier presentation and for the tangy and sweet contrast with the cake.
Tips for the Best Tres Leches Cake
- Watch the video tutorial below before beginning to gauge the process and tools needed before starting.
- Measure Correctly – For the flour, spoon it into a measuring cup and level off the top.
- Cold eggs are easier to separate into whites and yolks.
- Fold gently 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.
- Avoid draft – 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.
How to Make Tres Leches Cake
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a casserole dish. Set up 3 mixing bowls.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the first bowl. Separate egg whites and yolks into the other 2 bowls.
- Beat yolks with 3/4 cup sugar using an electric hand mixer on high speed, until pale yellow (2 min). Stir in 1/3 cup milk and vanilla.
- Beat whites with clean and dry egg beaters 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).
- Pour the yolk mixture over 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.
- Make 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. Let the cake rest 30 minutes to absorb and distribute the syrup then top with whipped cream and berries.
Is Tres Leches Cake Soggy?
It is supposed to be very moist, but not soggy. The cake base is a sponge cake, so it can absorb a 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. Letting the cake rest for 30 minutes after applying the syrup also helps to ensure the syrup is distributed evenly throughout the cake.
Make-Ahead Tips for Tres Leches Cake
Once the syrup is added to the sponge, you can cover and refrigerate overnight. You can also fully assemble the cake with the frosting 1 to 2 days ahead – as long as you beat the whipped cream topping to stiff peaks, it will keep well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Add fresh berries just before serving, especially if the berries are sliced.
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. I don’t recommend freezing the cake once the syrup and frosting are added.
This has to be one of the moistest cakes around. It has such a lovely soft and spongy texture that it disappears fast – you’ll savor every bite. Make this for your next party, and you will become known for your Tres Leches recipe.
More Cinco de Mayo Recipes
If you’re a fan of authentic Mexican recipes as much as I am, you’ll love these reader favorites for your Cinco de Mayo menu.
Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, or substitute 1:1 GF flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 eggs, (large)
- 1 cup sugar, divided into 3/4 and 1/4 cups
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup whole milk
Syrup:
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 9 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
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 9×13 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. Let the cake rest for 30 minutes to absorb the milk. You can cover and refrigerate overnight at this point if desired.
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
Filed Under
Looking for Potluck Desserts?
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Hi Natasha,
I’m usually not a person who makes desserts/cakes. But just wanted to try it out. It came out pretty well and in fact one of my friends wanted to order for her friend’s b’day. 🙂
Mine was a bit too sweet and I just need to know the Kilos of the final outcome so that i can decide on the amount of ingredients for a bigger quantity.
Thanks a million 🙂
Wow that is so nice! Thanks for your great feedback!
Hi Natasha,
Could you pls let me know the weight of the final cake. thanks
Hi Kaves, I honestly have never weighed it so I don’t know.
Hi Natasha! I’ve made a few of your recipes and always delicious! Tres leches is my favorite cake and wanted to try out your recipe. I noticed there’s no butter in your cake portion. Is there a reason? Thanks!
Hi Bonnie, that’s right, there is no butter in the sponge. This recipe does not need it and is light and fluffy.
I made this recipe tonight and was a bit nervous when I saw it oozing out so much liquid but everyone went insane for it and asked for the recipe! And it was my first time making sponge cake so I was really happy to accomplish that from my first try yay!
Yay great job on your first time! Imagine how it would look and taste like the next couple of times that you make it again.
I did this recipe and all my family loved it. Now is requested almost every week. The cake was soft, moist and delicious, but most of my family agreed that it was too sweet, so the next time I did it I made some changes.
1) I didn’t add the 2 Tbsp of sugar to the frosting.
2) For the syrup, I mixed the three milks as indicated, and in another container I mixed the remaining 5 oz of sweetened condensed milk with 2 cups of regular milk. I didn’t add whipping cream cause I was satisfied with the sweetness, but you can add whipping cream and regular milk to the taste.
*Add more whipping cream if you consider the syrup needs to be a little bit more sweet.
*Add more regular milk if you consider the syrup needs to be less sweet.
I added both syrups to the cake and it was beyond delicious. My family still loved it and were very satisfied with its sweetness. They gave me many complements and now they want me to continue making the recipe with these changes.
Please, keep in mind that I added the extra 5 oz of condensed milk because I wanted to balance out the sweetness of the cake and I also wanted it to be more moist because 1 mix of syrup didn’t give to the cake enough moisture.
I recommend you to try these changes only if you were not satisfied with the sweetness of the cake.
Trust me, these changes will give you the sweetness and moisture you want.
My cake lasted for about 3 days and it was as moisture as the first day.
Also, I wanted to give you a huge thank you Natasha. I made some changes based on my preference, but undoubtedly your recipe makes the perfect cake. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
I’lI definitely try more of your delicious recipes!
Take care.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles!
This is awesome info, thank you for sharing with us some of the changes that you tried for this recipe. I appreciate it and I think a lot of people could benefit this info as well!
This was one of the best recipes I have ever made. The cake was demolished at a work potluck. Thank you! I loved how easy it was to make and how it was not very sweet.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! I hope you love every recipe that you try.
Hello! Are the measurements for the ingredients the same if I wanted to make a smaller version of this cake?
Hi Rupsy depending on your cake pan size you may need to adjust to 1/2 or 3/4 of the recipe.
Hi!
I was wondering if I could use 1% milk instead of whole milk when baking, or if that would mess up the volume.
Hi Heather, I haven’t tested that with 1% to advise. It does work well with 2% however.
Can I use 2% milk.
Hi Marilyn, yes 2% milk will work just fine.
This is melt in your mouth uber yummy cake and so super simple to make. thanks for another great recipe! This will become my go to cake to bring to parties and get togethers.
Sounds like this is going to be one of your favorites! I’m so glad you enjoyed this one and thanks for giving this recipe an excellent review.
I was wondering is the cake suppose to look flat. It was fine in the oven but once the cake cooled down it kind of got flat.
Hi Diana, it depends on the type of dish you bake it in. I have had better results in the dish shown above. Some baking dishes are wider and will make the cake appear flatter.
Hi Natasha, I plan to bake this cake today for a party tomorrow. Should I spoon the cream over the cake tomorrow morning or today? Thanks.
Hi Danielle, It should still be fine up to 2 days. Make sure to keep it covered and refrigerated.
Delicious!!!!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Dear Natasha,
Hope you and your beautiful family are doing well.
Firstly, I want to give you a big HUG with lots of love and gratefulness.
I made this cake today… OMG… it was extremely tasty and it feels like melting in the mouth.
Big THANKS.
Secondly, I have a question. Next time I want to make chocolate version. Do you any idea what would be measurements of flour, cocoa and coffee?
PLEASE let me know.
Lastly, I want to say stay safe.
Hi and thank you for the wonderful review! I honestly have not tried this as a chocolate version so you might need to google that. Since baking is so much of a science, I can’t make any recommendations without testing them through first.
Thanks a lot Natasha for your reply.
I really appreciate it.
Stay well with your loved ones
You’re welcome. Stay safe and healthy too!
My life has been changed by this cake it was SO GOOD. My fiancé went crazy over it!! I’m SO glad I tried this recipe. Thank you!!
My pleasure, Carla. I am so happy that you and your fiance loved this recipe so much!
Hi, I haven’t made this yet but I’m just wondering what are the measurements in grams/ml. Thanks
Hi Hs, we have the metric measurement option available. Simply click Jump to Recipe and go to our printable recipe post. Click on the Red “Metric” wording. I hope that helps.
Thank you so much. Can’t wait to make this now.
You’re welcome! I hope you love it!
I just made the Tres Leches Cake using your recipe and it turned out pretty perfect. Thank you so much for sharing. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Awesome thanks for sharing and I hope you love every recipe that you’re going to try!
HI. My 12 year old and I just made this…we are so excited to try, but my question is we wont be eating it for a couple of hours…after we put the whip cream on do we just leave out or put in the fridge? or wait to put whip cream on and leave cake out? Thanks
Hi Kelli, that should work! This is a wet cake. We like it the same day it is made – the topping is the prettiest (you can make it early in the day and refrigerate for several hours until ready to serve).
This recipe was amazing! I’m Mexican American. I couldn’t get ahold of my mom, so I had to google a recipe and I came across yours. It’s so authentic and so delicious. Absolutely loved it. My husband who’s Caucasian kept complimenting me on it. Again, thank you.
You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
My Tres L eaches cake looked so. Beautiful and high. Then 5 minutes later buzzer went off and it fell. Why?
Hi Linda, I’m sorry to hear that – this has been one of our most popular cakes. It should not cave like that and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. I would highly recommend watching the video to see where the texture was different in my process versus yours. The cake relies on the volume of the eggs for leavening in addition to the baking powder. Consider if any substitutions were made in the ingredients or changes in the process which may have affected the texture.
Hi Natasha. How r u ?
Can I sub the whole milk to unsweetened almond milk?
Thanks
Hi Gel, I’m well! Thank you for asking! I have not tested that substitution to advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like this recipe.
Absolutely amazing!
Made this for Easter it was so fresh. Yet so comforting. Thank you Natasha
Super! Thank you so much for your great feedback.