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?
Enjoy these party-favorite desserts that are simple to make, transport well, and can even be made ahead:
Can you freeze the sponge cake part before milking it? Like if your making it ahead.
Hi Natalie, I haven’t tested that, but I imagine freezing it would work!
Hello Natasha. Thank you for your great delicious recipes. Can you please prepare a Buche de Noel aux marrons (Yule log with chestnuts). Thank you
You’re most welcome, Amani. Thank you for your suggestion, I’ll make a note of that.
Hi Natasha, My Best friends daughter, who I love to death is turning 21 on Thursday. Have you got an amazing gluten free dessert/cake recipe I can use.
I would really appreciate your help. (I have cooked many of you’re recipes and have had lots of success)
Many Thanks in Advance
Tarnya (Perth, Australia)
Hello Tanya, have you already tried my Almond Cake Recipe? This gluten-free and so delicious.
Hi Natasha, this recipe looks amazing. I was wondering if I could use a regular cake pan instead of a casserole dish?
Hi Jess, that should work too. Please let us know how it goes if you try this recipe.
That was my first tres leches. Came out sooo good, my husband’s favorite. Will make it again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Moonika! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Hi Natasha, Going to make your Tres Leche cake. Recently had it at a Mexican restaurant. It was served with milk surrounding it. Could I make extra syrup and service it this way? Haven’t made a recipe of yours yet that we haven’t loved
Hi Marian, I haven’t tested that, but I imagine that should work! I would love to know how you like that if you experiment!
I forgot to give 5 stars on previous review
Thank you!
Delicious!!
I doubled the recipe and fed 12 people. I definitely will make again. My goto recipe for tres leches. Thank you for posting!!
Wow, awesome! Thanks for trying out this recipe, I’m glad you loved this!
Hi Nathasha,
I made this and it tasted amazing but even though the top part of the cake was moist, the bottom part was dense and eggy. Any reason you can think of for that to happen? maybe I haven’t mixed well?
Hi Supuni, I highly recommend watching the video to see where your batter started to look different or if your technique was different. It is most likely due to undermixing since the cake also relies on the volume of the eggs to rise.
It was perfect!
Thank you, Maddy!
OMG! So easy and so delicious!!!! I made this to take to a spanish themed dinner and it was a hit! I will totally make this again!
Isn’t it the best! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi! 🙂 I tried this recipe and it was so good!
I just want to ask, instead of baking it on a cake pan. can I use this recipe for cupcake? Please let me know. Thank you!
Hello Hanna, thanks for your good feedback. I have not really tried using this recipe to make cupcakes to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes!
Hi Natasha
I have made this cake yesterday and it turned out to be really really yummy, but only thing was that i used 9×14 dish and from the middle my cake was still runny even after baking it for 40mins. Could you please tell me what was the reason behind it?
Thanks
Hi Khadija, this cake should not be runny after baking. I few things come to mind, I would check to make sure your oven is calibrated, and you’re using a regular bake oven. Also, was anything altered in the recipe?
The Tres leches cake was amazing. The berries make even better.
Thank you, Sonia! I’m glad you loved it!
Love your recipe, very preside and easy to make. The cake is so delicious 😋
That’s just awesome! Thank you for your kind review! I’m glad you enjoeyd this cake!
Hi! I plan on making this but completely forgot to buy heavy cream and only have a 200ml pack left Is there any other frosting that would work with this or would 200ml be enough? Thanks in advance!
Hi Ann, I haven’t tried a substitution but one of our readers mentioned using cool whip. I haven’t tried this with cool whip to be honest. I suspect it would work but the flavor of the cream would be different.
Hi Natasha! I really want to try this recipe for my daughter’s 1st birthday. But, I only have 10.5 x 7.5 dish, would it be work too?
Hi Jane, that may still work, it will be a slightly taller cake and may require longer bake time.
hey, What if we want to send this cake to someone, do we bake it in a regular cake pan and flip it? but taking out the sponge is a little risky or might even break. please suggest. The recipe is amazing. iv made it soo many times. Also wanted to ask that this recipe yields almost 3 pounds cake?
Hi Rafia, I haven’t tried flipping it for the risk of breaking. We serve it right in the pan. If you need to flip it out I would line the pan first and make sure to not pour the milk until it is in the serving pan.
Hi Natasha! i’ve done this recipe sooo many times and love it!
Last night I made it again but forgot to add the 1/3 cup of milk and vanilla in step 3. What difference will it make?
Thank you!
Hi Jaz, it’s difficult to say but I imagine it would make the batter pretty thick and low in flavor without those two.
If I don’t have 1/3 cup milk and use half n half instead what would be the difference? Or will there be no difference since
Half n half is part milk?
Hi Violy, that may work. It will make it slightly more creamy.
Yes, this recipe is the greatest. I made one for a work lunch, (or perhaps I should made the mistake of making one for a work lunch.) Now I’ve got everyone asking me to make them the cake for their personal events. Did one last Saturday with a Halloween theme, (orange topping w/Halloween decorations.) Will be doing another this Friday for another work lunch, going to try the Pina Colada that I was asking about. I will be sure to let you know how it comes out and what changes I make to your fantastic recipe.
The Halloween themed tres leches cake sounds awesome! I would love to see that, if you get the chance you can share it on our Facebook group or page. I hope you love all the recipes that you will try, Dave!