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
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This recipe was delicious. I was worried at first that my cake did not rise enough. However, once poking it with holes and adding the three milks, it “puffed” up more and came out perfectly. The was the perfect balance of flavors!!!
Awesome, glad that worked out great!
Hello Natasha May this cake be baked in a Wilton 9×13 baking pan and can this cake be fully removed from the pan to fully frost and if not what do you suggest
Hi James, we serve this cake out of the baking dish we baked it in, but you may want to try our layered Tres Leches Cake recipe for reference.
Best tres leches cake recipe I’ve found. Most recipes produce a mealy, dry cake that the three milks don’t salvage. This absorbs the milks and is dense and has great mouth feel and flavor. I recommend making a stabilized whipped cream for the topping (using bloomed unflavored gelatin), but otherwise make this recipe exactly as written. It’s perfect.
I’m so happy you loved that, Scott! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Scott!
Note: To keep the cake vegetarian, you can add just a little corn starch to the whipping cream as it is being whipped. It is a perfect stabilizer!
This cake was a winner! Tried other recipes and had to throw cake out. I used a full can of evaporated milk….when measuring the 14 oz can in measuring cup….it measured 9 ounces…the amount in recipe. I found that interesting!
Hi Lee! Thank you for the review. I’m glad you found a keeper recipe!
Made this cake 5/5/22! It is delicious and your recipe is easy to follow. I used gluten free flour and almond milk and almond whipped cream. The substitutes worked perfectly.
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Cathy!
I have a request to make Tres leche cake in three layers. Can you make this recipe into layers.
Thank you
Hi Teresa, check out our layered tres leches cake recipe.
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.
My sister and I have both been making this cake using your recipe for family gatherings and everyone loves it. We add cinnamon on top and it tastes amazing!
YUM! So happy to hear that you love this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
This is a wonderful cake but, when I poke the fork into the cake it gets kind of gummy and the cake pulls away. My question is, did I let the cake cool too long or not long enough?
Hi Lana, ensure it is cool to the touch.
I had this too (the cake pulling away) when poking with a fork, I let it cool beforehand so not sure if that’s normal?!
Yep, perfect out of the gate. It was perfectly moist but not sitting in any liquid. It came together easy. The only thing I noted was my mixing time for whipping cream or beating egg whites was a lot longer than recipe called for, but that could be my equipment. Not too sweet at all!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Suzanne! That’s so great!
I have to admit, I was a little nervous. I’ve used other recipes and the cake is much dense and there’s a lot more liquid. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but it was perfection! The cake was perfectly moist and the flavor was perfect. I did use the whole can of sweetened condensed milk, but other than that followed the recipe exactly. Everyone said it was the best they ever had.
That is so awesome! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us, Melissa. I’m very happy to know that the recipe was such a huge hit!
this was absolutely delish! my dad said this after he had a gigantic slice,”i’m full but i want the entire cake” thanks for this delicious recipie! i’m going to make it again one day!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Violet!
I’m excited to make this for my book club next month since the book was based in Mexico. Unfortunately I’ll be getting back in town a day before the event. Can I make this and freeze it? Should I freeze the cake and just add the milks the day before my event?
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.
Absolutely love this recipe. Since the first time I made it for a Cinco de Mayo celebration I had here, people have requested this recipe over and over again.
This is a popular recipe for good reason!! It sounds like you have found THE party favorite!
Hi! I have a question, I would love to try out this recipe but I’m wondering how (if needed) I should tweak the ingredients to make this into 2-9 inch round pans? Additionally, can I use canned coconut milk instead of the evaporated milk?
Hi Kristina, you can try my layered Tres Leches cake for that HERE.
Oh wonderful! I will follow that recipe, thank you. Can I use canned coconut milk though instead of evaporated milk? I still plan on using the sweetened condensed milk as the other milk.
Hi Kristina, I haven’t personally tried that but here’s a comment from one of our readers “I also used coconut milk from the can instead of whipping cream to soak the cake and used the whole can because we like the cake really moist. Delicious! Everyone loved it!” I hope that helps.
I bake alot and this recipe was just horrible. Way to much liquid for the cake and I had to use 3 times the sugar it called for,for the frosting. Made it for husband’s bday. Very disappointed as I use this site alot.
Hi Heather, I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work out. This is one of our most popular recipes and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. Did you make any changes or substitutions? 3 times the amount of sugar is a ton of sugar. Did you possibly use a different type of product? Make sure to use HEAVY whipping cream for it to whip up correctly.
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour? Do I use same measurement for it?
Hi Valerie, I haven’t tried this with cake flour only because cake flour produces a finer crumb and this cake gets pretty heavy with all of the soaking syrup.
Super delicious cake! I’ve never had tres leches cake before and thought I would just make it anyway and I’m glad I tried it out because now I know how good it is! Very easy recipe to follow that isn’t really that complicated. Would definitely make this again.
Thank you, Felishia! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. I appreciate the 5-star review!
Hello
Can u pls help me to tell the casserole size you ha e taken for tres leches?
Thanks
Hi Samia, I have this listed in the recipe link. It is a 9×13 dish. Here is the link to the one I use,
Hi, can I make this with a box cake mix and how long does it need to rest before serving?
Hi Nadia, I try to avoid using boxed cake mix as it can quickly become “soggy” since it’s not meant to absorb liquid.
This is the BEST Tres Leches cake ever!! I made it once and now my husband has asked for it for his birthday cake. Yes please! Thank You for this wonderful recipe and God Bless 🙂
Wonderful! I am so happy to hear that. We love this recipe too. I’m glad it has become a favorite for him.