Tres Leches Cake (3 Milk Cake)

Here’s how to make a classic tres leches cake! Here a chiffon style sponge cake is soaked in three types of milk then topped with whipped cream & a dusting of cinnamon.

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This tres leches cake is one of my all time favourite cakes, which is good because I’ve made this recipe a lot! In fact, I’ve been developing my tres leches cake recipe for almost 4 months now & I’m currently at batch 9 or 10, I’ve lost count at this point. Anyway, my point is, tres leches cake is delicious & I’m super happy that my recipe is ready to share!

If you’ve never had tres leches cake before, you’re seriously missing out! Here, a light sponge cake is soaked in a mix of three different milks then topped with fluffy whipped cream & a light dusting of cinnamon. You end up with a perfectly moist sponge that’s packed full of flavour & the whipped cream topping balances the flavours & sweetness out nicely. It’s absolutely delicious & is pretty easy to make at home! Serve this cake with some seasonal berries on the side & you’re onto a real winner.

For more cakes & bakes, check out our ever growing collection of baking recipes! There’s lots to choose from here, from classic sponge cakes to brownies, cookies & blondies.

What Is Tres Leches Cake?

Tres leches is a Latin American dessert that consists of a sponge cake that has been soaked in milks & topped with whipped cream. Translated into English, tres leches means “three milks”, which refers to the combination of milks that is soaked into the sponge cake. The 3 milks are evaporated milk, condensed milk & whole milk (or sometimes double cream). A key step with tres leches cake is to soak the sponge in the milks overnight, so that it’s all soaked in evenly. A good tres leches cake should be moist & evenly soaked but not soggy.

What You’ll Need

• 3 Milks (Tres Leches) – We’re making a traditional style tres leches with evaporated, condensed & whole milk. This recipe uses a whole tin of both evaporated & condensed milk.
• Eggs – You’ll need 6 large eggs for this cake, each should weigh around 50 grams out of the shell. This equates to 200 grams of whites & 100 grams of yolks.
• Sugar – We’re using caster sugar for our cake batter. We don’t need any extra sugar for the whipped cream though as we’re going to be sweetening it with condensed milk.
• Plain Flour – This cake recipe uses plain/all purpose flour.
• Baking Powder – A small amount of baking powder gives our cake extra lift as it bakes.
• Cream Of Tartar – This helps stabilise the meringue for the cake batter. You’ll only need a small amount!
• Salt – You’ll need fine table salt for the cake batter. I wouldn’t recommend decreasing the amount specified in the recipe as it is key to giving our cake the best flavour possible.
• Vanilla – We’re adding some good quality vanilla paste to the milks & to the whipped cream, for extra flavour!
• Double Cream – We’re topping our cake with whipped cream. You’ll need double cream for this.
• Cinnamon – A light dusting of cinnamon finishes our tres leches cake off nicely. This is optional though!

How To Make Tres Leches Cake

The full, printable recipe card for this 3 milk cake can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…

Sponge Cake

For our tres leches, we’re making a chiffon style sponge cake. This is super easy to make but it’s key not to knock too much air out of the batter as you make it as this will make the cake sink as it bakes. We’re baking our his cake in a 9″x13″ baking tin but we’re not going to be greasing or lining the tin because the batter needs to cling to the sides so that it rises. The cake will shrink slightly as it cools, don’t worry this is normal!

I like to use both a stand mixer & an electric hand mixer when making the batter. If you haven’t got a stand mixer, add the whites into another large mixing bowl then whisk with an electric hand mixer. Make sure to wash the beaters after whisking the yolks!

1. Whisk Dry Ingredients Together
   First, we add plain flour, baking powder & table salt into a mixing bowl then whisk to combine. We set this aside for now.
2. Separate Eggs
   Next, we separate our eggs. We add the yolks into a large mixing bowl & the whites into the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Whisk Yolks
   Now we add caster sugar into the yolks then whisk with an electric hand mixer for 3-4 minutes, until pale & fluffy. We then whisk whole milk into the yolks & set aside.
4. Whisk Whites
   Next, we whisk the whites on a medium speed for 2-3, until they are frothy then we turn the mixer down slightly & add in cream of tartar and caster sugar (gradually). Once all the sugar has been added, we whisk the whites on a medium speed until they reach stiff peaks. This will take another 3-4 minutes.
5. Fold Together
   Now to bring the batter together. To do this, we sift half of the dry ingredients into the yolks then whisk gently by hand, to combine. Next, we fold in half of the whites with a spatula, followed by the remaining dry ingredients then the remaining whites. It’s key not to over mix the batter at this stage!
6. Tap On Counter
   Once our batter is ready, we transfer it to an un greased & un lined 9″x13″ baking tin then gently spread into an even layer. Then, to pop any large air bubbles, we give the tin one firm tap on the counter.
7. Bake
   Next, we bake the sponge for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. If you gently press the top of the sponge with a fingertip, it should feel bouncy & spring back.
8. Leave To Cool
   Once our sponge cake is cooked, we let it cool in the tin until it is only slightly warm then we poke lots of holes in the top with a fork/skewer before pouring over the milks. The cake will take around 30 minutes to cool.

3 Milk Soak

The 3 milk soak is where tres leches gets its’ name! Here, we whisk evaporated, condensed & whole milk together with a teaspoon of vanilla paste. Next, we pour the milks over the top of the slightly warm cake then cover & leave to soak in the fridge overnight.

Whipped Cream

Fluffy whipped is a classic tres leches cake topping, so it’s what we’re going to be topping ours with! To make our whipped cream, we add cold double cream, vanilla paste & a small amount of condensed milk into a mixing bowl then whisk with an electric hand mixer until the cream has reached soft peaks.

Condensed milk is added to the cream to sweeten it & also to stabilise it once it is whipped. This helps the whipped cream hold its’ shape for longer. This is a handy trick that I got from Ravneet Gill’s tres leche recipe over on The Guardian website.

To Serve

To finish our tres leches, we spread the whipped cream over the top of the cake then sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. We then cut the cake into 12 portions & serve! If you’ve got some fresh berries to hand, they’d go nicely on top. I find that a metal spatula works best for portioning the cake as you can cut it then scoop it out the tin in one go!

Tips & Tricks

• Don’t grease or line the sides of your tin, as this allows the batter to cling to the sides which helps the sponge cake rise in the oven.
• Be gentle when folding the whipped egg whites into the batter, to avoid knocking the air out.
• Add a small amount of cream of tartar to the egg whites, to stabilise the meringue.
• Let your cake soak in the milks overnight, for the best flavour & texture.
• Poke lots of holes into the sponge before pouring over the milks. Use either a fork or a skewer. This helps soak the cake evenly & thoroughly.
• Whip the cream with a small amount of condensed milk, to stabilise & sweeten it. This helps the whipped cream hold its’ shape & retain its’ fluffy texture for longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Equipment Used

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• 9″x13″ Baking Tin
• Stand Mixer
• Electric Hand Mixer
• Spatula – For Portioning

More Baking Recipes To Try!

• Kettle Chip Rocky Road
• Chocolate Loaf Cake With Dark Chocolate Ganache
• Rapeseed Oil Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake
• Brown Butter Biscoff Rice Krispie Treats
• Lemon Fondant Fancies
• Black Sesame Cheesecake Cookies

Watch How To Make This Recipe

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