Tres Leches Cake

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The BEST Tres Leches Cake  — This easy authentic three milk cake melts in your mouth and requires just 15 minutes of hands-on prep!!  This is a recipe your family will love! Perfect for Cinco de Mayo!!

Two slices of homemade tres leches cake on white plates

What is Tres Leches Cake? 

Whenever I’m in Mexico, in addition to lots of guacamole, salsa, black beans, and margaritas, tres leches cake is a must. I wanted to make one in advance of Cinco de Mayo because it’s one of my all-time favorite cakes.

This Mexican cake is every bit as good as the tres leches cakes I’ve had in Mexico — in fact, it’s the best ever!

It’s an absolute dessert highlight of my year and I highly recommend it.

Tres leches cake gets its name because after making a soft, tender cake (which ironically has no butter or oil, but you won’t miss them), you poke holes in the cake before pouring over a mixture of three milks — sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream.

I like to think of it as the original poke cake. It’s ridiculously moist, beautifully sweet, and perfectly tender. It just melts in your mouth.

Love Tres Leches Desserts?

I also have a recipe for tres leches cupcakes that I think you’ll love! 

Ingredients for Tres Leches Cake

This authentic tres leches cake recipe has three main components: the sponge cake itself, the three types of milk that are poured over it, and the creamy whipped topping that’s spread on last.

To make this easy tres leches cake recipe, you’ll need: 

  • Eggs
  • Granulated sugar
  • Whole milk
  • Vanilla extract
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Evaporated milk
  • Heavy whipping cream 
  • Cinnamon
  • Confectioners’ sugar

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

A slice of tres leches sponge cake, with a bite missing.

How to Make Tres Leches Cake

This tres leches cake recipe is so easy to make! You can use a hand mixer or a good old wooden spoon. 

The cake itself is similar to your average cake recipe; the one major difference is that there’s no oil or butter in the batter. Instead, you have to whip egg whites until soft peaks form and then gently fold the egg whites into the batter. 

This tres leches cake needs to bake for around 32 to 35 minutes. You’ll know when it’s ready to be taken out of the oven when the center is set but springs back when you gently press a finger into it. 

Once the cake is out of the oven, make the tres leches mixture. Just combine the three milks in a bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine. 

Then, poke lots of holes into the cake with a fork and pour the milk mixture over top. Let the cake cool completely to room temperature for a few hours before making the whipped cream topping and spreading it onto the cake. 

I like the finish my tres leches cake with a sprinkle of cinnamon, but that’s totally optional! 

Recipe Tips

Line your pan: To make clean-up a breeze, line your baking pan with foil before pouring in the cake batter. Tres leches cake is quite a “wet” cake since it’s a poke cake, and the foil makes serving the cake and cleaning up afterwards so much easier. 

Whipped cream vs Cool Whip: While it’s not traditional, if you’re making this cake for a party or event and it’ll be sitting out for hours at room temp or in warm (outdoor) conditions, you may want to consider using whipped topping (Cool Whip) rather than real whipped cream for the topping. Real whipped cream is more prone to deflating and melting than whipped topping.

Make-ahead tip: If you’re making this cake in advance, I recommend waiting until the last minute to add the whipped cream topping. Again, you want the topping to be super fluffy when you serve this cake! 

Recipe FAQs

Can I Make This Recipe Dairy-Free? 

Possibly, but the texture and flavor of this three milk cake would definitely change. You could maybe use full-fat canned coconut milk and make your own coconut whipped cream for topping the cake, but I’ve only ever made this authentic tres leches cake as written so I can’t say for certain. 

Can I Make This Gluten-Free?

Possibly, but again since I have only made the cake as written, I can’t speak to the results using gluten-free flour. If you try, I would only suggest using a cup-for-cup style replacement of all-purpose flour. No almond flour for this one.

Can I Prep Tres Leches Cake in Advance? 

Yes! If serving to a crowd, you’re welcome to make this cake the day before and keep it in the fridge overnight. The topping won’t deflate too much in just one day. 

Can Cake Flour be used instead of all-purpose?

I avoid using specialty flours because I simply don’t want extra ingredients taking up space in my pantry. You might be able to use cake flour in this recipe, but I can’t say for certain since I’ve only tested it using all-purpose flour.

How to Serve Tres Leches Cake 

I like to dust the three milk cake with ground cinnamon and enjoy as is. However, you can also serve sliced strawberries or other fresh berries on the side! 

Storage Instructions

This authentic tres leches cake should be stored in the fridge, covered. It will last for up to four days, but note that the whipped cream topping will deflate over time.

The bottom of the cake itself will become extremely moist as the milk has time to soak into it more. Leftovers are delicious, though! 

Can You Freeze Tres Leches Cake?

No, you cannot freeze the assembled cake. The tres leches mixture will make the frozen cake unpleasantly soggy.

You CAN, however, bake the cake and then let it cool completely before freezing. When ready to finish assembling, thaw on your counter before continuing with the recipe (i.e. pouring over the tres leches mixture, chilling, and topping with whipped cream).

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The Best Tres Leches Cake

By Averie Sunshine
Tres leches cake gets its name because after making a soft, tender cake you poke holes in it before pouring over a mixture of three milks – sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. The cake is ridiculously moist, beautifully sweet, perfectly tender, and melts in your mouth.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Cooling Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 20
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Ingredients  

Cake

  • 5 large eggs, separated
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • â…“ cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Tres Leches Mixture

  • one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • one 12-ounce can evaporated milk
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Whipped Cream Topping

  • 2 cups 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • cinnamon, optional for garnishing
  • 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Instructions 

Cake 

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
  • To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl and handheld electric mixer) add the 5 egg yolks, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until pale yellow and doubled in volume, about 4 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Add 1/3 cup whole milk, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt, and beat on low speed until combined, don’t overmix; set aside.
  • To a medium bowl, add the egg whites and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form but egg whites are not dry.
  • Gently fold egg whites into the cake batter.
  • Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 32 to 35 minutes (I baked 33 minutes) or until cake is set in the center, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
  • Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire rack. While cake cools, make the tres leches mixture.

Tres Leches Mixture 

  • To a medium bowl, add the 3 milks and whisk to combine.
  • Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake. I stuck the cake with the fork about 100 times. Slowly pour the tres leches mixture over the top of the cake letting it soak in as you go. Try to pour as much over the cake as possible, without neglecting the edges. All of the milk mixture for my cake soaked in, but if yours is pooling excessively and you have any leftover, the milk mixture is wonderful served in a small ramekin alongside the cake.
  • Allow cake to cool at room temp for a 1 to 2 hours before covering and refrigerating until chilled, at least 2 hours, or overnight. Tip – If making the cake in advance of an event, don’t add the whipped cream topping until the day of.

Whipped Cream Topping 

  • To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl and handheld electric mixer) add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until thickened and spreadable.
  • Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat to combine.
  • Evenly spread the whipped cream over cake and optionally garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon and serve any extra tres leches mixture on the side. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Cake will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days, noting the whipped cream will lose volume as time passes and the bottom of the cake will become increasingly moist.
  • Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 229kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 139mg, Sugar: 28g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Even More Easy Cake Recipes: 

Caramel Cream Poke Cake — Poke cakes are always supremely moist and this one reminds me of a cheater’s version of Tres Leches Cake because it’s sweet and creamy.

Sweet Cream Vanilla Coffee Cake – You’ll never guess what special ingredient keeps this fast and easy cake so soft and moist!

Sweet Cream Vanilla Coffee Cake - You'll never guess what special ingredient keeps this fast & easy cake so soft and moist!

Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze – You won’t miss chocolate at all after trying this cake! The glaze is just heavenly!

Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Bean Browned Butter Glaze - You won't miss chocolate at all after trying this cake! The glaze is just heavenly!!!

Easy Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting – If you’ve never made a scratch cake, try this one!! Fast, easy, foolproof, one bowl, and tastes so good! It’s a keeper!

Easy Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting - If you've never made a scratch cake, try this one!! Fast, easy, foolproof, one bowl, and tastes so good! It's a keeper!!

Easy Homemade Funfetti Cake – Move over, store-bought cake mix!! This easy cake only takes minutes to make and tastes wayyyy better!!

Easy Homemade Funfetti Cake - Move over storebought cake mix!! This easy cake only takes minutes to make and tastes wayyyy better!!

Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Glaze – An easy little cake with big lemon flavor! Soft, fluffy, and foolproof if you like puckering up!

Lemon Buttermilk Cake with Lemon Glaze - An easy little cake with big lemon flavor!! Soft, fluffy, and foolproof if you like puckering up!!

The Best Pineapple Upside-Down Cake – So soft, moist and really is The Best! A cheery, happy cake that’s sure to put a smile on anyone’s face!

The Best Pineapple Upside-Down Cake - So soft, moist & really is The Best! A cheery, happy cake that's sure to put a smile on anyone's face!

Caramelized Banana Upside-Down Cake – Have ripe bananas? This cake has their name all over it! Dripping with rich, buttery, caramel sauce!

CCaramelized Banana Upside-Down Cake - Have ripe bananas? This cake has their name all over it! Dripping with rich, buttery, caramel sauce!

Pineapple Poke Cake with Pineapple Glaze — Fast, easy, one-bowl, no mixer, from-scratch cake that’s easier than a mix! The glaze soaks into every inch and you’ll be in juicy pineapple heaven!

Pineapple Poke Cake with Pineapple Glaze - Fast, easy, one-bowl, no mixer, from-scratch cake that's easier than a mix! The glaze soaks into every inch and you'll be in juicy pineapple HEAVEN!!

Recipe originally posted in 2015 and reposted April 29, 2020 and April 30, 2021 with updated text.

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. I’ve tried making tres leches before and it turned into a soggy mess of a puddle! Used your recipe this time around – came out beautifully. Everyone at the dinner I brought it to gave me lots of complements. This recipe was extremely easy to make and nearly fool proof. Thanks Averie!

  2. i made this recipe over the 4th of july weekend and it was a huge hit with my whole family.  thank you so much for sharing!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad it was a big hit with your family!

  3. WOW. I tasted this in a Mexican restaurant, and was somewhat underwhelmed. HOwever, faced with ha glut of eggs, I searched for recipes which use lots and came across your recipe. THe result is truly  delightful. SUch lovely sweet milky flavours but still light and refreshing. One to  print and repeat, having converted some of your measurements into UK terminology: still use the cups measures as it makes it much faster.

    THANK YOU for sharing this. MAy now have to visit South American to see if their versions are as good as yours.

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And what a compliment that your dad had 3 pieces!

  4. Because this is the Pioneer Woman’s recipe, there is a great step-by-step video of  Ree Drummond making it on the Food Network’s website. You can see exactly what your mixes should look like as you go. I have made it many, many times and it always comes out perfect! I love this cake!

    1. I tweaked it slightly but yes it’s pretty close to her recipe and having step shot is always nice…bless her heart that she has the patience to do all of those, mid-mixing, pouring, etc.! So glad you’ve made this cake before and that you love it as much as I do!

  5. This cake shrunk ALOT in the pan when I made it, any suggestions to combat this next time?

    1. Possibly overbaked? I know that when it was in the oven my cake was pretty puffy and upon cooling, it did shrink, as all cakes do. But it was a bit more dramatic because I think of the beaten egg whites in the batter which causes it to rise really well in a hot oven and then the cool air will cause natural deflation. I wouldn’t worry about it too terribly much and would try baking slightly less next time.

  6. Jorge looooooves Tres Leches Cake.  He got a recipe from one of his cousins who is a baker in Chiapas.  We’ve got that on the must-make list.  Adding this as well!

    1. Well if you make it, LMK how it compares to the cousin’s recipe direct from Chiapas!

  7. This cake looks incredible! All of your cake recipes are always inspiring…your photographs are amazing btw!

  8. My family loves tres leches cake. I have a friend who recently discovered she is allergic to dairy. I was wondering if you think this would work using variations of coconut milk instead. She loves tres leches cake, but it doesn’t agree with her.

    1. I think that it could work with coconut milks. I would definitely use full-fat, canned coconut milk for sure. Don’t rely just on the refrigerated kind that comes in a carton because solely using that I think could be a little thin. You’d also have to make coconut whipped cream (google if you don’t know how). The taste, overall, of the cake will change with all that coconut milk, but if your friend is okay with that, I think it’s do-able. LMK if you try and how it goes!

  9. Hi Averie……these cake recipes look soooooo good, I cannot wait to try then, especially  ( tries leche cake )…… THanks a lot !!!!!!

  10. I always order Tres Leches cake when I go to a Mexican restaurant. It tastes perfect with espresso! I am very intrigued to try your recipe, Averie! Pinned, Yummed and Stumbled! :-)

  11. Oh yes, I need this in my life. I’ve only had this cake once – with you – so I definitely need to make it!

    1. Girl. One of the best cakes I have EVER made. I hoarded this one for my own personal stash. Loooooved it. And it was definitely better than the cake we shared! Night and day if I do say so :)

  12. Your tres leches looks phenomenal! The hubby and I are trying to figure out where to take a little vacay and you’re inspiring me to suggest somewhere south of the border! :)

    1. I love Mexico and being that I’m in San Diego, everything is a relatively short flight :) Have fun!

  13. Your photos from Cabo are stunning! And this cake – omg! I’d love a slice right now! 

  14. I’ve seen this before but didn’t realize it was really a poke cake…and I’ve been to Mexico a few times but don’t know how (or why) I could have passed it up! The lightly sweetened whipped cream on top sounds heavenly.

    1. It’s seriously one of the best cakes of all time! I love tres leches and not that I don’t need to go to Mexico anymore, but now I don’t have to go JUST for cake :)