Tres Leches Cake
98 comments » 
Tres Leches. Three Milks. See, 3rd through 8th grade (and two college semesters) of Spanish did pay off. That glaring four-year gap? Latin in high school. What can I say? I like to mix things up a bit. Like cakes. Specifically this cake, which made me want to do a little dance around the kitchen to celebrate its existence. I’m undoubtedly way late to the Tres Leches party, as this was my first experience tasting the famed cake. I first saw Alton Brown make one years ago and remember thinking that it looked fabulous and I had to try it. Needless to say, I procrastinated a bit on the “Make Tres Leches Cake” Project. But as Heinz (shameless Pittsburgh plug) always reminds us, good things come to those who wait. And wow, this is better than good!
The cake itself is a basic sponge cake that is baked in a 9×13-inch pan. The real magic happens after the cake comes out of the oven and cools. Using a fork, you poke holes all over the cake and then combine sweetened condensed milk (milk#1), evaporated milk (milk #2) and heavy cream (milk #3) and slowly drizzle the mixture over the cake, allowing it to seep into all of the holes. The result? A spongy, moist cake drenched in the most fabulous, creamy flavor. Top it with freshly whipped cream, throw on a maraschino cherry or two, and you have a simple-looking dessert that is anything but.
What you see above is a little piece of heaven sitting in a lovely pool of deliciousness. All of that milky, creamy goodness soaking through the cake and leaving a little extra love on the bottom.
If you’re looking for a dessert to celebrate Cinco de Mayo next week, this is perfect. And if you need a dessert to celebrate just about anything you can think of (including it being a random weekday and you have a sweet tooth), definitely make this cake. In fact, you could make it to celebrate the Washington Capitals being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Just sayin’ 
One year ago: Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Brownies
Two years ago: Fluted Polenta Ricotta Cake
Tres Leches Cake
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes (active), 30 minutes (inactive)
Ingredients:
For the Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup heavy creamFor the Frosting:
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugarDirections:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolk and ¾ cup granulated sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Add the whole milk and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold together until thoroughly combined.
4. Clean out the bowl and the whisk. Add the egg whites to the bowl and whisk at high speed until soft peaks begin to form. With the mixer still running, pour in the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar and beat until the egg whites are stiff but not dry.
5. Working in three batches, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn the cake onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
7. Transfer the cake to a rimmed serving plate. Mix together the evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When the cake is cool, pierce the surface of the cake all over with a fork. Slowly drizzle all but 1 cup of the milk mixture over the top of the cake, making sure to get around the edges of the cake. (You can discard the remaining 1 cup of milk mixture.) Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for about 30 minutes.
8. To frost the cake, whip 2 cups of the heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar until thick and stiff peaks form. Spread over the surface of the cake. Garnish with maraschino cherries, if desired.
(Recipe from The Pioneer Woman)
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What a simple, beautiful cake. I’ll eat just about anything with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
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I really want to try this!! Mmmmm it sounds so delicious and I love how there’s “extra love” on the bottom
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Mmmm…looks very delicious. Love that milk mixture poured over the cake.
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Oh that looks so moist and delicious!!!
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it looks so delicate! and in addition it`s so simply!
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oh my! I saw this on the poineer woman website and have been wanting to make this ever since! Now I have one more reason. Thank you for posting the quantities of the condensed and evaporated milk cans as over here we get our milks in different quantities than in the US and I searched so many blogs looking for the weight but everywhere only 1 can was mentioned!!
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I’ve wanted to make this ever since I saw it on Pioneer Woman’s site. It looks delicious!! This is re-inforcing my decision to make it!
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Best cake ever. Beautiful pics, girl!
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All I can say is YUM, YUM YUM!!! Fab fotos too. thanks for a wonderful post.
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Looks so great and moist. I will definately get to testing this recipe out, Thanks~
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Oh this looks fabulous! I love the addition of the whipped cream frosting. I know what I’m making for dessert next week!
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This has to be good with all the moistness and sweetness in the cake. Yum! I have never had this either. Maybe now is the time to give it a try!
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I love tres leches! But the Caps elimination is nothing to celebrate! I forgot you’re a Pens fan. I am not. We can still be internet buddies though.
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YUM! That’s all I have to say….drool!
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I love Three Milk Cake! Our little local Mexican Restaurant went out of business several years ago and they had the best Tres Leches Cake! Guess I should just make my own.
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Believe it or not, I have never tried a tres leches cake, but now it is definitely on my list. The texture of the cake in your last photo got my salivary glands working overtime.
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I have been wanting to try this recipe for awhile now. Thanks for the reminder. It looks wonderful!
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oh my goodness…i was already drooling when i read the title, but that picture of the cake with all the moisture at the bottom just did me in. HOLY yum!
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When I make this for my family gatherings, it is ALWAYS a hit!
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Oh my goodness! A little slice of heaven, no doubt! This is my kind of cake. I’m going to have to make this for my guys. They’re so deprived of sweets since I’m not a big baker.
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I like to make 3 Leches, because all my Costa Rican friends think I’m pretty acculturated then. Hehe. The only addition to this recipe that I usually make, which takes the cake from great to “holy heck good” is adding a bit of cinnamon to the cake and/or whipped cream and rum or rum extract to the milk mixture or whipped cream. Yum!
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I been making this cake as long as I can remember, was taught by one of my friends mom, who is Nicaraguan and use to make it for one of the best Nicaraguan restaurants in Miami… to make this even better? 1 tablespoon of rum with the milk combination and instead of whipped cream as a toping, do a 7-minute frosting toping… it takes it to a whole different level.
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What a wonderful cake! It’s the first i’ve heard of it! I imagine swapping out the evaporated milk for coconut cream would taste fabulous too!!! I love your site, i check it often, keep up the great work!!!
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Mmm, wonderful! Love it!
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Yeah I’m late to the Tres Leches party, too, but at least I know what goes in it now! Sounds delish!
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Everyone has been making this cake, lately! My worry is that the cake gets soggy…was that your experience?
Beautiful pictures, as always! =)
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Michelle on April 29th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Hi Allison,
Well, soggy is a relative term here when you drench a cake in liquid
The cake becomes incredibly moist, but I covered it with plastic wrap and refrigerated the leftover and the next day the cake was still just as fabulous, and not soggy at all.
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Oh Man does that look amazing. We just happen to be having a Cinco de Mayo party next week, and this will definitely be having a seat at the table.
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Amo realmente Tres Leches pastel. I think that is right. I took Spanish, and then Latin, and then German – one I could actually pronounce.
And I pronounce this cake delicious. You should try it with cuppys. Little containers of yum!!!
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ohmy. That looks beyond amazing – I’ll have to give it a try soon
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!!
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Yum! Looks so good. The cherries make it so fun. How would you feel about this in a cupcake? I used a recipe for that in a Miami-Cuban theme dinner party, so fun! May have to switch it up to this, much more classic. xxSAS
http://www.20somethingcupcakes.com/2010/04/miami-vice-theme/
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I find this 5 de mayo thing odd, I’m from mexico, born and raised and I dont know anyone here (mexico) who celebrates these day, but seems like in the usa people do… how odd hehe
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My mouth just watered looking at the photos. Wow, this looks so good!
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Oh Funny I’ve had this a few weeks ago in a French restaurant, and I really liked it, even though I tend to prefer savory stuff than sweets.Yours looks even better than the one I had! very moist, I didn’t know about that there were 3 milks poured into the cake. Delicious! beautiful job!
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How can you go wrong with that much sweetness. Looks delicious!
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This is one of my favorite desserts! Normally I’m all about chocolate, but this is one of those exceptions…I mean, how can you NOT make an exception for this cake? Yours looks FABULOUS!
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mmmm.I love Tres Leche cake.
ARe you from Pittsburgh? I was born there!
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It’s interesting that you posted this today. Yesterday I was having a conversation with our soon to graduate college student and she asked for Tres Leches rather than a traditional sheet cake for her graduation party. I was just thinking how expensive it was going to be if I had to pick one up from Churrascos (restaurant in Houston). Maybe I will attempt to make it instead…
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Beautiful cake… I have never made Tres Leches cake, but I need to give it a try!
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So gorgeous! I’ve never made a Tres Leches cake before but I’m saving this recipe
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I made tres leches for my birthday last year and it was amazing- this is definitely one of my favorite types of cakes
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A Hispanic coworker makes this all the time. Love it!!
Have a great weekend!
Nisrine
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Yum! I love this cake, and your recipe is perfect.
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Excellent choice! I love this cake.
The pictures came out amazing. What camera/lens do you use?
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Hi Michelle,
)
I’m really happy that my country’s cake is finally catching on, it is so good! (as you have already seen
And by the way I’m celebrating with you that the Capitals were eliminated! The Penguins are my 2nd favorite team!!
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That is a little slice of heaven
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I’ve been making this cake since I saw it posted on the Pioneer Woman’s site – it’s sooo easy to whip up (always have a can of condensed and evaporated milk in my cupboard) and disappears in one sitting, I’ve only ever had leftovers once which keeps in the fridge very well. Adding cinnamon to the sponge as a variation sounds really good too!
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OMG – Jason’s brother made this yesterday, didnt see his recipe so cant compare it to yours….but it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!
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I just made this for my boyfriend and his roommate and it was absolutely delicious!
I’m Hispanic and grew up loving tres leches and have to say that this is one of the most authentic versions I’ve had. It’s just delicious!
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I just made this. I’m Hispanic, as are all my friends, and we all loved it. It was devoured quite savagely. ;]
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Oh – and I had some issues with the fact that I didn’t have a stand mixer, but I worked through those. I whipped the egg whites by hand – I don’t recommend that, by the way xD – and then, to make the frosting, I mixed the heavy cream and salt and then just added flour tablespoon by tablespoon until it was the consistency of the frosting in the picture. It lost some of the sweetness, though, so I experimented with adding sugar AND some of the extra milk mixture to the frosting until it tasted how I wanted it to. :]
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BEST TRES LECHES CAKE !!!!
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this looks delicious!!
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just made this and it’s heavenly!! my family is killing it right now as i’m typing this. MmMmmmm, thanks for the recipe michelle. i love your blog!!
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I made this for my boyfriend’s birthday yesterday and everyone LOVED it! So easy to make to boot. I added a little bit of cinnamon to the milk mix, bc I basically add cinnamon to everything, and it was very good. Definitely going to be replacing my famous chocolate cake that I make to impress and delight everyone at family gatherings!
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Michelle on June 3rd, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Hi Ashley,
So glad that the cake was a hit for your boyfriend’s birthday! Cinnamon sounds like a delicious addition, I am going to try that next time!
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Hey, hey, hey, I’m from Northern Va. Be nice. They rest of you, make this delicious cake but celebrate something other than the Caps loss. Celebrate spring, the tulips or the cherry blossoms.
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Amazing!!!!! I just made this and it taste better than any other Tres leches cake I have ever tasted! Thanks so much
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I’ve made tres leches cake many times, but I will try your recipe. I usually finish my cake with a coating of cajeta sauce (thick caramel sauce) and then top it off with a dollop of whip cream. I’m getting my beaters out now!
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OMG this was so so yummy!! I took it to a party and the guests had two huge servings. I brought left overs to a football party the next day. One of the husbands said to make it for every party. It was a hit for two nights.
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How much cinnamon would you add to the batter?
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This cake looks amazing, Michelle! I’ve never tried a tres leches cake but I might attempt it for a Mexican themed party I’m attending! I have a question…do you think the prepared cake would keep for over 24 hours in the fridge? I don’t have time to make it right before the dinner party and I’m wondering if it would work if made one day ahead. Or would it be best to bake the cake ahead of time and add the milk mixture and topping the next day?
Thanks!
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Michelle on March 31st, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Hi Katie, I would make the cake (including the milk mixture) the day before, and then top with the whipped cream the day you are going to serve it. Enjoy!
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i don’t have heavy cream. Do you have any heavy cream substitute that would work well in this recipe? Thanks.
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Cindi on April 4th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
Samantha, yours might be a dos leches cake without the heavy cream
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Samantha on April 4th, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Yes, tres leches cake won’t be complete without heavy cream..
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Michelle on April 6th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
Hi Samantha, Unfortunately there is no real substitute for the heavy cream. I guess if you’re in a pinch you could sub half-and-half for the milk mixture, although you’d still need heavy cream for the whipped cream topping.
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When you grease and butter the cake pan, is it necessary to put parchment paper? Is it recommended or can I just leave it out?
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Michelle on April 16th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Hi Samantha, I usually use parchment if I’m making a layer cake and need to turn the cake out of a pan. If I’m just making a 9×13, I usually do not use parchment.
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Can I make this on a Thursday and serve it on a Saturday? I wouldn’t frost it until just before serving.
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Michelle on April 25th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Hi Mary, Due to how much liquid you add to the cake, I would be afraid that it could get a little soggy by Saturday. I think I would stick to only one day in advance.
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so I can make this tonight and have it tomorrow night for dinner?? Or is it really better fresh? (as in, make it tomorrow afternoon). If I do that, can I go ahead and frost it then or should I wait and frost it right before serving?
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Michelle on May 4th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Hi Jenn, It’s really best fresh, as it could get a little TOO soggy sitting around, due to all the liquid used. I would make it tomorrow. You can frost it a few hours ahead of time and refrigerate.
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Jenn on May 5th, 2012 at 3:25 pm
Thanks Michelle! I’m making it now
Dinner’s at 5:30-6 so we should be good
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Hi,
I just made this cake and it turned out very thin. I baked it in a 9×13 pan as suggested. I thought I followed the instructions well…do you have any suggestions for me? Did I miss something?
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Michelle on May 7th, 2012 at 9:31 am
It sounds like it could be one of three things: (1) the baking powder was old/not fresh; (2) the egg whites weren’t beaten until stiff (too soft); or (3) when the egg whites were folded into the rest of the batter it wasn’t done gently enough and the egg whites were deflated.
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I made this Saturday. It was DELICIOUS! The cake rose beautifully, the frosting was DELISH and everyone LOVED it!!!
We had a couple of pieces left over and we had them yesterday, and instead of the cake being soggy like I was expecting, it actually was very firm and not as moist. Still very delicious but was definitely not the same texture as it was on Saturday. (granted, we removed it from the pan, maybe that’s why).
THANK YOU!!!! <3
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looks wonderful! i was searching for a good recipe for this cake – i’m making it tomorrow. we may top with fresh blueberries and strawberries. btw, i live in pgh too! thanks for the recipe and the tips.
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I made this for my mom’s birthday this past weekend and it was a huge hit with everyone! The cake itself is so light and the milk mixture gives it a silky quality and that delectable sweet milky flavor. The whipped topping complements the cake’s lightness. I especially love how there’s no butter in the cake, and it doesn’t need it at all either. Separating all the eggs/cleaning out the bowl to whip them again is a bit time consuming but definitely worth it in the end! I looked at a bunch of tres leche cake recipes and they were all so different and since I had never made it before, I wasn’t sure which would turn out best. But this was definitely a winner! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
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This is absolutely delicious. My entire family loved it. I will make this again soon! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Cake was perfect and the frosting was light and not too sweet. Just amazing.
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This is my favorite tres leches recipe. Everybody loves it! I’m wanting to make a big sheet cake using this recipe. Could I double this or maybe triple it and have it turn out?
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Michelle on March 2nd, 2013 at 5:10 pm
Hi Elizabeth, I’ve never doubled or tripled this recipe, but if you do please check back and let us know how it went!
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Elizabeth on March 20th, 2013 at 5:36 pm
I doubled (actually quadrupled and made two thick layers with pineapple in the middle) the recipe and it turned out great! Almost everybody had two pieces and several of them want me to make them one now. Considering the fact that they’re all from Mexico, I have to say it was a huge hit at the fiesta.
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Can this cake be made in advance? I’m taking it to class on Thursday night after working all day. So I’m thinking I could make the cake part on Wednesday, and pour the milk mixture on the cake the next day?
Has anyone made this cake ahead of time, and what is the best way to approach making it in advance?
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I made this cake on Thursday and it came out great ! it was my first time making it . Mine isn’t too wet ,it’s just right . i have a slice everyday . i recommend this cake to anybody who like a moist cake and not too sweet.
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