Tres Leches, the famous Latin American “3 Milk” soaked cake, has arrived!! Tastes like a soft vanilla pudding, except cold rather than warm. One bite, and you’ll understand why the world is so obsessed with it!
Tres Leches Cake
If you have never tried Tres Leches cake before, you’re in for a treat! It’s one of Latin America’s most iconic desserts – a cake that 700 million people are proud to call their own, that the rest of the world has fallen in love with.
Tres Leches – which literally means “three milks” – is made by soaking a vanilla sponge with a sweet mixture of three kinds of milk: sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream. The cake drinks it all up, turning into something that’s almost like a cold vanilla pudding. Despite all that liquid, it’s not soggy or mushy because the sponge is designed to absorb it while staying incredibly light and springy.
It’s a brilliant cake for sharing because of its size – 20 slices comfortably, or 12 giant slices. It stays in the pan (easy transport!), must be made ahead, and is just as good – if not better – the next day, and the next.
Oh, and it’s surprisingly on the low-end of sweet, even by Latin American standards! 😉
Adapted from an Ina Garten recipe
This Tres Leche recipe is ever so slightly adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe. Compared to other recipes I’ve tried in the past, I found her cake has an exceptionally good soft bouncy texture that holds up perfectly even when soaked with almost 4 cups of the milk mixture. It doesn’t disintegrate or get mushy and soggy, the milk mixture disperses evenly through the crumb, and the texture of the cake is plush – almost like my Vanilla Cake.
Plus it’s super simple to make. I see myself using it for other flavour-soaked cakes in the future!
See FAQ for changes I made to Ina’s recipe. Nothing significant, just a handful of minor details. 🙂
Ingredients in Tres Leches Cake
Here’s what you need to make Tres Leches Cake. I know South American desserts have a reputation for being quite sweet, but this Tres Leches actually is not. It is less sweet than typical western cakes. 🙂
1. Three Milk Soaking Mixture
Well, 2 types of milk, plus cream! Some recipes use milk instead of cream, but I much prefer cream. It adds richness to the cake which, although soft and springy, is made without any fat (other than the fat in eggs). For this reason, I also recommend using full fat for each of the milks below though if, for health reasons, I needed to, I would absolutely still make this recipe with low fat of all three.
Sweetened condensed milk – This the milk in a can that has been sweetened and it has a thick syrup consistency. It brings sweetness into the cake. Find it in the long-life milk aisle.
Evaporated milk – Unsweetened concentrated milk that has a slightly thicker pourable consistency than fresh milk. Sold in cans alongside the sweetened condensed milk.
Cream – As noted above, I like to use cream rather than milk to bring a little much needed fat into the cake. But actually, you could use milk instead, if you prefer. But use less, as it is thinner so it will soak the crumb faster than cream.
Vanilla – Use natural extract rather than imitation essence which is artificial.
** Optional: almond extract ** Ina Garten’s recipe also includes a small amount of almond extract (just 1/2 teaspoon). It’s not traditional but it’s a common variation, particularly in US versions, I’ve noticed. It adds the smaller hint of amaretto flavour and it is really lovely. So while it’s not in my base recipe, if you’ve got almond extract I highly recommend giving it a go!
2. THE CAKE
Here’s what you need to make the cake.
Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. Don’t use self raising flour, the rise of this cake is more delicate than some and if you don’t use the exact amount of baking powder, it might not be as fluffy as it should be.
White sugar – You can use either caster sugar (superfine sugar) or regular / granulated sugar. Caster sugar is my default as it is suitable for 95% of my cooking and baking, whereas granulated sugar is not (larger grains so it doesn’t dissolve as quickly).
Eggs – You will need 3 large eggs which are eggs sold in cartons labelled “large eggs”. They are ~50 – 55g/60g each. If yours are much larger or smaller, see this post for how to convert to use the correct amount.
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature as fridge-cold eggs do not fluff up as well when whipped, and this cake relies heavily on the whipped eggs to make it rise. To bring them to room temperature quickly, just pop them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes. (Not hot – you’ll cook the eggs!)
Baking powder – In addition to the whipped eggs, baking powder also lends a hand to make the cake rise. If yours has been sitting in the pantry for a while, check to make sure it’s not dead (here’s how). Don’t substitute with baking soda in this cake.
Vanilla – For flavour.
Salt – To bring out the flavours in the cake. Standard baking protocol these days. 🙂
How to make Tres Leches Cake
You’ll need to start this cake at least 5 1/2 hours before you plan to serve it as it needs at least 4 hours in the fridge for the cake to absorb all that milky goodness and disperse evenly, plus 30 minutes cooling time. To be honest, it’s even better the next day as I feel like the cake has settled and slices more neatly once it is well and truly chilled all the way through.
1. make the cake
Like my Vanilla Cake, this cake gets its soft, springy crumb by beating whole eggs for 10 minutes to aerate them. If you’ve got a stand mixer, it’s wonderfully efficient – while the eggs are whipping, you can measure the remaining ingredients and butter the pan.
Whisk dry ingredients – Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then set aside.
Beat eggs 10 minutes – Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Then beat on medium high (speed 8) for 10 minutes. It will be pale yellow and fluffy, and the aeration in the eggs is what makes the cake rise.
If using a handheld electric beater, use high speed and just alternate arms if they start getting tired!
Flour and milk – Turn the speed down to low. Then with the beater still going, slowly pour in half the flour, all the milk, then remaining flour. Stop the beater once most of the flour is incorporated.
Finish by hand – Use a rubber spatular to ensure the batter is properly combined (check the base), but don’t keep mixing unnecessarily as you will deflate the batter and end up with a cake less fluffy than it could be!
Pour into a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ butter greased metal pan. Bake for 25 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced), or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The top will be a deep golden.
– Other pan sizes: See FAQ
– Don’t use a glass or ceramic pan, it doesn’t conduct heat the same so the cake won’t rise as well. And don’t line the pan with paper! It becomes impossible to scoop up a slice without scraping up paper!Cool for 30 minutes in the pan before proceeding with the poke and soak. This ensures your cake won’t disintegrate into a soggy mess when you pour the milk mixture over. Cakes are fragile when hot.
2. poke, soak and refrigerate
Poke with enthusiasm! More poking = more even soaking!
3-Milk mixture – In either a very large jug (~1.5 litres / quarts) or a large bowl, whisk the 3-Milk ingredients together.
Poke lots and lots of holes in the cake, all the way down to the base using a thin chopstick*. I do around 130 – ten rows of thirteen holes. Lots of holes encourages more even distribution of the milk mixture. Nobody wants to hit a dry patch with Tres Leches cake!
* Note on poking device – I know most recipes say to use a bamboo skewer or fork, but I kept ending up with some dry patches because the holes are too small, even with lots of poking. A thin chopstick lets the milk soak through faster and more evenly. Don’t worry about the larger holes, the crumb expands as it absorbs the milk, so the tunnels disappear.
Soak – Slowly pour the milk mixture over in about 3 additions, giving it a minute or between pours if needed to allow it to soak in before pouring more on. Because we poked with chopsticks, you’ll find the milk mixture absorbs much faster and more evenly than tiny holes made using skewers.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or even overnight, to allow the milk mixture to soak evenly into the cake.
Whip the cream then spread it all over the cake.
Sprinkle with cinnamon then cut! Keep it in the pan so it holds all the milky goodness in.
Storing and making ahead
Tres Leches Cake is one of those rare cakes that is actually better made ahead which makes it a terrific one for gatherings – especially in summer. It keeps beautifully for 2 days, and is still terrific for up to 4 days in the fridge, and I also appreciate that it’s a cake that is great eaten cold, straight out of the fridge. Because, how frustrating is it when the urge for cake hits you but that buttercream frosting has gone rock hard in the fridge and you have to wait half an hour before digging in?? 😖
The whipped cream will hold up well for 2 days because it’s not pipped or sandwiched, though it will stay in freshly-whipped-fluffy-perfection if you stabilise the whipped cream. McKenzie’s Cream Stabiliser powder is now a staple in my pantry – just add into the cream, whip as usual, and it stays fluffy for 3 days. For other ways to stabilise whipped cream, see the recipe here.
Righto, I’m off! I have leftover cake to enjoy. Happy poking and soaking – and even happier eating! – Nagi x
Tres Leches Cake FAQ
Unfortunately I haven’t tried, sorry!
Up to 4 days, though it is best for the first 2 days after making it (ie make it today, then it’s great tomorrow and the day after).
On day 3, the milk mixture starts to soak the crumb a bit more and makes the cake seem “wetter” – you’ll notice it seeping out of the base a little more. But it is still fabulous and I’d happily scoff down a slice and serve to family and friends.
Also, be mindful of the shelf life of the cream you used.
The whipped cream does start to deflate but it is ok for 2 days because it’s just spread on top rather than piped or sandwiched. If you want leftovers to remain with fluffy whipped cream perfection (or you want to top with cream now and serve later), I highly recommend stabilising the whipped cream. These days, I always have a jar of McKenzie’s Cream Stabiliser on hand for this very reason (see below) – just add and whip it with the cream, and it will stay fluffed like freshly whipped for days. You can find it in the baking aisle of Coles and Woolworths (in Australia).
For other methods to stabilise whipped cream, see my Stabilised Whipped Cream recipe!
You can use other pan sizes if the surface area is similar to a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan. Here are some options:
2 x 20cm / 8″ round pans (the cake will be a smidge taller)
2 x 23cm / 9″ pans (the cake will be a smidge flatter)
2 x 20cm/8″ square pans
They will still require at least 25 minutes of baking time, so check first at 25 minutes then keep baking if necessary. For the above listed pans, it shouldn’t take any longer. If you need to keep baking and the surface is getting too golden, just cover with foil.
This Tres Leches recipe is slightly adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe. I’ve tried a number of Tres Leches cakes over the years, but I haven’t shared a recipe until now because I wasn’t overly thrilled – common problems being that the sponge became a little mushy for my taste after soaking, or there were dry patches, or the cake texture was a little too “rough” rather than plush.
Then I recently tried Ina’s recipe. The sponge stays incredibly soft and springy, even after soaking up almost 4 cups of the three-milk mixture. Every bite has that gorgeous milky flavour in the cake which has a texture like regular cake rather than turning into soggy mush.
I think the secret is the cake itself. Unlike many recipes that separate and whip the eggs or include butter or oil, Ina simply beats whole eggs with the sugar and doesn’t add any fat to the batter. The result is an intentionally lean sponge that’s dry before soaking and has a “spring-back” crumb, and is perfectly designed to drink up all that milk while keeping its structure.
It’s also wonderfully easy to make – no whipping separated eggs – which, to be honest, is what prompted me to give it a go in the first place!
Thank you Ina! You’re my favourite, and always will be!
I did fiddle with Ina’s recipe, but there’s a reason for it!! Here are the changes I made:
Reduced the amount of the three milk soaking liquid by half a cup as I felt there was a little more than necessary. The cake along the sides of the pan where the milk mixture pools got a little more soaked than ideal.
I use a chopstick rather than thin skewer for poking because I find it works better (and faster) for even absorption.
Almond extract – Ina Garten uses almond extract in the milk mixture which I made optional as it’s not traditional, though really lovely!
I refrigerate for 4 rather than 6 hours. Using the chopstick which is fatter than a skewer allows for the milk mixture to disperse through the cake faster.
I top with cinnamon powder (traditional) whereas Ina Garten uses berries.
At Dulcito Desserts, located in Broadway and Zetland. The Tres Leches is highly rated by the local Latin American community! This is the bar to which I was working to. And, hand on heart, I genuinely think this Tres Leches recipe matches theirs. Thank you Ina!
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour / all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder (make sure yours is not dead)
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature (~50 – 55g/2oz each)
- 1 cup white sugar (any type – caster sugar/superfine, or regular/granulated)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup full-fat milk , at room temperature
3-Milk Soaking Mixture:
- 1 x 340g/12oz can evaporated milk (Note 1)
- 1 x 395g/14oz can sweetened condensed milk (Note 1)
- 1 cup thickened cream / heavy cream , or regular full-fat cream (Note 2)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract , optional (Note 3)
Cream topping:
- 1 1/2 cups thickened cream / heavy cream , or other whipping cream
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp+ cinnamon powder , for sprinkling (Note 2)
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13" metal pan with butter (not a glass or ceramic one, and do not line with paper).
- Dry ingredients – Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Beat eggs 10 minutes – Put the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a standmixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium high for 10 minutes – it will become pale yellow and fluffy. (Or use an electric beater on high for 10 minutes – just alternate arms if they get tired!)
- Add flour mixture and milk – Reduce the speed to low. With the mixer going, slowly add half the flour mixture, then all the milk, then remaining flour mixture. Stop beating as soon as most of the flour is incorporated. Then use a rubber spatula to mix the batter, scraping the base well, just to ensure everything is properly combined. Don't mix unecessarily long, you will deflate the batter!
- Bake – Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes before poking and soaking.
Poke and soak!
- Whisk the 3-Milk ingredients in a large bowl or very large jug (1.5L/quarts) until the condensed milk is mixed through.
- Poke – Use a thin chopstick, poke lots of holes all the way down to the base of the pan. I do around 130 – 13 rows of 10!
- Soak – Slowly pour the milk mixture all across the top in about 3 additions, giving it a minute or two between pours so it has time to soak in rather than pooling. Pour with even soaking coverage in mind – eg if it is pooling on the sides because the cake is sloped, concentrate more on the centre and pour slowly.
- Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or even overnight, to allow the milk mixture to disperse throughout the cake.
Assemble to serve – day of:
- Whip cream – Beat the cream, sugar and vanilla using the stand mixer (whisk attachment) or electric beater until it is firmly whipped.
- Cream and cinnamon – Spread the cream all over the top of the cake. (If you stabilise the whipped cream, you can top with cream the day before. I use McKenzie's Cream Stabiliser for this). Sprinkle with cinnamon – do this from a height using a fine sieve, for the most even coverage.
- Cut into 12 very generous or 20 sensible pieces. Serve out of the pan.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Jaffle
My first dog park…..
….and my first Tres Leches cake!!
It is hard to know which one he enjoyed more!
This was delicious. I am not into very sweet desserts so I was hoping this wouldn’t be and it turned out great, I personally didn’t find it overly sweet and more balanced with the richness. I took a small spoonful of the milk mixture after combining and it reminded me of vanilla ice cream so if you find that sweet it may be too sweet for you. I also let my cake soak overnight for 24 hours and found it even better each day. I opted to stabilize the whip cream with a tsp of bloomed gelatin and it’s held up for three full days no problem. Canadians, fyi, use a 300ml can of eagle brand condensed milk and 354ml can of carnation evaporated milk, think it’s a tiny bit less liquid but a perfect sub, no need to open an extra can I promise! The whole family enjoyed this, I will definitely make it again sometime. Thanks so much Nagi!
…forgot the stars. Easy 5.
This was seriously THE BEST Tres Leches cake ever! And so easy to make and I’m by far a serious baker. I can’t stand a soggy Tres Leches. This was perfect! Made it exactly like the directions said and we didn’t find it too sweet at all. Definitely not dense like another review said. It was light and airy. If you’re thinking about using the almond extract, do it! It set it off! Everyone raved about it.
Should have adjusted recipe based on other reviews. Definitely sweet. Cake turned out perfect, liquid soaked up perfectly. Didn’t add any sugar to the cream to try balance it but still too sweet. Maybe reduce sugar in the cake but not sure if that affects the texture? Maybe reduce condensed milk?
Enjoyed this very much.
Thank you Nagi.
It came out really well, but it was a bit too sweet for me. I’d likely cut the condensed milk by half next time. I only added less than a tablespoon of sugar to the cream topping, yet it still tasted quite sweet. The texture, however, was spot on.
I’m curious – I looked at MANY recipes, and the majority have less flour (by 1/2 cup) and more eggs (1 to 2 more even though using less flour). Any comments on this? Thanks!
One of my favourite recipes and most requested desserts.
I’ve made a few flavour variations in the past, they are:
– Coffee flavour turning it into a Tiramisu Tres-Letches.
– a chocolate milk version with cookies and cream as topping.
– a lemony version with a cream cheese topping.
– a chocolate cake and crème de mint version.
– a peaches and keylime version.
– a Biscoff and caramel version.
– for my Indian friends, a rasmalai version (tasted sensational)
This cake was delicious! Everyone loved it and it was easy to make divided into three simple steps. Thanks for another fantastic recipe. 😋
this recipe was INCREDIBLE!! I made this for a Mexican-cuisine dinner and everybody loved it. It was surprisingly easy to make and I love that I could do this in advance. I stabilised the cream with gelatine and it lasted for days! definitely going to make it again (I put biscoff sauce + a sprinkle of cinnamon as the finishing touch above the cream so im keen to experiment more with different flavours)
This is not a Tres Leches cake. I don’t know who the people are that have left all these positive reviews. But it’s not true. The cake is awful and dense even after the soak it’s not a tres leches. Left overnight and everything the recipe says.
I am not new to baking. I bake lots.
Not nice at all. Not even worth one star.
Anna it is ok to not like a recipe and if it’s not to your taste and state why but there is a way to express your opinion, you don’t need to be quite so nasty.
Obviously you are very outnumbered but by all the other positive comments. Mine included.
Please show some respect next time.
The people who have left positive reviews are real people who genuinely cook, and many of them are regular visitors here, myself included. The texture of mine came out perfectly, it was just a little too sweet for my taste. I’m going to try it one more time using half the amount of condensed milk. You might also want to check your baking powder.
This is not a Tres Leches cake. I don’t know who the people are that have left all these positive reviews. But it’s not true. The cake is awful and dense even after the soak it’s not a tres leches. Left overnight and everything the recipe says.
I am not new to baking. I bake lots.
Not nice at all.
I’ve been asked to make this as an engagement cake! Could you freeze the cake the week prior then defrost the day before and then poke and soak? Also they want meringue on the top. Any suggestions?
I really like this website, cooked so many things from here – recipies always worked well. But this time I followed everything and cake turned out fine, except it was overly sweet. And this is after it said “less sweet”. I have a sweet tooth but even this is too much. I’d say 1/2 can of condensed milk is more than enough
I made the Tres Leche cake. OMG! It is absolutely divine. I have never tried it before or even heard of it. It is a cross between a cake and a pudding. My 2 adult sons have stated it is there very favourite cake. Now that is a statement as I have made them hundreds of cakes & puddings over the years and this has trumped the others by a short mile! Thank you for sharing the recipe. It will be made often and if we all get fat, I’ll blame you! Ha ha ha!
Just removed from the oven; wonderful aroma. The 10 minutes whipping recents, sugar and vanilla did not seem burdensome as I expected and your recipe was straight forward. Cooling about 15 more minutes and I can begin to gently pour the combined condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. I know this will be a delicious to a potluck I have been invited to. Thanks.
Wondering if it’s practicable to make the sponge a day early then add the milks the next day? Looking forward to trying this!
hello nagi I havent seen you in a while i would like to say thank you for signing my cookbook and i will be looking at you’re recipes again.👍
Thank you, Nagi:)
I did not try the recipe yet but it feels promising- I love really moist cakes simple enough yet have their distinctive taste and texture. This one ticks the bill:)
I made this yesterday nearly all gone now. 24 hrs later. I made it with gluten free self raising flour not realising it was SR so I added the baking powder as well. 😱. Still turned out as the most delicious cake that I’ve ever cooked. Slight exaggeration but still delicious. Thanks Nagi
My son had this on holiday and loved it. Can I ask, why would you not line the pan with baking paper?