Julie Clark
Posted:
Tres Leches Cake
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Homemade Tres Leches Cake is a fluffy white sponge cake with whipped cream. The milk mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream make the cake extra moist.
This tres leches cake recipe bakes in a springform pan so it makes a small amount. It’s topped with homemade whipped cream frosting, a sprinkle of ground cinnamon and fresh berries. It’s one of our favorite Cinco de Mayo desserts, but is perfect all summer long because it is served cool.
About this tres leches cake recipe:
One of Kinslee’s favorite cakes is tres leches cake. I switch it up at times and make her a chocolate tres leches cake or coconut tres leches cake, but her favorite? Traditional tres leches cake with fluffy whipping cream topping. It has the simple sweet vanilla flavor and moist texture that she craves.
This white cake doesn’t have any oil or butter, making it a traditional sponge cake with a light texture. The sponge soaks up the three milks quickly.
It’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo, served after our loaded nachos, Mexican baked potatoes, Mexican lasagna or salsa verde chicken and rice.
After I made this cake, I dropped it off to Kinslee and her roommate. They devoured it in no time and it fueled them to study for finals!
Enjoy! – Julie
Tres Leches Cake
Homemade Tres Leches Cake is a fluffy white sponge cake with whipped cream. The milk mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream make the cake extra moist.
Servings 8
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Chill time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs separated
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1/3 cup 2% milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
For the milk filling:
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 1 can
- 12 ounces evaporated milk 1 can
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
For the topping:
- 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl and using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg yolks only with ¾ cup sugar until pale yellow in color and doubled in volume. Add in milk and vanilla and mix again. 5 large eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup 2% milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix in the flour and baking powder on low speed just until combined. Scrap the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and the remaining ¼ cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
- Fold in remaining egg whites. Be careful not to mix too much. The fluffy egg whites are what gives this cake its soft texture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes, then poke holes into the top of the cake.
- In a small bowl, mix together the condensed milk, evaporated milk and ¼ cup heavy cream. Pour the mixture over the warm cake while it is still in the pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate until cold. 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, 12 ounces evaporated milk, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (this works best if your bowl is cold) with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it thickens and holds peaks. 1 ½ cups cold heavy cream, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Loosen edge of cake with knife before removing side of pan. Frost cake with the whipped cream. Garnish with a dusting of cinnamon and fresh berries if desired.
Notes
- If you don’t have a springform pan, you may use a regular 9″ round cake pan.
- Store the cake covered in the refrigerator.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks. The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 619kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 63g | Vitamin A: 1178IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 351mg | Iron: 2mg
What is tres leches cake made of?
To make traditional tres leches cake, you’ll need the following key ingredients:
- Eggs. Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into separate bowls.
- All-purpose flour. Sometimes cake flour is used for cake, like when we make our chocolate chip cupcakes and angel food cake recipe, but this recipe uses regular all-purpose flour. This adds structure to hold up the cake to the weight of the milks.
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk and 1 12-ounce can of evaporated milk. Pantry staples!
- Heavy cream. You have this in your fridge from making our cinnabon copycat cinnamon rolls on the regular, right? 😉
See the recipe card for full ingredients and amounts.
How to Make Tres Leches Cake: Step by Step
- Prepare. Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
- In a mixing bowl and using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg yolks only with ¾ cup sugar until pale yellow in color and doubled in volume. Add in milk and vanilla and mix again
- Mix in the flour and baking powder on low speed just until combined. Scrap the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and the remaining ¼ cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
- Fold in remaining egg whites. Be careful not to mix too much. The fluffy egg whites are what gives this cake its soft texture. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes, then poke holes into the top of the cake with a toothpick or chopstick.
- In a small bowl, mix together the condensed milk, evaporated milk and ¼ cup heavy cream. Pour the mixture over the warm cake while it is still in the pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate until cold.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (this works best if your bowl is cold) with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it thickens and holds peaks.
- Loosen edge of cake with knife before removing side of pan. Frost cake with the whipped cream. Garnish the tres leches cake with a dusting of cinnamon and fresh strawberries if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tres leches cake soggy?
No. Tres leches cake is a sponge cake, so think of how a sponge soaks up liquid, but still holds its structure. There’s no butter or oil in the cake, which helps it be able to soak up the three milks.
Do you have to refrigerate Tres Leches Cake?
Yes. Because this recipe is milk based, you’ll want to make sure you refrigerate it and serve it cold.
How long will tres leches cake stay fresh?
Although the cake is best served within 48 hours of making it, it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can I freeze a Tres Leches cake?
If you’d like to freeze this cake, it is best to freeze it before you frost it with whipped cream. It will freeze up to 3 months this way. Then after the cake has defrosted but is still cold, make the whipped cream and frost.
