Translating to “three milks,” tres leches cake is a Latin American favorite. A light sponge cake that is soaked in a milk mixture for at least an hour, it’s basically the original poke cake. The perfect light and airy treat to enjoy all summer long, follow our tres leches cake recipe to ace this delicious dessert.
How do I make a tres leches cake?
At first glance, this cake may seem more advanced than most, but really it’s simple to put together. A classic tres leches is made with a sponge cake. It's much lighter and not as dense as a traditional cake, which is what you want in this milk-soaked cake. The trick is in the egg whites. Be sure to beat them well into stiff peaks and then fold them in, ever so gently, into the cake batter. The goal is to not deflate them while folding so that the cake bakes up nice and tall with lots of lift!
What are the 3 milks in a tres leches cake?
We use sweetened condensed, evaporated, and whole milk. Some recipes use heavy cream in place of whole milk, but we feel that milk helps balance the already decadent mixture. Plus, we use heavy cream for the topping, so it still makes its way in there. 😉
Serving.
Tres leches is best served cold. After pouring in the milk mixture, refrigerate the cake for at least an hour to let all of the milk fully absorb into the cake. Instead of a traditional buttercream frosting, this cake gets topped with a sweetened whipped cream, cinnamon-sugar, and strawberries. It makes for a lighter dessert that is also much easier to frost.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes! You can make the cake a day ahead before poking it with holes and storing it tightly wrapped at room temperature. The cake benefits from sitting in the refrigerator to absorb all of the milk; It needs at least 1 hour, but can sit in the fridge overnight before frosting and serving. The longer it sits the more it can absorb, making the cake better and better.
Storage.
This cake will be good for around 3 days, and is best stored in the refrigerator with a lid or plastic wrap.
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Cooking spray
all-purpose flour
baking powder
kosher salt
large eggs, separated
granulated sugar, divided
pure vanilla extract
milk
butter, melted and cooled
(14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
(12-oz.) can evaporated milk
milk
pure vanilla extract
heavy cream
granulated sugar
cinnamon-sugar
sliced strawberries, for serving
Makinze is currently Food Editor for Delish, where she develops recipes, creates and hosts recipe videos and is our current baking queen.. Reigning from Oklahoma, she's also our go-to for all things regarding Midwestern cuisine. She's also our expert pie crimper.
