Desserts
Homemade tres leches cake with whipped cream
Make a moist tres leches cake with vanilla sponge, a creamy three-milk soak and whipped cream. Exact quantities and chilling times explained.
- Total time
- 320 min
- Servings
- 12
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cuisine
- Latin American
Ingredients
Sponge cake
Three-milk soak
Topping
Method
Prepare the oven, dish and flour
Preheat a conventional oven to 175°C / 350°F. Grease the base and sides of a 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 inch) baking dish at least 5 cm (2 inches) deep with 5 g butter. Sift the 180 g flour and 4 g baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar
Place the remaining 113 g softened butter and 200 g sugar in another bowl. Beat for 3–4 minutes until paler and fluffy. Stop the mixer once to scrape down the sides with a spatula.
Add the eggs and vanilla
Add the 250 g eggs, about 5 large eggs, one at a time. Beat each egg in completely before adding the next. Mix in the 5 ml vanilla. If the mixture looks curdled, add a tablespoon of the already measured flour and mix again.
Fold in the flour and fill the dish
Add the reserved flour in two batches, mixing on low speed just until no dry flour remains. Do not overbeat. Transfer the batter to the prepared dish and level the top with a spatula so it has an even thickness.
Bake and cool slightly
Bake on the middle rack for 25–30 minutes. Check from 25 minutes: the centre should spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick should come out without raw batter. Bake a few minutes longer if necessary. Set the dish on a wire rack for 20 minutes without turning the cake out. The sponge should be warm, not very hot.
Mix the three milks
While the cake bakes, combine the 354 ml evaporated milk, 397 g condensed milk and 240 ml cream for the soak in a jug. Whisk until no streaks of condensed milk remain. Keep the other 240 ml cream in the refrigerator for the topping.
Soak the cake and refrigerate
With the warm cake still in its dish, pierce it all over with a skewer, almost to the bottom. Pour the milk mixture over in three batches, reaching the corners and waiting 2–3 minutes between batches for it to absorb. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before adding the topping.
Whip the cream for the topping
Once the cake is cold, pour the reserved 240 ml chilled cream into a cold bowl and add the 12 g sugar. Beat for 2–4 minutes until firm peaks hold their shape. Stop before the cream becomes grainy.
Cover the cake with cream
Spoon the whipped cream onto the cold cake, keeping it in its dish. Gently spread it with a spatula into an even layer covering the whole surface. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Slice and serve cold
Cut the cake in the dish into 12 portions: make three dividing cuts in one direction and two across them to form a 4 × 3 grid. Wipe the knife between cuts and lift portions out with a wide spatula. Serve cold. The crumb should look moist while holding its shape, with a layer of whipped cream on top.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Tips
- Weigh the ingredients and use softened, not melted, butter. If the egg mixture looks curdled, add a tablespoon of the already measured flour and continue. Refrigerated resting is part of the recipe; do not try to turn the soaked cake out of its dish.
Substitutions
- Use whipping cream with at least 35% fat. Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are different products and cannot replace each other. There is no direct swap for the sugar or milks that preserves this exact formula.
Storage
Keep covered in the refrigerator at 4°C / 40°F or below and eat within 3 days. Bake and soak the cake the day before, then add the topping before serving. Do not leave it unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours in total, or 1 hour above 32°C / 90°F.
Sources: USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy; USDA FSIS — Food Safety.
AI-generated illustrative images for this recipe.
Nutrition facts
1 slice (1/12 of the cake, including soak and topping)
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 51 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Saturated fat
- 18 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
Approximate values per serving, including all the soak, topping and butter used to grease the dish. Brands may change the result.
Reference source: USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018)
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
This tres leches cake starts with a vanilla butter sponge baked in a rectangular dish and soaked, without turning it out, in evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream. Add the mixture gradually so it reaches the centre, then chill the cake until the crumb absorbs the liquid and can be cut into portions. Spread the whipped cream topping on just before serving. Plan ahead: the total time includes 20 minutes of cooling and at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make it the day before?
Yes. Bake the cake, add the three-milk soak and refrigerate it covered overnight. Whip and spread the cream on the day you serve it.
Why is there milk at the bottom?
The soak takes time to distribute. Add it in batches and chill for at least 4 hours. A little liquid when serving is normal; a raw or collapsed crumb indicates underbaking, which chilling cannot fix.
Can I use regular milk instead of evaporated milk?
They are not equivalent: evaporated milk contains more milk solids. For this recipe's texture, use whole evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream in the stated amounts.
