You’ll love this light, fluffy tres leches cake SOAKED with a sweet mixture of three milks and topped with a cloud of whipped cream enriched with mascarpone. It’s a great make ahead cake since it only gets better the next day!!
This amazing tres leches cake was one of my most requested recipes of the year! I’m so excited to share it with you and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I made a kid-friendly cake but you’re more than welcome to add 1/2 cup of dark rum to the tres leches for a more traditional cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should tres leches cake be served cold?
Yes! This cake actually gets better after some resting time in the fridge as that delicious milk soaks further into the cake.
Can I make tres leches cake in advance?
This cake does well in the fridge for a day or two. If you’re planning on making it further in advance then freeze the cake and soak and frost before serving.
Can I freeze a tres leches cake?
You can make this cake in advance, wrap well and freeze it, but just the cake! When you’re ready to serve add the milk mixture and frosting.
What can you do with the extra yolks?
Make a batch of French buttercream, Pastry cream, or flan!
How to make Tres Leches Cake
1. Set oven to 350F and line a 9×13 cake pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl mix the milk, egg whites, vanilla, and sour cream then set aside.
2. Sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk to combine and place on mixer.
3. Add butter in tablespoon sized pieces to the dry mixture and beat with a paddle attachment until a incorporated with a texture like wet sand.
4. Add half the wet mixture, mix to combine, scrape bowl down and add remaining wet mixture beating until combined.
5. Pour batter into a 9×13 inch tin and bake at 350F for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
6. While the cake is baking whisk together the milk, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl, cover and chill.
7. When the cake is cooled whip the cold cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold in the room temperature mascarpone and set aside.
8. After the cake is cooled you can trim the edges. This step is optional but I find it helps the cake absorb more of the tres leches mixture and gives a beautiful white edge. The trimmings are delicious s feel free to snack!
9. Transfer your cake to a larger dish and slowly pour the milk mixture over it. You can poke holes in the top to make more room for that delicious liquid if desired.
10. Add the frosting to the cake. I like using an ice cream scoop for even coverage. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Garnish each piece with a fan of strawberry slices and sprig of mint leaves.
This cake is soooo good. I shot my pieces on plates but I enjoy serving the cake in a bowl so you can spoon more of the tres leches mixture in.
Pro Tips for this Tres Leches Cake Recipe
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Add 1/2 cup of rum to the tres leches mixture, soak the cake and enjoy! Doing this brings you closer to the original recipe, which had alcohol!
- Trimming the cake is TOTALLY optional. I did it because this is a giant sheet cake that has to bake for a long time. Those edges get caramelized and take away from the visual for me but you might enjoy them!
- For MAXIMUM effect double the tres leches mixture and then pre-cut the sheet cake, transfer pieces to bowls or cups and then soak with the mixture until 1/3 submerged. top with frosting and serve!
You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
- The mascarpone is optional but If you can’t get a hold of it and still want to have a similar effect try mixing the following room temperature ingredients together for a reasonable facsimile. 8oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2tbs unsalted butter.
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If you’ve tried this tres leches cake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS:
For the Cake
- 3 2/3 cups cake flour 450g
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar 480g
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1.5 cups whole milk 355ml, room temperature
- 8 egg whites room temperature, large
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract 15mL
- 17 tbsp unsalted butter 240g, room temperature
- 1/3 cup sour cream 80ml, room temperature
For the Milk Mixture:
- 3/4 cup whole milk 177ml
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 397g
- 12 fl oz evaporated milk 354mL
For the Frosting:
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream 710ml, cold,
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Assembly:
- 9 strawberries hulled and sliced
- 1 sprig mint
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a 13" x 9" sheet cake pan by adding parchment paper.
- In a standing mixer, sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Give it a whisk and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add egg whites, milk, vanilla, and sour cream. Whisk together.
- Attach a paddle attachment to the stand mixer. Add in room temperature butter in cubes or pieces.
- On medium speed, beat for ½ of the wet mixture into the crumby dry mixture. Scrape the bowl down and add the remaining wet mixture. Beat until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared sheet cake pan.
- Bake for 40 -50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature.
For the Syrup:
- Add the three milks into a large bowl, whisk together and set aside. You can add more milk to cut the sweetness if desired. If you're adding dark rum go ahead and mix it in now. Start with 1/4 cup and add more to taste.
For the Frosting:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add heavy whipping cream, confectioners sugar.
- Beat on high until whipped.
- Add vanilla extract. Give it another whip on high.
- Fold in mascarpone by hand using a spatula. Switch to a whisk and beat.
For the Assembly:
- I trimmed the sides and top of the cake. You don't have to do this, but I wanted a nice light edge and it makes the cake even more absorbent.
- Slowly drizzle on the tres leches on the cake. You can polk holes all over the cake to make more room for the sweet milk mixture if desired.
- Use an ice cream scooper to add the frosting.
- Smooth with an offset spatula.
- Garnish each piece with a fan of strawberry slices and a sprig of mint.
Video
Notes
- Add 1/2 cup of rum to the tres leches mixture, soak the cake and enjoy! Doing this brings you closer to the original recipe, which had alchohol!
- Trimming the cake is TOTALLY optional. I did it because this is a giant sheet cake that has to bake for a long time. Those edges get caramelized and take away from the visual for me but you might enjoy them!
- You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
- The mascarpone is optional but If you can't get ahold of it and still want to have a similar effect try mixing the following room temperature ingredients together for a reasonable facsimile. 8oz cream cheese, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2tbs unsalted butter.
Thank you, Preppy Kitchen for making this delicious tres leches flavored cake so easy to make with your wonderful instructions, tips, and photos…I am ready to make it and enjoy it!
Thank you for the lovely recipe. Can we half the recipe?
Hi John! Can you bake this in a round 9 in pan? Also, have you tried a chocolate tres leches?
I Made this recipe tonight. I had been looking for the perfect tres leches and this is exactly what Was in mind. Actually used whole milk Greek yogurt. I didn’t have sour cream on hand. Still yielded a great soft but firm enough to take in all the liquid. Cutting the caramelized edges really do help with the absorption. Thank you Preppy Kitchen!!
You’re welcome!
I LOVE this recipe & now can finally make my Mexican friends Happy. Kudos to you my friend says it’s just like the cake her grandmother made that she grew up eating. I don’t know of a better compliment than that so thank you! The only thing is I cut back on the salt. I must be super sensitive to herbs,spices & salt. Someone told me I had extra taste buds that was considered a super taster?
Hi John
Just made this delicious cake! It is light as a cloud and has a scrumptious crumb. Just a question, in your accompanying video you add “all purpose flour” but on your blog under the ingredient list it is “cake flour”. I used all purpose flour and the cake was perfect but I’m still curious as to which is correct?
Thank you for an amazing recipe!
They actually both work!
Are the grams the same for cake vs ap flour?
Thanks!
ap flour is 20g more per cup. 🙂
This is great! Flavor is wonderful. We didn’t shave off the top or sides but next time we will shave off the top because there were some dry spots in the cake. Used the alternative cream cheese frosting but had to add powdered sugar and extra HWC. It didn’t create enough frosting for our preferences so we will double next time.
Hi John ,
I want to make this recipe today , so I would like to know if it is possible to reduce the amount of sugar in the cake batter.
Thanks in advance for your reply.
John: HELP!! I’ve made your cake exactly! I’m afraid to pour ALL that milk over it. The cake will be under milk. Is that how it’s suppose to be? I’ve used about half of the milk. Thank you!!!
Hi Kori, you should transfer the cake to a larger container so it sits about halfway up in a pool of that milk mixture. t’s meant to be soaked but some should be poking out. you can always reserve some liquid and spoon into the plates you serve the cake on.
Any recommended recipes for the left over 8 egg yolks?
Thanks!
French Buttercream!
Hey John –
Can’t wait to make this cake today, however, your directions here say to dd almond extract but it doesn’t call for any in the ingredient list? Is that supposed to be vanilla instead or do you add both and if so how much vanilla? Thanks for all your yummy recipes!
Total typo, no almond extract, my mind most have been wandering! Fixed and thanks for pointing out.
actually you mentioned if the color of vanilla extract bothered people they could try an almond extract being it is clear
I am not a baker at all. I always burn store-bought anything. I ran into this cake by chance, and because you made it look easy and fun, I decided to attempt it.
This cake turned out amazing. The cake was very spongy and light and decadent.
I was glad I had the video to guide me as well as the instructions.
I added all the leche mixture. It looked like my cake was swimming in delicious milk.
I am assuming I was supposed to be slower, adding it to the top.
I did the culinary thing to do and cut out the top and sides… I promptly ate them lol
the best 3 leches cake ever!!
Thank you. I enjoy your channel very much.
Hi John,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I tried making Tres Leches and my family loved it! It’s also just the right amount of sweetness. My concern is when I baked it, the center of the cake became taller or fat. It did not bake evenly. I know in your video, you trimmed the cake, but I don’t want to do that. Do you know what I did wrong? Does this happen to you? I watched other videos who did the same recipe and their cake baked evenly too. What am I doing wrong? Hope to hear your advice. Thanks!
I thin your oven might have been a bit hot 🙂
Hi John,
My husband requested this cake this year for his birthday. I wanted to know can you use pasteurized egg whites or are fresh egg whites better?
Thanks for all your great recipes.
-KC
i forgot to rate when I made this!
P.S.
as a variation try coconut milk instead of whole milk (I diluted mine with coconut water because coconut milk is thick) also used coconut rum in the place of vanilla extract.
I love that! Coconut is my weakness…
have you made a chocolate version? The milk part is easy but the cake part I have a question on. would you reduce the flour 1/2 cup if adding that much cocoa powder? and if adding 2oz of melted chocolate would you also add 2 tbs butter or 2 egg yolks for the added fat needed to balance the acidity in the chocolate?
I haven’t made a chocolate version but now I’m curious! I would try that substitution for a start!
I had so much fun making this cake for a friend’s birthday.
One question: why did you choose to use butter in this recipe? To compensate for the fat missing from the egg yolks or just to be ~extra~?
I love butter!