Tres Leches Cake

733 Ratings
  • 5 226
  • 4 209
  • 3 176
  • 2 87
  • 1 35

This moist, luscious dessert is named "tres leches" because after it's baked, the cake is soaked in three different types of milk; condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk. The milks saturate the cake, making it soft and extra sweet. It's one of the most popular cakes in Mexico and beloved in Nicaragua and other Central American countries. Our easy recipe adds whipped cream and fruit for serving, you can use any fruit that's in season, alone or in a combination. Whipped cream might might seem excessive when the cake is already so rich with dairy but it actually tempers the sweetness of the cake.

Everyday Food, June 2010

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

prep:
20 mins
total:
50 mins
Servings:
12
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar on high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine. With a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter until incorporated. Transfer batter to dish and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through.

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  • In a medium bowl, whisk together milks. Poke warm cake all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick, then pour milk mixture over top and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

  • Whip cream and 1/4 cup sugar to medium peaks. To serve, spread whipped cream evenly over cooled cake. Top with fruit if desired.

Cook's Notes

If you use a metal baking pan, keep a close eye on the cake—it will be done in about half the time.

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Reviews (29)

733 Ratings
  • 5 226
  • 4 209
  • 3 176
  • 2 87
  • 1 35
Martha Stewart Member
09/03/2018
Amazing Tres Leches Recipe. I poked fresh sliced strawberries in the cake prior to whipped topping to add fruit whithin the cake. Worked out great. Considering it was Very moist! I used 2% instead of whole milk. My whole family was Excited to eat another slice! Thanks
Martha Stewart Member
07/04/2018
This is one of those recipes I turn to time and time again. It’s incredibly easy yet turns out delicious every time; the finished cake looks beautiful and tastes wonderful. It’s almost impossible to mess up. And the real whipped cream topping impresses everyone.
Martha Stewart Member
05/02/2018
Love this recipe! I've been making this cake since it was first published in 2010. When I first made the cake it seemed so "thin" but after adding the whipped cream and fruit, it's perfect! If you use a metal pan the cake does cook much faster so I start checking at about 20 minutes. I often substitute coconut milk for the whole milk and use mangos for a tropical twist. It's the perfect thing to bring to a summer potluck!
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Martha Stewart Member
05/02/2018
I watched the video and printed your amazing recipe, it's only a matter of when I make it!
Martha Stewart Member
02/22/2018
I love it
Martha Stewart Member
02/15/2018
I thought this cake was easy to make and so delicious! The presentation is beautiful, I love the fresh fruit on top of the whipped cream. I used half the recommended sugar in my whipped cream and it was still delicious. I made this for my birthday!
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Martha Stewart Member
04/17/2017
I noticed other posters' comments said the cake tasted pretty "eggy" so I reduced the number of eggs to four and the cake turned out fantastic. Seven of us devoured the w[filtered] thing in one sitting, AFTER dinner!! Next time I will probably cut the sugar in the whipped cream topping in half, as I don't like mine as sweet as the recipe calls for. Delicious cake, though. Everyone loved it.
Martha Stewart Member
07/04/2015
I have made this recipe 4 times and it is one that is requested often by our friends. They love it! It has to be one of the best desert recipes I have in my back pocket, and one of the easiest.
Martha Stewart Member
07/04/2015
I have made this recipe 4 times and it is one that is requested often by our friends. They love it! It has to be one of the best desert recipes I have in my back pocket, and one of the easiest.
Martha Stewart Member
05/18/2015
This was a hit at a birthday I party. A couple things: to make it even richer, instead of half and half, I used a 1/2 pint of heavy cream as one of the "leches." Also, when poking the cake, I just used a fork. Worked just as well, and much faster than a toothpick or wooden skewer.
Martha Stewart Member
12/13/2014
This is not a review but a question please. I am going to attempt to make 2 treks leeches cakes for Christmas. How long will the cake keep before serving and should I bake each separately or can I bake them together? Thank you any help.
Martha Stewart Member
05/01/2014
It is always so frustrating when all Hispanic foods are labeled "Mexican" Tres Leches is NOT a Mexican dessert, it has been adopted by most Hispanics BUT it is a south American dish introduced into the USA Hispanic cultures with the large immigration influx of the 70s and 80s, it always shocks me when, a site of this caliber misquotes or does not give credit where it is due. By the way Flan and Churros are not Mexican either......
Martha Stewart Member
02/23/2014
I lived in Mexico from my early teen years to my late twenties. Tres Leches should not have an eggy taste, and some people use far more eggs and no butter. I whip the egg whites separately and mix the yolks with the sugar. I now live in France and the other reviewer's product suggestions are good but I use T65 flour mixed with T45 (cake flour) or just T45, and heavier cream. I don't serve with fruit. Another recipe on this site that is good: http://www.marthastewart.com/262916/tres-leches-cake
Martha Stewart Member
11/03/2013
I hosted a Mexican Fiesta in a small village in France for 14 Brits; made two of this cake. We all loved it! For all purpose flour use Type 55 flour, condensed milk is lait concentré sucré and evap. milk is lait concentré non-sucré. I used small eggs so I didn't notice any eggy taste like a couple reviews. The heavy (whip) cream is crème entière liquide. No fresh berries readily available so used frozen mixed berries which balanced out the flavor (not too sweet). Will make again & again!
Martha Stewart Member
07/27/2013
This was my first time making Tres Leches. Nice moist cake. I know what the other reviewer meant by "eggy". Not sure if its meant to be the flavor we are going for in Tres Leches.
Martha Stewart Member
07/27/2013
This was my first time making Tres Leche. Nice moist cake. I know what the other reviewer meant by "eggy". Not sure if its meant to be the flavor we are going for in Tres Leche.
Martha Stewart Member
07/01/2013
I made this cake for a summer dinner party last night and it turned out wonderfully. I followed the recipe exactly, except that I poured the batter into two round springform pans, then layered them with whipped cream and strawberries in the middle and on top. It was perfect for summer and got rave reviews.
Martha Stewart Member
01/17/2013
going to make this ill let you know
Martha Stewart Member
10/22/2012
I have made this wonderfully delicious cake numerous times and it never fails to impress me! It is so easy, and so pleasurable to devour. It also freezes well. I often serve it with fruit on the side as shown in the photo. It is easy, has great flavor, and easy to whip up with ingredients you probably already have in the refrigerator and pantry. Refreshing and rich!
Martha Stewart Member
07/19/2012
Delicious. My first cake I ever made. Everybody loved it
Martha Stewart Member
05/28/2012
insanely good! i made this for a memorial day get together and topped it with strawberries and blackberries. next time i think i'll try pineapple and mangoes!
Martha Stewart Member
05/28/2012
insanely good! i made this for a memorial day get together and topped it with strawberries and blackberries. next time i think i'll try pineapple and mangoes!
Martha Stewart Member
05/25/2012
So delicious! What I loved about this cake is that is not too sweet and I can eat and eat and eat!! Perfect for this summer season when all you want is something cold for dessert. For the topping I used whipped cream and chunks of canned peaches. My best friend and I ate the whole cake! This recipe is a keeper for me, I've tried lots of tres leches cakes because I live in Mexico and this is the best (second is my ex-mother in law's but don't tell my new husband!)...
Martha Stewart Member
12/06/2011
This recipe is ok. The cake alone could have been better. I have another cake recipe that I use but decided to try this one. The measurements for the cake batter are exactly the same however, the method and process differ and the other one is better. This one did not fluff at all and it still tasted kind of eggy. I think I will use my other recipe next time.
Martha Stewart Member
08/23/2011
EXCELLENT! This recipe is perfect, as written. Fortunately I read the tip on reducing the baking time for dark or coated cake pans...mine cooked in 15 minutes. The shorter cooking time was also because I baked in a true convection oven. I whipped the topping in a food processor...EASY!
Martha Stewart Member
07/01/2011
I followed this recipe EXACTLY and found this recipe was excellent and very EASY recipe. At first, it seemed like a lot of liquid to pour onto the cake, but it was absolutely perfect. I happened to have a similar cake pan (shown in the picture) it took about 25 minutes in my oven. I used the same combination of fresh fruit. What an impressive presentation! It quickly disappeared at our potluck and four people asked me for the recipe! This one is a keeper!!!
Martha Stewart Member
06/14/2011
This is my go-to dessert when 1) I have a large party to feed and/or 2) I want to make a great impression. Not only is the cake decadent and delicious, it's a real show stopper. Your guests will be wowed. My only change was to include a bit of clear Mexican vanilla to the whipped cream, about 1/4 tsp. This adds an intoxicating fragrance to a delicious and visually stunning cake.
Martha Stewart Member
06/14/2011
This is one of my favorite cake since I was a little girl, it is a classic here in Mexico, just try to make a little change, instead of using condensed and evaporated with milk, substitute the milk for lyncott cream, YUMI.
Martha Stewart Member
06/02/2011
I decided to make this on a whim because the picture in the magazine looked so delicious and the recipe looked so easy. I made it and felt overwhelmed with having an entire cake right in my house, so I decided to give half of it away to my family and keep half for myself and boyfriend. Delicious! Fattening! Me and my boyfriend fought to the bitter end over this cake and I immediately regretted giving so much of it away. I also made this cake for my father again and he just loved it.
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