Try this amazing tres leches cake made entirely from scratch with homemade milk syrup! The light sponge cake soaked in rich milk is incredibly moist yet not soggy, and not overly sweet. With fluffy and thick whipped cream on top, it tastes just divine! I'm sharing how to make it step by step with simple ingredients.
📌 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Super moist yet not soggy
- Not overly sweet
- Homemade milk syrup: You don't need to purchase evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk just to make the cake! Make it with extra milk, heavy cream, and sugar all of which are being used to make the sponge cake and whipped cream.
- So easy to make
- Looks very festive
If you are up for a new recipe that is not completely traditional yet tastes amazing, I hope you'll give it a try! It is the best tres leches cake I've ever had.
This cake may look very similar to my fluffy genoise sponge cake but it's actually quite different. This sponge cake has a stronger gluten structure. It's created specifically to soak up A LOT of milk syrup without giving an unpleasant mushy texture.
📌 What Is Tres Leches Cake?
Tres leches cake is a traditional Mexican dessert made with airy sponge cake soaked in 3 kinds of milk and topped with whipped cream frosting. "Tres Leches" means three milks in Spanish words. The one-dish dessert is easy to make and transport for potluck parties, birthday parties, and so on. It is also a popular dessert in the United States.
📌 Ingredients To Make Tres Leches Cake
Sponge cake
- Egg yolk: Separate yolks and egg whites.
- Salt: It helps to strengthen the gluten in the flour.
- Egg white: Ensure no oil and liquids are mixed in the egg whites and the tools to make a fluffy meringue.
- Granulated sugar: It helps to stabilize the meringue. It also gives the sponge cake a more silky and moist texture.
- All-purpose flour: I also tried the recipe with cake flour, but all-purpose flour gives a more pleasant texture after soaking it with lots of milk syrup.
- Whole milk: Use regular whole-fat milk.
Milk syrup
- Whole milk: Use whole-fat milk for the best result.
- Heavy cream: It adds richness and creaminess to the syrup. Use regular heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
- Granulated sugar: I did not add it too much so that it doesn't get overly sweet.
- Vanilla extract: The flavor matches well for this cake.
- Vanilla beans: It gives an up-leveled, wonderful flavor to the cake. I love Madagascar vanilla beans. You can use vanilla extract only if you can not get vanilla beans.
Oftentimes, it is made with 3 different types of milk; evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. Since evaporated milk is made with concentrated milk, and sweetened condensed milk is made with concentrated milk and sugar, we can make the milk syrup entirely from scratch with just milk, heavy cream, and sugar.
Whipped cream topping
- Heavy cream: Use regular heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
- Granulated sugar: Since the sponge cake is sweet, I added a minimum amount of sugar to balance the sweetness.
Decoration
- Fresh strawberries: Use any fresh fruit or other ingredients you like!
📌 Step-By-Step Instructions To Make Tres Leches Cake
Sponge Cake
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (176ºC).
- Set up a cake liner made with parchment paper in a pan.
- Sift all-purpose flour ahead. (You can also sift it right before you use it.)
- Whip egg yolk and salt in a large bowl until it looks very pale and creamy.
- Whip egg whites in a separate bowl. I usually whip at medium to medium-high speed first and lower the speed at the end to make silkier meringue with smaller bubbles.
- Add about ⅓ of the sugar when the meringue looks very bubbly like shampoo.
- Add about half of the rest when the meringue looks fluffy.
- Add the rest when the meringue looks very fluffy.
- Continue whipping it until the meringue is stiff yet the tip curls when lifting the whisk up.
- Fold egg yolk and white mixture until about 50% is blended. Combine them right away while their conditions are the best.
- Fold in sifted all-purpose flour until you don't see any flour.
- Add milk and fold until the batter looks smooth and even.
- Add milk directly or
- Add a few scoops of the cake batter in milk, mix until smooth, and pour it back into a bowl to fold more (I picked this way today).
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.
- Toss sometimes to remove some big air bubbles.
- Swirl the cake batter with a toothpick for the same purpose.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350ºF (176ºC) for about 25 minutes until the center bounces back gently or a toothpick comes off clean when you insert it in the center of the cake.
- Start checking from a bit earlier, just in case. Adjust the time and temperature depending on the oven, the thickness of the batter, etc.
- Let the cake cool completely. It is normal that it deflates a little bit like this as it cools down.
- Prepare the sponge.
- Take out the cake from a pan with parchment paper, and remove the parchment paper.
- Cut off the baked skin on the surface of the cake.
- Lay a parchment paper over a pan. (You can reuse the parchment paper or use a new one.)
- Place the sponge cake back in a pan.
- (Poke holes all over the sponge cake with a fork.)
Extra Tips💡
- Sugar has a powder to prevent the egg white from whipping a lot when you add a lot of it at once in the very beginning, especially when egg whites are not heated. That is why we add the sugar after we whipped egg whites for some time for French meringue.
- If you can, whip egg yolks and egg whites at the same time so that you can use them right away while both of the conditions are the best. But if that's difficult, always start by whipping egg yolks first and whip the egg white next. Never start with egg white first and leave it for a while because French meringue separates quickly in a short time. And if it's separated too much, the texture will not be quite the same even if you re-whip it.
- If you're not confident about how to fold the cake batter, watch the video tutorial and check the movement.
- I like to slice off the baked skin on the surface because it creates a mushy, not-so-pleasant texture when it gets very wet. The sponge can soak up the milk syrup a lot better without it as well. Even when you don't poke it with a fork!
- By laying the parchment paper on a pan, you can take out the cake easily to slice it at the end.
Milk Syrup
- Heat whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla beans in a medium saucepan at medium-low heat while mixing constantly.
- Reduce it to a little less than a half; 400g | 14.1 oz to be exact. (It is the amount after straining the liquids.) Strain it.
- Pour it all over the sponge cake evenly once the syrup cools down to warm.
- Seal the surface with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least a few hours or up to overnight.
Extra Tips💡
- It is important to mix the milk constantly while heating so that it's not going to get burned, and also to make smooth syrup.
- It takes about 30 minutes to cook down the liquids (with one batch), but it can fluctuate, depending on the heat strength and the size of the pan. You can also make it ahead and store it in the fridge.
- Use warm syrup ideally. The sponge soaks it up better than the cold one.
- I like to leave the soaked cake overnight when I have time. The liquids go all the way into the flour and the sponge cake gets more evenly moistened, which gives a better texture.
Quick milk syrup (The alternative)
Usually, the milk syrup for tres leches cake is made with evaporated milk, condensed milk, and milk or heavy cream.
Today I'm making it from scratch but if you don't have time, simply mix the ingredients below:
- Evaporated milk 250 g | 8.8 oz (1 US cup)
- Condensed milk 100 g | 3.5 oz (⅓ US cup)
- Heavy cream 60 g | 2.1 oz (¼ US cup)
- Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon (or more as you like)
- Vanilla beans ½ pod (optional)
Whipped Cream topping
- Whip heavy cream and sugar and make a stiff & fluffy whipped cream.
- (Take out the cake from a pan and) spread the cream on top of the cake evenly.
- Trim the edges of the cake if you like, cut it into a desirable portion, and decorate it with fruits on top. Now... enjoy!
Extra Tips💡
- Warm your knife with hot water or a torch and cut the cake with a fast zig-zag motion to get a clean sharp cut.
- Cut to any sizes and shapes you like. One batch of the recipe is enough for about 6 - 8 people. (depending on how hungry they are!)
📌 More Variations For Tres Leches Cake
Enjoy this very simple, homey cake in many shapes and sizes!
- As a sheet cake: This is the most classic shape for the cake. I love it because it makes all the processes so easy.
- As a whole cake: Use a cake pan or even a pie plate! Frost only the top like today or all around the cake to turn it into a little bit more festive celebration cake.
- As cupcakes: Tres leches cupcakes! Doesn't that sound fantastic? A perfect option for any casual home gathering, such as a party for kids, baby shower, potluck party, etc.
- Add fillings: Spread your favorite filling, such as lemon curd, strawberry jam, caramel sauce, dulce de leche, pastry cream, etc. between the whipped cream and sponge cake and turn it into something more custom!
- The toppings: Use any of your favorite ingredients, such as fresh fruits, mint, a sprinkle of cinnamon, cocoa powder, pumpkin spice, etc.
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store tres leches cake?
The cake needs to be refrigerated since it contains lots of milk and heavy cream. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to four days.
The sponge cake did not rise in the oven. Why?
Check these things if it did not rise:
- Was the meringue whipped enough? This is the most common cause. Since this recipe does not use baking powder, it mostly rises with the powder of whipped eggs. Make a stiff and fluffy meringue.
- Was the batter over-mixed? Even if you whip the meringue well, a lot of air bubbles disappear if you over-mix it at the end. Fold just until the batter looks even and smooth.
- Did it take too long to fold the batter and put it in the oven? Air bubbles in meringue slowly disappear as it sits and the condition also gets worse over time.
Can I let the sponge cake soak in more milk syrup?
Yes, add more syrup if you like more wet tres leches cake.
Should I frost the cake right before serving it?
It's up to you; Just know that whipped cream gets sweeter as it sits in the fridge. If you like not-so-sweet fresh whipped cream, I recommend whipping it right before you serve. (The sugar in the whipped cream is not a lot of amount for this recipe, so the difference is not going to be that major!)
Can I make a double batch of the recipe?
Yes! You can double or triple the recipe for a bigger pan to share with more folks! Just adjust the baking time & temperature accordingly.
📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
To learn how to make the tres leches cake visually and have a deeper understanding of all, watch this video.
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📌 More Sponge Cake Dessert Recipes
If you like this soft and moist cake, also try other dessert recipes using sponge cake!
📌 Printable Recipe
💬 If you loved this recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love to hear how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
Amazing Tres Leches Cake
Make this amazing tres leches cake entirely from scratch with homemade milk syrup. It's not soggy yet moist, soft, and not overly sweet!
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Servings: 8 servings
Equipment
- Rectangle pan 10.5-inch (27 cm) x 6.5-inch (16.5 cm). Or use any pan you like.
- Parchment paper
- Sieve
- Stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer (for egg whites)
- Hand mixer or a whisk (for yolks)
- Bowl
- Spatula
- Pot
- Knife
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 68 g (4 large eggs) Egg yolk
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 142 g (4 large eggs) Egg white
- 150 g (¾ cup) Granulated sugar
- 120 g (1 cup) All-purpose flour
- 80 g (⅓ cup) Whole milk
Milk Syrup
- 740 g (3 cups) Milk
- 60 g (¼ cup) Heavy cream
- 50 g (¼ cup) Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or more as you like
- ½ pod Vanilla beans
Whipped Cream
- 300 g (1 ¼ cups) heavy cream
- 17 g (4 teaspoons) Granulated sugar
Decoration
- Some Fruits or any ingredients you like
NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements (US customary units) are provided for your convenience.
Instructions
Sponge Cake
- Whip egg yolk and salt in a large bowl until it looks very pale and creamy.68 g Egg yolk, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- Whip egg whites in a separate bowl. I usually whip at medium to medium-high speed first and lower the speed at the end to make silkier meringue with smaller bubbles.Add about ⅓ of the sugar when the meringue looks very bubbly like shampoo. Add about half of the rest when the meringue looks fluffy.Add the rest when the meringue looks very fluffy. Continue whipping it until the meringue is stiff yet the tip curls when lifting the whisk up.142 g Egg white, 150 g Granulated sugar
- Fold egg yolk and white mixture until about 50% is blended. Combine them right away while their conditions are the best.
- Fold in sifted all-purpose flour until you don't see any flour.120 g All-purpose flour
- Add milk and fold until the batter looks smooth and even.Add milk directly or add a few scoops of the cake batter in milk, mix until smooth, and pour it back into a bowl to fold more (I picked this way today).80 g Whole milk
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.Toss sometimes to remove some big air bubbles. Swirl the cake batter with a toothpick for the same purpose.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350ºF (176ºC) for about 25 minutes until the center bounces back gently or a toothpick comes off clean when you insert it in the center of the cake.Start checking from a bit earlier, just in case. Adjust the time and temperature depending on the oven, the thickness of the batter, etc. Let the cake cool completely. It is normal that it deflates a little bit like this as it cools down.
- Prepare the sponge:Take out the cake from a pan with parchment paper, and remove the parchment paper.Cut off the baked skin on the surface of the cake.Lay a parchment paper over a pan. (You can reuse the parchment paper or use a new one.)Place the sponge cake back in a pan. (Poke holes all over the sponge cake with a fork.)
Milk Syrup
- Heat whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and vanilla beans in a medium saucepan at medium-low heat while mixing constantly.740 g Milk, 60 g Heavy cream, 50 g Granulated sugar, ½ pod Vanilla beans, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Reduce it to a little less than a half; 400g | 14.1 oz to be exact. (It is the amount after straining the liquids.) Strain it.
- Pour it all over the sponge cake evenly once the syrup cools down to warm.
- Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least a few hours or up to overnight.
Whipped Cream Topping
- Whip heavy cream and sugar and make a stiff & fluffy whipped cream.300 g heavy cream, 17 g Granulated sugar
- (Take out the cake from a pan and) spread the cream on top of the cake evenly.
- Trim the edges of the cake if you like, cut it into a desirable portion, and decorate it with fruits on top. Now... enjoy!Some Fruits
Extra Tips
- Sponge Cake:Sugar has a powder to prevent the egg white from whipping a lot when you add a lot of it at once in the very beginning, especially when egg whites are not heated. That is why we add the sugar after we whipped egg whites for some time for French meringue. If you can, whip egg yolks and egg whites at the same time so that you can use them right away while both of the conditions are the best. But if that's difficult, always start by whipping egg yolks first and whip the egg white next. Never start with egg white first and leave it for a while because French meringue separates quickly in a short time. And if it's separated too much, the texture will not be quite the same even if you re-whip it.If you're not confident about how to fold the cake batter, watch the video tutorial and check the movement.I like to slice off the baked skin on the surface because it creates a mushy, not-so-pleasant texture when it gets very wet. The sponge can soak up the milk syrup a lot better without it as well. Even when you don't poke it with a fork!By laying the parchment paper on a pan, you can take out the cake easily to slice it at the end. Milk Syrup:It is important to mix the milk constantly while heating so that it's not going to get burned, and also to make smooth syrup.It takes about 30 minutes to cook down the liquids (with one batch), but it can fluctuate, depending on the heat strength and the size of the pan. You can also make it ahead and store it in the fridge.Use warm syrup ideally. The sponge soaks it up better than the cold one.I like to leave the soaked cake overnight when I have time. The liquids go all the way into the flour and the sponge cake gets more evenly moistened, which gives a better texture.Whipped Cream Topping:Warm your knife with hot water or a torch and cut the cake with a fast zig-zag motion to get a clean sharp cut. Cut to any sizes and shapes you like. One batch of the recipe is enough for about 6 - 8 people. (depending on how hungry they are!)
Video
Notes
A quick milk syrup
when you want to use condensed milk and evaporated milk, mix:- Evaporated milk 250 g | 8.8 oz (1 US cup)
- Condensed milk 100 g | 3.5 oz (⅓ US cup)
- Heavy cream 60 g | 2.1 oz (¼ US cup)
- Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon (or more as you like)
- Vanilla beans ½ pod (optional)
How to store it
The cake needs to be refrigerated since it contains lots of milk and heavy cream. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to four days.Nutrition
Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 253mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 935IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 1mg
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Megan Willis says
Hi! Is it possible to tweak this recipe into a chocolate tres leches cake? For instance, how much cocoa powder to use into the cake batter and the milk syrup?
ayacaliva says
Hi! It's possible, I am actually hoping to make the chocolate version sometime soon! I haven't tested it out yet, so I can't give you the exact amounts unfortunately, but for sponge cake, I normally add cocoa powder that is 10-20 % amount of the flour. For example, if I were to use 60g of flour to make a sponge cake, I'd add between 6-12g of cocoa powder - this is in addition to the flour. Depending on how chocolatley I want the sponge, I may not even add cocoa powder to the milk syrup. For whipped cream, dark chocolate is about 20-40 % of the amount of heavy cream oftentimes. As I haven't tested this yet, I can't guarantee if the amounts work the best, but when I am experimenting with new ideas, this is where I usually begin. I hope this helps!🙏🏻
Gloria Vazquez says
Hi Aya, im a huge fan of your recipes, I just have a question regarding the cake recipe!If i wanted to do a chocolate version, how much cocoa power can I add? Will it effect the cake outcome because of the amount of dry ingredients ? Thank you for your time
ayacaliva says
Hi! Thank you😊 I haven't tested it out yet, so I shouldn't give you the exact amounts, but for basic sponge cake, I normally add cocoa powder that is 10-20 % amount of the flour. For example, if I were to use 60g of flour to make a sponge cake, I'd add between 6-12g of cocoa powder - this is in addition to the flour. Depending on how chocolatley I want the sponge, I may not even add cocoa powder to the milk syrup. With cocoa powder, the air bubbles tend to pop more quickly. Fold the batter less time and quickly, and bake it right away! I hope it helps a bit.
Ann says
After searching lots of recipes for tres leches cake I chose yours for your detailed instructions & less sweet ingredients
So glad I did !
I used an 8x8 glass pan since I didn't have your specific size pan and baked for 32-35 min
It came out great! Looking like yours ( I didn't think it would, first time folding eggs whites into cake, I also watched your video on folding method prior to making the cake...so thank you!)
I'm making your velvet cake next, for christmas dessert, again that recipe looks quite different then others and I can't wait to try it
Thank you for the all the extra details it make us novice bakers feel like we know what we're doing!
ayacaliva says
Hello Ann! I'm so excited to hear that! Thank you for choosing my recipe from hundreds of them. And thank you for checking the video tutorials, I believe they are so affective to make recipes successful. I hope you'll love my red velvet cake recipe too. Merry Christmas!