Tres Leches Cake Recipe: Authentic Made From Scratch Mexican Dessert

Learn how to make this delicious and authentic tres leches cake recipe!

Tres leches cake is such a great dessert! It tastes like a really special, unique treat while still keeping it simple and straightforward. I’m not sure if there’s a term for desserts like that, but whatever you want to call it, it’s GOOD, haha!

This is often the dessert that my husband requests for his birthday treat every year. And I’m perfectly happy to oblige because I want tres leches cake, too! And I love him, of course. 😉

The secret to making a “proper” tres leches cake is beating the egg whites separately from the rest of the ingredients and then folding them into the batter. This creates a cake that is light and spongy—perfect for soaking up all that delightful sweet milk mixture.

Why is it called tres leches cake?

It’s called tres leches cake because it has three different kinds of milk in it: regular milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk.

Can you freeze tres leches cake?

Yes… and no. You can absolutely make the cake part ahead of time and freeze it, no problem. When you’re ready to finish making your tres leches cake, simply thaw it then add the milk mixture and topping.

I do not recommend freezing the cake once it’s all finished, though. Technically you can—it’s not dangerous or anything. But when you thaw it, the cake will be more soggy than simply saturated like it’s supposed to be.

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Can you make tres leches cake ahead of time?

Yes, absolutely! It’s best within the first day or two of making it, but will stay good for around 4 days.

You may also be interested in:

• Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
• Easy Homemade Ice Cream Cake

So are you ready to learn this delicious homemade tres leches cake recipe (I came across it years ago over at House of Yum)? Let’s get making!

How to make tres leches cake from scratch

First, turn your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the oven is heating, beat 5 egg yolks (save the whites for later) with 3/4 cup of sugar in a large bowl until it’s pale and fluffy. Then beat in 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1/2 cup of milk.

Next, add 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whip the 5 egg whites with 1/4 cup of sugar until they make stiff peaks.

*Stiff peaks simply means that when you stop whipping the white and pull the whisk out, the whites make a peak that stays up (it’s fine if the very tip falls over in a little loop) and doesn’t just fall back into the rest of the whites.

Now gently fold the whites into the batter.

Lightly spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray and then pour all of the cake batter into it. Smooth it out evenly if needed.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden. Allow the cake to cool completely.

Once it’s cool, poke holes in the cake (I use a plastic meat fork, but you can use a regular fork or anything that will make small holes).

Then mix together 2/3 cup of milk, a 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, and a 12 ounce can of evaporated milk. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake. It may take a minute or two, but it will all soak into the cake.

Cover the cake and allow it to chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Whip 1 pint (2 cups) of heavy whipping cream, 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla together in a large bowl until it’s fluffy and spreadable.

Spread the whipped cream all over the chilled cake, and you’re done!

You can serve it as is or top with strawberries or cinnamon. Though it’s not traditional, I’ve heard of people topping it with Oreo crumbs and, I must say, that sounds delightful, too!

So what occasion would you like to make this easy tres leches cake recipe for? Let me know in the comments! 😉