Tres Leches Cake
Tres Leches Cake (or Three Milk Cake in English) is a sponge cake soaked in a milk mixture with a whipped topping. This type of cake is extremely moist and is a great option when you want to make a dessert ahead of time. In fact, it’s best after soaking overnight!
In my recipe, I add ground cinnamon, a little rum, strawberries (for a topping), and toasted almonds. Not all of these additions are traditional, but I love adding rum to desserts (it’s my favorite alcohol), the strawberries help offset the sweetness that is typically associated with Tres Leches Cake, and the almonds provide a nice textural contrast that (I personally think) is missing in this soft cake.
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Ingredients for Tres Leches Cake
- 1⅔ cups (7oz/200g) cake flour
- 1½ tsp (7g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (1.3g) ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp (1.5g) salt
- ½ cup (1 stick/4 oz/113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (5 oz/143g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
- 4 large (120g) egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ tsp (0.8g) cream of tartar
- ¼ cup (1.7 oz/50g) granulated sugar
- Strawberries (optional topping)
- Toasted almonds (optional topping)
Ingredients for Tres Leches Soak
- ¾ cup (180 mL) light cream
- One 12-ounce (354mL) can evaporated milk
- One 14-oz (396g) can sweetened condensed milk
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) dark rum (optional)
- 1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
Ingredients for Whipped Meringue Topping
- ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp (75g) egg whites
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar (larger amount)
- 2 Tbsp + 2¼ tsp (33g) granulated sugar (smaller amount)
- 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp (42g) water
- ¾ tsp (3g) vanilla extract
Equipment:
- Digital scale (or dry measuring cups, liquid measuring cup, and measuring spoons)
- Stand mixer (or hand mixer and a large bowl) – use the paddle and whisk attachments
- 9-inch square cake pan
- Parchment paper (I like to use precut parchment paper sheets)
- Whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Wire rack
- Small saucepan
- Instant read thermometer
- Offset spatula
- Piping bag (optional)
- Piping tip (e.g., 1M or other medium star tip) (optional)
Preparation Steps
Preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C with the rack in the center of the oven. Prepare the baking pan by greasing the bottom and sides and placing a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. This will help release the cake from the pan after it has been soaking.
Making Tres Leches Cake
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and light brown sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes). In a liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar in 3 additions alternating with the milk mixture in two additions.
In a clean mixer bowl, use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Using room temperature egg whites will allow you to whip more air into the eggs. Add the cream of tartar and beat at medium-high speed until soft peaks begin to form.
Gradually add the granulated sugar (a spoonful at a time) and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form.
Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the eggs whites into the cake batter until there are no visible streaks. Do not overmix or you will lose all the air that was just whipped into the egg whites.
Gently pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth it gently into an even layer.
Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Making the Tres Leches Soak
In a large glass measuring cup (or medium bowl), add all the soak ingredients and stir to combine.
After the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, keep the cake in the pan and use a toothpick and poke holes all over the cake at 1-inch intervals (or even a little closer). Poke all the way to the bottom of the pan to ensure the soak can get absorbed in the middle and bottom of the cake.
Slowly pour the soak over the top of the cake until it is completely covered. I like to use a large spoon to add the soak evenly over the cake and to give it sufficient time to soak in before adding more to the same area. It is typical for some of the soak to pool after it’s poured onto the cake. The remaining liquid will absorb while the cake is chilling.
Refrigerate the cake for a minimum of 2 hours up to overnight. This will give the cake ample time to absorb the liquid and moisten the crumb. It will also help the cake be less “runny” after it is removed from the cake pan.
What Whipped Topping Is Best?
The instructions below are for an Italian Meringue. You could use any meringue recipe you like or even just make a quick whipped cream or Chantilly cream. All of those options would taste good. I tested Italian meringue, Swiss Meringue, and whipped cream. My favorite combination with the cake was the Italian Meringue. It added more flavor than the whipped cream and it held its shape better than the Swiss Meringue when it was refrigerated.
Making the Italian Meringue Topping
Begin making the meringue within 2 hours of serving the cake.
Put the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
Place the larger amount of granulated sugar into a small saucepan, add the water, and stir to moisten the sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat until it reaches 230°F/110°C.
While letting the sugar continue to cook on the stove, turn the stand mixer to medium and gradually pour in the remaining granulated sugar (i.e., the smaller amount). Whip the egg whites until they form loose peaks and then turn the mixer to low speed until the sugar is ready.
When the sugar reaches 248°F/120°C, remove the pan from the heat and set the thermometer on a heat-safe surface. Turn the stand mixer to medium-low speed and slowly pour the sugar between the side of the bowl and the whisk. Try very hard to avoid pouring the sugar onto the whisk because it will whip the sugar onto the side of the bowl and create hard strings of cooled sugar.
After the sugar has been poured into the mixing bowl, increase the speed to medium-high and whisk for 15 minutes, or until the bottom of the bowl is at room temperature and the whites hold stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
Decorating the Tres Leches Cake
Leave the cake in the cake pan for a more rustic presentation or carefully invert the cake onto a cake plate that has a lip. This will help catch any of the liquid that might pool around the cake.
I like to let the cake sit on the serving plate for a few minutes to allow any of the extra milk to pool at the base of the cake. Then, use a paper towel to gently wipe away any extra liquid on and around the cake. This will help ensure the meringue sticks to the cake and doesn’t slide off.
Use an offset spatula to spread an even layer of the meringue topping over the top and sides (if you removed the cake from the pan) of the cake.
This next step is optional, but it looks pretty. Place the remaining meringue topping into a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip (or any other medium star tip). Pipe a decorative border (and other piped details) around the cake. I also added some strawberries to the top to help offset the sweetness from the cake and toasted almonds on the sides for a crunchy element. The strawberries and almonds are not traditional, but I think it really helped to balance the dessert.
Refrigerate the cake until serving.
Serving the Tres Leches Cake
Remove the cake from the refrigerator, slice into square pieces, and serve.
Storing Tres Leches Cake
The soaked cake (without the topping) can be stored in the fridge, covered with foil for up to 5 days. With the meringue topping, store in the fridge for up to 1 day or at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
Important food safety note: This cake uses three different kinds of dairy in the soak. It must be kept refrigerated when not being eaten (with a 4-hour maximum amount of time at room temperature) to prevent the growth of bacteria, which could lead to food-borne illness.
Troubleshooting:
My cake is not absorbing the soak!
It will take some time for the cake to absorb the soak. If after an hour, the cake is still swimming in liquid and it hasn’t absorbed, something likely didn’t go according to plan. There are a few things you can do to help the absorption. First, you can poke more holes in the cake using a slightly larger toothpick or skewer. This will allow the soak to touch more of the cake under the crust and hopefully absorb into the middle of the cake. You can also try to cut off the crust of the cake if it is hard and impeding the absorption process.
If the cake is too dense (i.e., there are not enough air bubbles), the cake will not be able to absorb the soak. I would advise re-making the cake while taking care to keep in the air bubbles from the whipped egg whites.
Tips to Ensure the Tres Leches Cake Absorbs All of the Soak
1) When folding the whipped meringue into the cake batter, be very gentle and avoid knocking the air out of the batter. Rather than stirring, use a folding motion (i.e., making a “J” with your spatula) to incorporate the meringue.
2) Bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t underbake the cake because this will make it very soft and gummy when the liquid is added. Also avoid overbaking the cake. If the cake is too hard, it won’t absorb the milk soak as easily.
3) Use light cream in the milk soak. Not only does this make the cake slightly less rich, but light cream is less thick than heavy cream. It will absorb more easily into the cake.
4) Warm the tres leches soak slightly before pouring it onto the cake. The warm milk will absorb more easily into the cake. The temperature should be above room temperature but not hot to the touch.
5) Make sure the toothpick holes go from the top of the cake to the bottom. This will allow the soak to more evenly absorb in the middle of the cake.
6) Slowly spoon the milk soak over the cake to ensure even distribution and enough time for gravity to help the mixture soak into the middle of the cake. When I have poured the mixture quickly over the cake, the milk seeps to the bottom and results in an overly soggy bottom with a dry top.
7) Allow the cake to rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours (but preferably overnight) to fully absorb all the liquid.
Why Did My Tres Leches Cake Not Rise?
The rise in this cake is due primarily to the whipped egg whites. The addition of the cream of tartar in this recipe will keep the egg whites more stable and less likely to collapse. When adding the egg whites, gently fold them into the cake batter until they are just combined (i.e., no streaks left). Over-mixing will remove the air from the whipped egg whites and the cake will not rise well.
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Tres Leches Cake
Equipment
- Digital scale (or dry measuring cups, liquid measuring cup, and measuring spoons)
- Stand mixer (or hand mixer and a large bowl) – use the paddle and whisk attachments
- 9-inch square cake pan
- Parchment paper (I like to use precut parchment paper sheets)
- Whisk
- Silicone spatula
- Wire rack
- Small saucepan
- Candy Thermometer
- Offset spatula
- Piping bag (optional)
- Piping tip (e.g., 1M or other medium star tip) (optional)
Ingredients
Ingredients for Tres Leches Cake
- 1⅔ cups (7oz/200g) cake flour
- 1½ tsp (7g) baking powder
- ½ tsp (1.3g) ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp (1.5g) salt
- ½ cup (1 stick/4 oz/113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup (5 oz/143g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
- 4 large (120g) egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ tsp (0.8g) cream of tartar
- ¼ cup (1.7 oz/50g) granulated sugar
- Strawberries (optional topping)
- Toasted almonds (optional topping)
Ingredients for Tres Leches Soak
- ¾ cup (180 mL) light cream
- One 12-ounce (354 mL) can evaporated milk
- One 14-oz (396g) can sweetened condensed milk
- 3 Tbsp (45 mL) dark rum (optional)
- 1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
Ingredients for Meringue Topping
- ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp (75g) egg whites
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar (larger amount)
- 2 Tbsp + 2¼ tsp (33g) granulated sugar (smaller amount)
- 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp (42g) water
- ¾ tsp (3g) vanilla extract
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C with the rack in the center of the oven. Prepare the baking pan by greasing the bottom and sides and placing a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. This will help release the cake from the pan after it has been soaking.
Making Tres Leches Cake
- Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and light brown sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes). In a liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar in 3 additions alternating with the milk mixture in two additions.
- In a clean mixer bowl, use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Using room temperature egg whites will allow you to whip more air into the eggs. Add the cream of tartar and beat at medium-high speed until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually add the granulated sugar (a spoonful at a time) and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the eggs whites into the cake batter until there are no visible streaks. Do not overmix or you will lose all the air that was just whipped into the egg whites.
- Gently pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth it gently into an even layer.
- Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Making the Tres Leches Soak
- In a large glass measuring cup (or medium bowl), add all the soak ingredients and stir to combine.
- After the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, keep the cake in the pan and use a toothpick and poke holes all over the cake at 1-inch intervals. Poke all the way to the bottom of the pan to ensure the soak can get absorbed in the middle and bottom of the cake.
- Slowly pour the soak over the top of the cake until it is completely covered. I like to use a large spoon to add the soak evenly over the cake and to give it sufficient time to soak in before adding more to the same area. If it typical for some of the soak to pool after it’s poured onto the cake. The remaining liquid will absorb while the cake is chilling.
- Refrigerate the cake for a minimum of 2 hours up to overnight. This will give the cake ample time to absorb the liquid and moisten the crumb. It will also help the cake be less “runny” after it is removed from the cake pan.
Making the Meringue Topping
- Begin making the meringue within 2 hours of serving the cake.
- Put the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
- Place the larger amount of granulated sugar into a small saucepan, add the water, and stir to moisten the sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat until it reaches 230°F/110°C.
- While letting the sugar continue to cook on the stove, turn the stand mixer to medium and gradually pour in the remaining granulated sugar (i.e., the smaller amount). Whip the egg whites until they form loose peaks and then turn the mixer to low speed until the sugar is ready.
- When the sugar reaches 248°F/120°C, remove the pan from the heat and set the thermometer on a heat-safe surface. Turn the stand mixer to medium-low speed and slowly pour the sugar between the side of the bowl and the whisk. Try very hard to avoid pouring the sugar onto the whisk because it will whip the sugar onto the side of the bowl and create hard strings of cooled sugar.
- After the sugar has been poured into the mixing bowl, increase the speed to medium-high and whisk for 15 minutes, or until the bottom of the bowl is at room temperature and the whites hold stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
Decorating the Tres Leches Cake
- Leave the cake in the cake pan for a more rustic presentation or carefully invert the cake onto a cake plate that has a lip. This will help catch any of the liquid that might pool around the cake.
- I like to let the cake sit on the serving plate for a few minutes to allow any of the extra milk to pool at the base of the cake. Then, use a paper towel to gently wipe away any extra liquid on and around the cake. This will help ensure the meringue sticks to the cake and doesn’t slide off.
- Use an offset spatula to spread an even layer of the meringue topping over the top and sides (if you removed the cake from the pan) of the cake.
- This next step is optional, but it looks pretty. Place the remaining meringue topping into a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip (or any other medium star tip). Pipe a decorative border (and other piped details) around the cake. I also added some strawberries to the top to help offset the sweetness from the cake and toasted almonds on the sides for a crunchy element. The strawberries and almonds are not traditional, but I think it really helped to balance the dessert.
- Refrigerate the cake until serving.
Serving the Tres Leches Cake
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator, slice into square pieces, and serve.
Storing Tres Leches Cake
- The soaked cake (without the topping) can be stored in the fridge, covered with foil for up to 5 days. With the meringue topping, store in the fridge for up to 1 day or at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Important food safety note: This cake uses three different kinds of dairy in the soak. It must be kept refrigerated when not being eaten (with a 4-hour maximum amount of time at room temperature) to prevent the growth of bacteria, which could lead to food-borne illness.
- If the cake is too dense (i.e., there are not enough air bubbles), the cake will not be able to absorb the soak. I would advise re-making the cake while taking care to keep in the air bubbles from the whipped egg whites.
