Tres Leches Milk Cake 🍰🥛

Tres Leches means “three milks.” This classic Latin dessert is a soft sponge cake soaked in a mixture of three milks and topped with fluffy whipped cream. It’s incredibly moist, light, and delicious.

⏱ Time

Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
Chill time: 2–4 hours

🍽 Servings

12 servings

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
5 large eggs (separated)
1 cup granulated sugar (divided)
⅓ cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Milk Mixture

1 can (12 oz / 354 ml) evaporated milk
1 can (14 oz / 396 g) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream

For the Topping

1½ cups heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional garnish:

fresh strawberries
cinnamon sprinkle
maraschino cherries

Equipment

9×13 inch baking dish
Mixing bowls
Electric mixer
Whisk
Skewer or fork

Instructions

1️⃣ Preheat Oven

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.

2️⃣ Mix Dry Ingredients

In a bowl whisk together:

flour
baking powder
salt

Set aside.

3️⃣ Beat Egg Yolks

In another bowl beat:

egg yolks
¾ cup sugar

Beat until pale and creamy.

Mix in:

milk
vanilla extract.

4️⃣ Add Dry Ingredients

Fold the flour mixture gently into the egg mixture until combined.

5️⃣ Beat Egg Whites

In a clean bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

6️⃣ Combine

Gently fold the egg whites into the batter to keep it light and fluffy.

7️⃣ Bake

Pour batter into the prepared dish.

Bake 25–30 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cake cool 10 minutes.

8️⃣ Prepare the Milk Mixture

In a bowl mix:

evaporated milk
sweetened condensed milk
heavy cream.

9️⃣ Soak the Cake

Use a fork or skewer to poke holes all over the cake.
Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake so it soaks in.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours (overnight is even better).

🔟 Make the Whipped Topping

Beat together:

heavy cream
powdered sugar
vanilla

Until soft peaks form.

Spread over the chilled cake.

Garnish Ideas 🍓

Top with:

sliced strawberries
cinnamon
toasted coconut

Storage

Keep refrigerated up to 4 days.

💡 Tip:
For extra flavor, add ½ tsp cinnamon or rum extract to the milk mixture.

If you want, I can also show you:

🍓 Strawberry Tres Leches Cake (viral bakery version)
🍫 Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
⭐ The easiest 5-ingredient Tres Leches recipe.