Tres Leches Cake is a light sponge cake soaked with three kinds of milk: sweetened condensed, evaporated and heavy cream (milk-ish enough to count), hence the name. Today is Cinco de Mayo and this cake seemed just the thing to celebrate with.
It’s a rather simple cake, both in its presentation and in the making of it. Just bake a sheet cake, soak it and cover in whipped cream. I added a layer of cinnamon for the intensity of flavor and because I like how it looks. The recipe is from the newest cookbook by the America’s Test Kitchen folks, The Perfect Cake
As is suggested in their name, they test the living daylights out of every recipe they print, so I always trust they will work. The book is filled with the hows and whys of baking cakes, so you understand what you are up to while baking. You know how I love a good tutorial on baking, so this is right up my alley. It’s a great book and covers all the basics of cake baking.
The only place I went off script was in the whipped cream topping. I had a little bit of homemade creme fraiche left over from my Pot de Creme, so I added it to the whipping cream and made a slightly more decadent topping. I also wanted a slightly thicker layer of the cream, so the creme fraiche stretched it for me. Then I dusted with cinnamon, which is not required, but it’s delicious.
There is a version of tres leches cake—Cinco Leches—in my book, Zoë Bakes Cakes!
Tres Leches
from The Perfect Cake by The America’s Test Kitchen
Ingredients
Milk Mixture
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 2 cups (400g) sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche optional
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- cinnamon for dusting optional
Instructions
- Pour condensed milk into a large bowl, cover and microwave (set to low power) for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until it is thick and slightly darker.
- Stir in the evaporated milk and heavy cream. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a 9×13″ baking dish.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Heat the butter and milk until butter is melted, cool completely.
- Whip the eggs (stand mixer or handheld will work), until foamy, then slowly add the sugar. Whip until thick and glossy, about 7 minutes. Reduce speed and slowly add the cooled milk mixture. Then add the flour mixture in three additions.
- Transfer batter to pan and bake until a skewer comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Let cake cool for 10 minutes, then poke it with a skewer to create holes in 1/2-inch intervals. Pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake. Let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 3 hours, but overnight is best.
- When ready to serve, let the cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then make the whipped cream. In a bowl whip the cream, crème fraîche, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until medium peaks. Spread over the cake, dust with cinnamon and serve.
I need needed a good tres leche recipe. Also love all of your ig videos.
I love tiramisu! Can’t wait to try out this tres leches cake as well!
I’ve only had tres leches once, but yum!! Chocolate chocolate is my go to!
Anything with chocolate!
My favorite growing up was Joy of Cooking Fudge Meringue cake. I didn’t like it as much grownup so I make Maglieri’s moist chocolate cupcakes (sometimes as cake).
Pound cake will always be my favorite! A cuppa coffee or tea, done!
My favorite cake is a yellow cake covered in chocolate buttercream then topped with hot caramel that hardens and then cracks when you cut into it!!! So so dreamy and delicious 🙂
Lemon cake with raspberry frosting and raspberry jam in between each layer! Perfect and refreshing 🙂
This cake looks fabulous! I can’t wait to try the recipe. My all time favorite cake is strawberry wedding cake.
I love the classic vainilla cake with meringue frosting as my mom did for birthdays, but I think I need this tres leches cake and the book in my life, just beautiful!
Hmm I might have to give this a try… but I’ll admit my favorite cake is probably a lemon cake….
My favorite cake is a chocolate bundt cake that I tweaked from other recipes to make it my own! I call it The Big ‘O’ Chocolate Cake, mostly because “better than sex cake” was already taken. It has mini chocolate chips within for texture, sour cream in the batter, and and amazing ganache and more mini chocolate chips on top. BUT, if I’m making a cake with buttercream, YOUR buttercream (Zoe Bakes) is my favorite!
Love love love tres leches cake! It’s pretty much the only cake I ate at home growing up (we’re Cuban…Cubans are not known for their great cakes!) Thank you for sharing and for this awesome giveaway! Love your blog and Insta recipe stories! <3
Looks delicious!
My all time fave cake is angel cake! Fluffy and airy reminds me of my deep love towards Asian pandan chiffon :)) I cant wait to try this tres leche cake recipe !
I loooove hummingbird cake!!
Wow! That looks incredible! I can’t wait to try to make this. I always love everything you bake! My go-to cake has to be a flourless chocolate cake. So simple, yet so delicious.
Would love to win this book!!! Our favorite is carrot cake w lots of cream cheese frosting. Yum!
I love to make layer cakes for birthdays, and my favorite is classic yellow birthday cake with cream cheese frosting.
I adore trees leches cake! This version looks fabulous and your videos are always so helpful.
I love chiffon cakes for their light and fluffy texture but have tried several times without success. My chiffon cakes tend to shrink down (sometimes to half the original size) while it’s cooling. Perhaps you would consider doing a video tutorial??? 🙂
My mom used to make me a strawberry cake with strawberry icing that I requested every year for my birthday. Mmmmm, I loved that cake. Miss it.
Love a classic chocolate devil cake with ganache filling and chocolate frosting. Would eat it any day 🙂
Hard to choose! Love lemon cake.
My favorite cake is probably carrot cake!