The Best Authentic Tres Leches Cake Recipe
If you have never made a Tres Leches Cake recipe, you are in for a treat! Picture this: a fluffy white sheet cake, poked with holes and soaked in a mixture of coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk (tres leches means 3 milks!) The resulting cake is irresistibly moist. It’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo!
So my sister Laura emailed me this Tres Leches Cake recipe last week. She said she’s been working on it and tweaking it for years, and finally feels like she has reached perfection, so of course I had to make it.
Have you ever had a Tres Leches Cake? It’s one of the weirdest cakes you will ever make. Bake a white cake, then dump a good 4-5 cups of sugary milk over the top of it and refrigerate. It absorbs all the liquid and transforms into the most fluffy, spongey, moist cake you will ever have. I literally over baked this cake for at least 5 minutes and it still turned out incredibly delicious. I mean it’s kind of foolproof when you’re dumping a ton of milk on top of it.
I decided to make the cake in the morning, and I wanted to photograph it in the afternoon. I knew I was already breaking the rules because Laura specifically said that the cake should be made the day before you want to eat it, but what can I say, I like to walk on the wild side. Or something like that (I think this is really just code for impatience.)
So I drop off the kids for school and race home to get the cake started. I throw the ingredients together and pop the cake in the oven. I set the timer for 25 minutes.
Then I take a good hard look at the ingredient list and realize I’ve made the classic mistake that I know every single one of you have made at least once: I hadn’t technically read through the ingredient list and needed to make a trip to the grocery store. Who has Coco Crema on hand? Definitely not me. (It’s sweetened coconut cream with sugar. People use it for Pina Coladas, it’s usually sold in the wine aisle.)
So. I had 25 minutes. I can totally make a store trip in 25 minutes, right?
I head to the wine aisle to get the Coco Crema. But it’s not there. I check the beer aisle, the juice aisle, the coffee aisle, the dairy creamer aisle, it is nowhere to be found, and finally I stop to ask these two ladies who were in the wine aisle. They were clearly planning a huge party, they had 2 carts that they were filling with all kinds of booze, and had their notebooks out with their lists. I thought, if anyone in this store knows where the Coco Crema is, it’s these people.
They searched the entire aisle with me, consulted the store manager, and pulled up pictures on their phones of the different brands of Coco Crema that you can find (apparently you can buy it in a squeeze tube). We couldn’t find it anywhere. But they helped me for a solid 3 minutes and it totally confirmed my faith in humanity. Go humans.
Aaaand then my timer went off. I grabbed a couple cans of regular coconut cream and raced to the checkout.
I was fully expecting a completely over baked cake when I got home, and I wasn’t wrong. BUT it hadn’t burned and I thought, well, I’m about to dump 5 cups of milk on it, so it should be fine, right?? (I was right. That’s why this cake is really great for novice bakers!)
I ended up using coconut cream with some extra sugar instead of the Coco Crema that Laura’s recipe calls for. Because that’s all it is anyway, sweetened coconut cream. I’ve made notes in the recipe if you can’t find any Coco Crema!
After all the fuss and rush, I have to say, this cake was totally worth it. It is SO GOOD. The best part is that it can be made ahead of time. It would be so fun to make this for Cinco de Mayo!
How to make Tres Leches Cake
Here’s the egg situation. Separate the yolks and whites, and beat the whites until they are nice and stiff.
The batter is pretty thick. Use a chopstick to poke the holes. Once it is baked, make as many holes as you can without destroying your cake! You can see that my cake is a little dark, I totally over baked it. This is the ONE CAKE that I will tell you you can save after over baking. Normally this is a death sentence for cakes!
Here is the cake after is has soaked for several hours. All that delicious milk has been soaked up and absorbed into our cake.
Frost with simple whipped cream and you are good to go! You really don’t want a buttercream frosting for this cake. It’s too heavy. Whipped cream really is the perfect compliment.
Oh and don’t forget the strawberries! They are kind of essential!
Does Tres Leches Cake need to be refrigerated?
Yes! Tres leches cake is served cold. It is best made the day before you want to eat it, or at least several hours. The cake needs time to chill but also time to absorb all the liquid we’re dumping on top. Also it’s very handy that this cake needs to be covered and chilled and put out of sight in the fridge, so that I’m not sneaking a bite every time I pass through the kitchen. Happy Cinco de Mayo!!
More of my favorite cake recipes!
- The Best Homemade White Cake Recipe of Your Life << I’m serious guys. In love.
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake << I love this recipe!
- The Best Chocolate Cake I’ve Ever Had << My #1 favorite!
- White Texas Sheet Cake << This was an unexpectedly delicious cake!
- Brown Sugar Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting << This is like Yellow Cake plus!
- Coconut Layer Cake << this one is really easy!
- Easy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting << Such a simple recipe but it packs a punch
- Classic White Layer Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Strawberry Jello Cake from Real Housemoms
- White Buttermilk Cake from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen
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The Best Authentic Tres Leches Cake Recipe
12-16 adjust servingsIf you have never had Tres Leches Cake, you are in for a treat! Picture this: a fluffy white sheet cake, poked with holes and soaked in a mixture of coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk (tres leches means 3 milks!) The resulting cake is irresistibly moist. It's perfect for Cinco de Mayo!
Ingredients
For the cake
- 5 eggs, divided
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 and 1/2 cups flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
For the milk
- 1 (13.6 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups Coco Crema* (about 1 15-oz can)
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
For the whipped cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- strawberries, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch cake pan with nonstick spray or rub with butter.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, add 5 egg whites. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and set aside.
- Beat the egg whites about 2-4 minutes, until stiff peaks form. See photos.
- Scrape the egg whites into a medium bowl and store in the fridge.
- In the same bowl that you beat the egg whites, add 1/2 cup butter and beat until smooth, scraping edges. Add 1 cup sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping sides halfway through. Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and beat well.
- Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 and 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
- Get the beaten egg whites out of the fridge. Now you are going to add the flour mixture and the beaten egg whites into the butter/sugar mixture in alternating batches. (Add about half the flour to the butter mixture, stir. Then add half the beaten egg whites to the butter mixture, stir, etc, until it's all added.) Do not over mix. Once it is combined, stop.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread out with a spatula.
- Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are pulling away from the sides of the cake pan, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with no batter on it. Don't make a grocery store trip in this 25 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, make in a very large glass measuring cup or bowl, add 1 can coconut milk. Stick it in the microwave for 30-60 second and stir until all the lumps have disappeared. Add 2 cups Coco Crema*, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, and 1 can evaporated milk. Stir together until combined.
- When the cake is baked, remove from the oven, turn off the oven, and set a timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, use a chopstick to poke holes in the cake. In Laura's words: "Use a chopstick for bigger holes - you want a LOT of holes, to the point where it almost feels like you're going to ruin or smash the cake but don't actually ruin or smash the cake."
- Once you have holes all over the cake, take 3-5 minutes to SLOWLY pour the milk mixture all over the cake. If you pour too quickly, the top of your cake will not absorb the liquid. Yes, pour all of the liquid on the cake. It seems like too much. It's not!
- Once all the milk has been added, put the cake back in the oven that has been turned OFF and set a timer for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the cake from the oven and let cool for a few minutes on the counter. Cover well and transfer to the fridge to cool completely, and to let the liquid absorb into the cake. This will take at least 4-6 hours.
- Once the cake is completely chilled and you are ready to serve, make the whipped cream. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat 2 cups cream on high for 2-4 minutes until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Beat well, scraping sides and bottom.
- Spread the whipped cream over the cake.
- Garnish with strawberries that have either been hulled and chopped, or you could just slice each one in half and scatter over the cake. Top the whole cake with strawberries if you think you'll eat the whole cake that day. If you don't, then serve with cut strawberries, but spoon them on top of each serving. Fresh strawberries work better than strawberry sauce or sugared berries since the cake is so rich and has its own liquids already.
by The Food Charlatan
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It’s been about 13-14 hours since I’ve put the cake in the fridge but still has not yet absorbed all of the milk.
I love this recipe so much! I made this for Mother’s Day for my Hispanic family and they loved it! My family has made me make this several times since then not only for our get together a but for their friends too!
I did swap some things. I’m allergic to almonds so I used vanilla extract which worked out really well, then I used 2/3 cup of milk (2%), 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 tsp of cinnamon, because I’m not a fan of coconut and it’s a dream!
Great substitutions Kim! So glad you all enjoyed it :) Thanks so much for reviewing!
Would this cake lend well to food coloring? Curious if I could add green food coloring to make a Christmas theme dessert? Or should I add that to the whip cream maybe?
Hi Jenn! I think it would be really fun to add it to the whipped cream! You could do the cake too, but I think whipped cream would be prettier. Enjoy!
I have made tres leches with various different types of box cakes and its not bad. Nothing compares to a well baked homemade cake. But if your in a hurry u can use any kind of box cake. I tried chocolate. I liked it my Mexican wife did not. She did love the pound cake version. Its all in the milk … poke the holes , I use a fork then pour the milk. I have never used coconut cream. I will try that with some coconut flakes maybe. Also yes pineapple is used sometimes most of the ones we see in Houston have strawberries with any variety of other fruits.
Why do you put the milk soaked cake, back in the turned off oven?
Hi Pamella! The warm oven helps distribute the liquid throughout the cake!
Hello,
I live in the U.K, and follow your recipes although I have never tried making any.
I am interested in your “Tres Leches”, please can you tell me, the flour, is it self raising flour or plain flour.
Regards
Caroline
Hi Caroline! The flour is just regular all purpose flour. Enjoy!
The egg whites aren’t added to the ingredients section in your recipe. How many egg whites are required?
Hi Edwina! The recipe calls for 5 eggs, as stated in the instructions. In step two, you separate the egg whites from the yolks. So 5 egg whites, and 5 egg yolks. Then follow the recipe as stated! Enjoy!
Can this tres leches be made with a box cake?
That is a great question Jane! I haven’t tried it, and I imagine it would work just fine! Let me know how it goes if you do it!
Pound cake recipe
Hi I am a girl from México and I know this tres leches cake is authentic recipe because I made it this past weekend and it’s so so delicious my husband and I really love it !!!! I am not a good baker but this recipe is a winner thank you so much for sharing it.
Hi Maria! I’m so glad you liked the recipe, that makes me so happy to hear! It’s really hard to beat a nice moist Tres Leches cake :) Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. You are awesome!
Excellent cake!! I live in San Antonio, TX, so an authentic flavor was really important. I, too, was confused as to when to reincorporate the egg whites, but I folded them into the yolk mixture, then folded the whole egg mixture into the flour mixture. I added about a sixteenth of a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter, and used vanilla instead of almond for the whipped cream. The tres lèches liquid was SO delicious, I squirreled away about a quarter cup for coffee creamer. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!! Will definitely make again.
I love that you saved some for coffee creamer Sara!! Such a great idea! And I’m sorry the instructions were confusing, I have amended the recipe and hopefully it makes more sense now. I’m so glad you loved the cake, thank you so much for taking the time to review!!
For the Tres Leche, can I use this recipe for a double layer 9″ cake?
H Chelsea! This recipe doesn’t lend itself well to stacking, because the cake is meant to kind of sit in the liquid in the pan. I suppose you could try it though! If you wait the full 24 hours or maybe even more it will absorb all the liquid eventually. Let me know how it goes! And yes, this amount of batter should fit into 2 9 inch pans I think.
Hi! This recipe looks great, and I’m looking forward to trying it. However, I’m a little confused after reading the recipe note concerning coco crema vs coconut cream. You wrote, “Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar (this sugar is not called for in the recipe above, only add it if you are using coconut cream and not Coco Crema.)” However, I checked Coco Lopez coco crema from Walmart, Goya Crema de Coco, as well as an american coconut cream, and they all have almost the same amount of sugar/calories in the them. So, I’m not sure to which of those, if any, that I should add the extra sugar
Hi David! If you find a coconut cream that has sugar in it (like the Coco Crema called for in the recipe) then there is no need to use coconut cream or add any sugar to it. The recipe calls for 2 cups Coco Crema (this is sweetened coconut cream) If you can’t find sweetened coconut cream (Coco Crema is the only brand I’ve tried) then make your own by adding sugar (about 3/4 cup) to unsweetened coconut cream. It sounds like you were able to find the Coco Lopez Coco Crema at Walmart. If you have that product, ignore the recipe note. Just add 2 cups of Coco Crema. I hope this makes sense!
Hispanics eat tres leches cake with pineapple or mango garnish..fyi.
that sounds amazing! Totally trying that next time!
I have made a different recipe and then I made this one…this one was by far better and everyone has loved it. I had a lot of milk in bottom of pan, was this correct?
I’m so glad you loved the recipe Brande! No, if you let the cake sit long enough it should absorb most of the liquid. I mean there will be a little but it should be too much. Thanks so much for reviewing!!
Question: Between steps 4 and 5, do you beat the butter into the egg whites (which are in the fridge accordingto step 4), or do the egg whites get added in later?
Hi Patsy! No, don’t beat the butter into the egg whites. The whites are added into the batter alternately with the flour in step 8. Enjoy!
I’m so exciting try this recipe for my daughter’s birthday in a few weeks! I thought TRES leches would be perfect for a 3rd birthday :) I bought the ingredients already but realized I bought coco lopez and not coco crema. Do you think that would work fine or do you know if
they are similar?
That’s a fun idea Nicki! I don’t know what Coco Lopez is. check the ingredients, if it is coconut cream that has been sweetened, then you are good to go! Don’t use coconut water!
I made this cake today. It’s better than the ones they make at the restaurant, and it’s a Mexican food place. I used canned peaches on top. I didn’t have strawberries. I sliced the peaches very thin.
The milk mixture soaked up within 3 hours of pouring it on. It took about half the day, but it’s worth your time!
Love the peaches idea Charlotte! Thank you!
Thanks for the delicious recipe. It made for a wonderful birthday cake even. My only problems were too much tres leches liquid was leftover from the recipe and I’d leave out the almond extract next time as it interfered and covered the coconut flavors. Will defiantly make this again!
My husband wanted a tres leches cake for his birthday cake. I was going to buy one at a bakery. He kept sending me links of recipes. I told him there’s no way I can make this cake. It seemed too complicated and the thought of pouring liquid over a cake seemed wrong to me. I stumbled across your recipe. The way you wrote made me feel you were a person I could relate to. I decided to try it. Not only did it turn out delicious and beautiful, my husband was really impressed with me. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your sisters recipe!
Haha! I love that he kept sending you links, hint much? That’s pretty funny! I’m so glad you decided to try out the recipe and that it worked out. It is a little nerve wracking pouring all that milk on top! Thanks so much for reviewing Lora :)
Oh my goodness!! I was so scared because the batter didn’t look like very much. And then I mixed the milks together and it was so good I was drinking it with a spoon!! Amazing!! So delicious 😋
Right?? it’s hard not to just drink all that creamy goodness! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Omg!!! My family destroyed this cake. Not one single crumb left. Made this for Christmas and it was absolutely delicious. We’ve tried plenty from other people but most time it’s not moist enough. This was what we were looking for!! Thank you for sharing:)
Hooray! I’m so happy to hear this Lisa! I’m with you, too many Tres Leches cakes I’ve tried are dry. Like what is even the point of a tres leches if it’s not super moist, right?? :) I’m so glad you all loved it, thanks for taking the time to review!
Does this have a super strong coconut flavor? I really don’t care for coconut but would love to make this for Cinco De Mayo. Could I take out the coconut milk and use whole milk?
Hi Kendra! No the coconut flavor is not overpowering. I’m not really sure how it would go with milk. Good luck! Happy Cinco de Mayo!
I use milk instead of the coconut milk and coco crema because I too don’t like coconut. It turns out great and my family loves it!
I’m so glad it was a success Kim! Great substitutions. Thanks for sharing!
I love this recipe so much. I’ve been asked about it whenever I bring it somewhere so I made a video showing the steps. I added your link I hope you don’t mind.
That is awesome Maria! I want to see your video!!
My cake itself turned out a little dry…is that how it is supposed to be before adding the milk mixture?
Hi Tricia! I don’t know, I’ve never tasted the cake before adding the milk mixture. But I do know that adding the milk will definitely solve the problem! Enjoy!
Review tres leches
I got together with a group of people from Venezuela and Colombia and tried the this 3-Leches recipe. I didn’t deviate from directions and only use the ingredient recommended.
This recipe is NOT authentic and by far the worst.
Don’t waist your money
I’m so sorry the recipe wasn’t for you Zory!
You didn’t make the same cake that I made. Mine was delish!
Thanks Charlotte, I’m so glad you loved the cake! Thanks for the review!
Does the whip cream hold up or should I put it on only the pieces we will eat
Hi Juliana! I always frost the whole cake and keep it in the fridge. Wait to frost it until right before you serve it though! Enjoy!
My boyfriend requested Tres Leches for his birthday! Excited to try it out, thanks for the recipe!
I hope it turns out well Ashton! Let me know! And happy birthday to your boyfriend :)
Didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I have absolutely zero regrets making this cake! It was so delicious
Zero regrets, that’s what I like to hear! Now you’ve got me craving it. Yum! Thanks for reviewing Adele!
Baking a quadrupled recipe for my niece’s graduation cake. (Its what she asked for 🤷♀️) Not sure I’ll actually be able to fit ALL the milk (also quadrupled). Eek!! Using a disposable aluminum Turkey roasting pan and just waiting patiently for the cake to bake through. Looks so good! Yum!
Whoa quadrupled!!! That is awesome, i love that you’re using a turkey pan. How did it turn out??
You saved my Father’s Day pot luck commitment. (I couldn’t believe how expensive Tres Leches cakes are!!)
I am going to try this one from you and like the idea of the coconut flavor in it!
Onward to the grocery store now for my Coco Crema search!!!
Haha! I hope the cake turned out well Linda! It’s definitely cheaper to make it at home :)
Interesting. I grew up in Miami and have yet to see a tres leches cake made with coconut cream or milk or even strawberries for that matter. May have to try it out.
Really?? Maybe it’s a regional thing! So interesting! I think the coconut is my sister’s own spin, (it doesn’t make the cake taste coconutty, but it adds a great richness) but I feel like strawberries are pretty standard. But what do I know! I’ve also seen people sprinkle cinnamon on top, which I tried with the other half of this cake and it was delicious.
OK, maybe YOU can’t make a trip to the grocery store and back in 25 minutes with a cake in the oven, but I totally can . . . and have. Except, I”m pretty sure I would not be able to find Cream of Coconut in Sidney. So it would have been a pointless trip. But, I would have made it back in time.
I just ordered the Cream of Coconut from Amazon, so I can make this cake. Yum. I’m going to have it for Mother’s Day. For myself. Maybe I will share and maybe I will not. I haven’t decided yet.
Don’t share Kris, you deserve it. And oh you know I can make a trip in 25 minutes when I’m not lugging a two year old and searching for ingredients that aren’t there and calling my sister and asking random ladies in the booze aisle for help, hahaha!!
Hi I’m Lydia
I’m going to have a lot of fun whit my grandchildren this summer. Love baking.
Sounds fun Lydia! Baking with the kids is the best!