Tres Leches (Milk Cake)

Tres leches cake is a Mexican treat. This south of the border cake is made with three kinds of milk (tres is Spanish for three and leche is Spanish for milk). Whole milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk are used to make this sumptuous and rich cake, and the sweet whipped cream topping completes it.

Whether you have a lot of milk to use up, you want to whip up a sweet treat for the family or you’re catering a party, this authentic tres leches cake recipe is sure to hit the spot.

It’s a great dessert to bring out after a Mexican or Tex-Mex style entrée and sides, and it’s also special enough to whip up for a birthday or anniversary celebration.

Why You’ll Love the Recipe:

This is an authentic Mexican recipe and you’ll love how moist and delicious the cake comes out. It’s always a real favorite and it’s easy to prepare too.

How to Serve It:

Serve the cake in slices with a spoon or fork. It’s good served for dessert or a sweet treat along with any kind of drink you want.

Can You Make It Ahead?

Yes, you can make it ahead. In fact, if you cover it in foil and refrigerate it for a few hours before serving, it’s even better.

Storage Instructions:

This cake must be kept refrigerated because of the high dairy content. It should keep for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it but, if doing that, freeze it without the whipped topping and add it after thawing. To freeze, wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and, when fully defrosted, add the whipped topping.

Variations and Substitutions:

If you want a smaller cake, halve all the ingredients and use a round 9-inch cake pan (the cooking time might be less so keep an eye on it in the oven). You can also sub another flavor of extract for the vanilla.

Ingredients:

• White sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Eggs
• Baking powder
• Whole milk
• Unsalted butter
• Evaporated milk
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Vanilla extract
• Heavy whipping cream

How to make Tres Leches (Milk Cake):

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Step 2. Sift the flour with the baking powder.

Step 3. Beat 1 cup of white sugar with an electric mixer and then beat in the eggs and ½ teaspoon vanilla.

Step 4. Now you can beat in the flour mixture, about ½ cup at a time, until well blended in, and pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

Step 5. Bake for half an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Step 6. Use a fork to poke holes all over the cake and leave it to cool down to room temperature.

Step 7. Now mix the 3 different milks together and pour this over the cooled cake, letting it soak in.

Step 8. Whip the cream with the rest of the sugar and vanilla in a chilled metal or glass bowl until thick, then spread over the cake.

Step 9. Refrigerate the tres leches cake until serving.

This cake is so moist, sweet and delicious. If you’ve enjoyed a great tres leches cake at a restaurant and want to recreate this classic dish, you’ll be pleased to find out how easy it is, and you might even agree the flavor is even better than the restaurant version!

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