Easy Tres Leches Cake Recipe with Homemade Whipped Cream

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Easy Tres Leches Cake is made with a fluffy sponge cake and then soaked with multiple types of milk to for a beautiful moist texture. Top it off with homemade whipped cream and strawberries for the perfect celebration cake!

Reasons to Bake this Cake

• Simple, easy to find ingredients
• Most of the work is leaving it for 4 hours (or overnight)!
• This cake has sweetened condensed milk, do I have to say more?
• The topping can be modified to your favourite fruits

Easy Tres Leches Cake Ingredients

How to Make Easy Tres Leches Cake

1. Preheat oven: Prevent oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare baking dish: Use a baking dish that can double as a serving dish. I use an IKEA Oven Dish 12inch x 7inch for tres leches, which fits perfectly! But any 9inch x 13inch with a large depth will work. Brush or spray oil in the baking dish including the sides and corners, this helps the sponge cake to rise while baking.
3. Prepare dry ingredients: In a bowl sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
4. Whisk: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer (stand mixer will be best) whisk together room temperature eggs and sugar until tripled in size, this will take about 10 minutes. The mixture should look pale yellow and foamy. Whisking the eggs and sugar together until tripled in size adds in lots of air into the batter. make the sponge cake fluffy and soft. Add in the vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
5. Fold: Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the egg and sugar mixture. GENTLY fold these ingredients to prevent minimal air loss of the batter. (We don’t want a limp sponge cake!).

How to Make Easy Tres Leches Cake Continued

6. Bake: Pour the batter into the baking dish (gently!) and bake for 25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Cool: At this point you can remove the sponge cake from the oven and let cool. OR turn off the oven, leave the door slightly open and leave the sponge cake in the oven to cool for 10 minutes. This method of cooling prevents drastic changes of temperature and prevents the sponge cake from falling/flattening. After 10 minutes, remove the sponge cake from the oven to cool.
8. Prepare the tres leches: In a large bowl, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk and whole milk. Whisk until combined.
9. Make the Tres Leches cake: After 2 hours of the sponge cake cooling, use a fork to poke holes in the cake. (The more holes the better!). Pour the prepared milk mixture over the sponge cake, ensure that every part of the cake gets milk!
10. Chill: Next, chill the tres leches in the fridge for at least 4 hours, even better to chill overnight.
11. Make homemade whipped cream: When ready to serve, whisk the heavy whipped cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks. Spread the whipped cream on top of the Tres Leches Cake.
12. Toppings: Garnish this Easy Tres Leches Cake with strawberries, cherries, other fresh fruits or simply ground cinnamon.
13. Serve: Serve right in the baking dish!

If you’re looking for a traditional Tres Leches Cake, try A Sassy Spoon’s Recipe!

Frequently Asked Questions on Tres Leches Cake

1. Can Tres Leches Cake be made ahead of time? Yes, this cake can be made overnight or up 2 days ahead. Make the Homemade Whipped Cream the day of serving.
2. What does Tres Leches cake taste like? The base of this cake is a simple sponge cake which is soaked with three different types of milk and topped with whipped cream. Based on that information, you might think it tastes AMAZING (which it does). But this cake has a subtly sweet flavour and the sponge cake is super moist.
3. What are Tres Leches cake variations? Try making this cake dairy free by substituting the milks for dairy free alternatives. Instead of strawberries, try cherries or other fresh fruit. No fruit? A simple sprinkle of ground cinnamon is a classic twist.

Tools Required

• 9×13 baking dish or 12×7 baking dish
• 2 mixing bowls
• Kitchen Aid hand mixer or Kitchen Aid stand mixer (stand mixer preferred) with whisk attachment
• Spatula, whisk and a fork
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cooling rack
• Plastic (saran) wrap

More Recipes by Ashley

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Lactose Free No Bake Cheesecake
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Easy Tres Leches Cake with Homemade Whipped Cream

Easy Tres Leches Cake is made with a fluffy sponge cake and soaked with multiple types of milk to give a beautiful moist texture. Top it off with homemade whipped cream and strawberries for the perfect celebration cake!

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Chill Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Latin American

Servings 1 9x13inch Baking Dish

Ingredients

  

Sponge Cake

• 1½ cup (221g) All Purpose Flour* sifted
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1½ tsp Baking Powder
• 4 Eggs + 1 Yolk* room temperature
• 1 cup (207g) White Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Tres Leches

• 1 can (354mL) Evaporated Milk
• 1 can (300mL) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ⅓ cup Whole Milk

Topping

• 1 cup (250mL) Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
• Strawberries, sliced* optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the inside of the baking dish with oil, covering the bottom and sides of the dish.
• In a bowl sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
• Using a stand mixer or hand mixer (stand mixer will be best) whisk together the room temperature eggs + 1 yolk and sugar until tripled in size, this will take about 10 minutes. The mixture should look pale yellow and foamy. Add in the vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg and sugar mixture.
• Gently pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly open and leave the sponge cake in the oven to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the sponge cake from the oven to cool on a cooling rack.
• While the cake is cooling, prepare the Tres Leches. In a bowl, whisk to combine evaporated milk, condensed milk and whole milk. Cool the cake for 2 hours then use a fork to poke holes in the cake. Pour the prepared milk mixture over the sponge cake. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve, use a stand mixer to whisk the heavy whipped cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks. Spread the whipped cream on top of the Tres Leches Cake.
• Garnish with sliced strawberries. Serve right in the baking dish.

Notes

*All Purpose Flour: It is very important to sift the flour and the other dry ingredients. This process adds air into the mixture and creates a fluffy and light sponge cake.

*Use room temperature eggs: If the eggs are not room temperature, the egg and sugar mixture will triple in size.

*Garnish variations: Sliced strawberries, cherries, fresh fruit or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

Step 1: I use an IKEA Oven Dish 12inch x 7inch for tres leches, which fits perfectly! But any 9inch x 13inch with a large depth will work. Brush or spray oil in the baking dish including the sides and corners, this helps the sponge cake to rise while baking.

Step 3: Whisking the eggs and sugar together until tripled in size adds in lots of air into the batter make the sponge cake fluffy and soft. 

Step 4: This method of cooling prevents drastic changes of temperature and prevents the sponge cake from falling/flattening. You still have the option to remove the cake from the oven as soon as it’s done baking.

Step 5: The more holes poked in the cake – the better! Ensure the tres leches mixture gets poured on every part of the cake to prevent the cake from drying. 

Make Ahead: This is the perfect cake to make ahead! Prepare the cake overnight up to 2 days ahead. The whipped cream and any garnishes should be done the day of.

Keyword Birthday, Cake, Condensed Milk, Evaporated Milk

If you tried this recipe, leave a comment below! On Instagram, tag @ashleycbakes and #ashleycbakes so I can see your bakes!

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