Tres Leches – Mexican Cake

Name: Tres Leches - Traditional Mexican Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 6 eggs; 200 g sugar; 200 g all-purpose flour; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tsp baking powder; 300 ml sweetened condensed milk; 300 ml evaporated milk; 300 ml heavy cream; 400 ml whipped cream; some cinnamon powder on the top; some strawberries on the top or on the side

Tres Leches or Three Milks Cake is traditional Mexican cake widely enjoyed not only in Mexico but all around Latin America.

It is a light sponge cake soaked in a mix of 3 milks – condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream.

The texture is light and spongy and becuase it’s soak in a sweet milky mixture makes it melt in your mouth while going straight to heaven.

I heard about this cake in many of Latin-American telenovelas that used to be popular in my country during my childhood and I remember the name ever since.

Some time ago I tried it for the first time in one Peruvian restaurant in Barcelona and I absolutely fall in love with it.

I decided to try it for the first next cake occasion and here it is – my first but, for sure not the last, Tres Leches – just like from one of those telenovelas I used to watch long ago.

Even though it was a first try, it come absolutely perfect. And that’s not just my personal opinion. My Mexican friends also think that the taste is really authentic and just as tasty as the real 3 milks cakes.

This recipe is super easy and simple. You can make it really quickly.

Tres Leches - Traditional Mexican Cake

A delicious and exciting Mexican Cake!

Prep Time15 mins

Active Time30 mins

Total Time45 mins

Servings - 20

Calories: 248kcal

Ingredients

For the Cake:

6 eggs
200 g sugar
200 g all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder

For the Sauce

300 ml sweetened condensed milk
300 ml evaporated milk
300 ml heavy cream

For Decoration

400 ml whipped cream
some cinnamon powder on the top
some strawberries on the top or on the side

Instructions

For the Cake Base

Beat the eggs with sugar using electric mixer on high speed for about 7- 8 minutes
When it triplicates the size, add vanilla extract and keep beating for another 1 minute
Add flour together with baking powder little by little incorporating it into the mass with a spatula
Combine all well until the mass is creamy and smooth
Grease the baking dish with butter and pour in the mass (baking dish or pan should be around 22 - 30 cm long
Preheat the oven on 180°C
Bake the cake some 25 to 35 minutes (depending on the oven) from both sides

For the Sauce

Mix together in a large bowl the 3 milks (condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream) and mix it with a spoon
Once the cake is baked, let it cool down completely and then poke it with a toothpick all the way through the cake (around 1cm distance between the holes) so it can absorb the milk mix entirely
Pour the 3 milks mix onto the cake little by little letting the cake absorb it as you pour the milk
Once you poured all of the milk mixture, let it sit in the fridge for some 4 hours (ideally overnight)

For Decoration

Whipped cream with some cinnamon powder, colorful sprinkles, and/or some strawberries or almond on the top or on the side of the cake

Notes

If you want it more sweet you can add some Dulce de Leche (or some caramel cream) to the mix with 3 milks

This traditional Mexican cake – Tres Leches is great for birthdays, celebrations or when you decide you need a cake. Delicious and easy to make.