Tres Leche Cake
A rich, moist, milk-soaked cake that is topped with a lightly sweetened whipped cream that's sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and topped with fresh fruit.
Servings: 12 pieces
Calories: 489kcal
Ingredients
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 large eggs room temperature
- 1 c. granulated sugar divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ c. milk whole or 2%
Milk Syrup
- 12 oz evaporated milk (1 can)
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
- ⅓ c. heavy cream
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 2 c. chilled heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
Serving
- Fresh fruit
- Cinnamon and sugar mixture
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, dust with flour and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- In two different bowls, separate egg whites and yolks.
- In the bowl with egg yolks add ¾ cup granulated sugar and beat until pale yellow. Stir in ⅓ cup milk and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add egg yolk mixture to the bowl with the flour mixture and stir gently to combine.
- Take the bowl with the egg whites and beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold egg white mixture into the batter gently just until combined.
- Spread evenly in prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 F degrees for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool cake pan on wire rack.
- Place large mixing bowl and beater in freezer to chill for frosting
Milk Syrup
- In a medium bowl, combine evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream, stir in cinnamon and vanilla extract until well combined.
- When cake is completely cool, poke small holes in cake using a fork or skewer.
- Slowly drizzle milk syrup over cake, allowing it to soak in. Set cake aside.
Frosting
- Remove bowl and beaters from freezer. Add whipping cream to bowl and beat on high speed until soft peaks form
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Sprinkle a cinnamon sugar mixture or put fresh fruit on top of cake before serving if desired.
- Serve immediately or place in refrigerator until ready to serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Notes
You can bake the cake a day ahead, let it cool, and then wrap it in plastic wrap. The next day, add the milk soak and topping.
There’s nothing better than homemade whipped cream frosting – if you want lots of tips for making your own whipped cream, be sure to check out my whipped cream recipe post!
Try switching up the fruit for this Mexican cake – this is really nice in the summer when you can get amazing fresh fruit! Try decorating with fresh cherries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or even sliced peaches.
Nutrition
Calories: 489kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 353mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 945IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 243mg | Iron: 1mg