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.
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time35 minutes mins
Cooling Time1 hour hr
Total Time2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Servings: 12 pieces
Calories: 489kcal
- 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
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.
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.
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