Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Slice of tres leches cake on a white plate.

5 from 24 votes

Tres Leches Cake Recipe

If you've never tasted a Tres Leches Cake, you don't know what you're missing. Also known as a milk cake, this delicious, moist cake is made using three types of milk and a rich, creamy dulce de leche caramel sauce

Prep Time45

Cook Time50

chill3

Total Time4 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Latin America, Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 622kcal

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Equipment

springform pan

Ingredients

Cake

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoon unsalted butter *room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs *room temperature

Three-Milk Mixture

1½ cups whole milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1½ cups evaporated milk
⅓ cup dulce de leche
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Topping

2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup dulce de leche

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F
Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan, then place a parchment round in the pan and grease the parchment paper. Set aside until needed.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until needed.
Add the butter, sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment and whip on medium speed for 7-8 minutes, or until very pale and creamy.
Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. as needed.
Add the eggs, one at a time to the creamed butter, beating well after each addition.
Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. as needed.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just enough to combine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure all of the flour has been incorporated.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan.
Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool completely in the springform pan.

Three-Milk Mixture

Place the cake pan on a rimmed baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.
Using a skewer, poke a lot of holes all over the top of the cake.
Add the whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, dulce de leche, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Pour some of the milk mixture into a large measuring cup and slowly pour the milk mixture all over the cake.
(It may seem like a lot of liquid, but take your time going slowly and you will be able to incorporate all of the 3 milk mixture).
Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours, or overnight, ensuring that all of the milk mixture is absorbed.
Remove the cake from the springform pan and place on a serving plate.

Topping

Place the cream in a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer using the whip attachment) using an electric mixer, whipping the cream to soft peaks. This process should be slow, starting on low, increasing to medium speed, and then medium-high speed, over about 8-10 minutes.
**This method is how you keep the whipped cream from breaking. The cream should be ice cold and as fresh as possible. Look for heavy cream with the longest expiration date.
Spread the whipped cream on top of the cake, then drizzle and swirl the dulce de leche into the whipped cream.
Drizzle additional dulce de leche over the top of the swirled cream. This step is optional.
Serve and enjoy.

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