Tres Leches cake is rich, moist, creamy, and delicious. Actually, the name is Spanish, but in English, it means 3 milk cake. It’s fundamentally a sponge cake soaked in milk and topped with sweetened whipping cream. It’s popular in many parts of South and North America. Tres Letches cake is also one of my favorite cakes. Once I start eating, I simply can’t stop. Try it and let us know what you think.
There are a few tips to preparing this simply divine cake. First, the condensed and evaporated milk are pretty much essential, but you can change the half and half to straight milk or table cream depending on how diet conscious you are. Be sure to poke lots of holes into the cake to absorb the milk. At first, you’ll think you have drowned the cake, but the magic will happen as the milk is absorbed by the cake. Be sure to leave it in the fridge for at least 2 hours – overnight is preferred. You can also add more or less sugar depending on your desired level of sweetness. The amount of vanilla extract and salt can also be changed with minor affects on the taste of the cake. If you use a 9 by 13 inch pan, the cake seems to bake perfectly in about 20 minutes, but just keep an eye on it as ovens do vary. As always, you can check if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
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- For the cake
- 1 3/4 cups of flour
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1/2 cup of softened butter
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 5 eggs
- For the three milks:
- 1 300 ml can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 300 ml can of evaporated milk
- 1 cup of half and half
- For the topping
- 455 ml of whipping cream
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in mixing bowl. Whisk until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Beat until it’s fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and the vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer or whisk, mix until smooth and creamy.
- Sift 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix. Repeat the process for the second half of the dry ingredients.
- Spray the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with some baking spray. Pour the batter in and smooth it out evenly.
- Bake it for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Pierce it with a fork several times and and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the 3 milks and stir until well combined.
- When the cake has cooled, pour the milk mixture all over the cake, put some cling wrap over the top, place it in the fridge for at least two hours (overnight is best).
- Remove the cake from the fridge and whip the cream while gradually adding in the sugar until it thickens.
- Top the cake with the whipped cream, serve, and enjoy your tres leche cake.
