Traditional Mexican Tres Leches Cake

For today how about Tres Leches cake (Three Milks cake), this is a beloved dessert that’s a staple at birthdays, celebrations, and special occasions throughout Mexico and Latin America. This ultra-moist sponge cake soaked in three types of milk (evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk) creates an almost pudding-like texture that’s topped with a cloud of whipped cream. Despite its impressive appearance and complex flavour profile, it’s surprisingly straightforward to make!

The origins of Tres Leches are as rich as the cake itself. While its exact beginnings are debated, many food historians believe the concept originated in medieval England, where stale bread was soaked in milk to make it palatable. The recipe likely made its way to Latin America through colonisation, with Nicaragua and Mexico both claiming it as their own, the cake as we know it today gained widespread popularity in the 1930s and 40s when Nestlé began printing the recipe on their condensed milk cans, helping it become the iconic Mexican dessert we know today.

What makes this cake special is its transformation from a simple sponge into a decadent, milk-soaked treat that somehow manages to be incredibly moist without becoming soggy. Don’t be intimidated by its fancy appearance – with a little patience (especially when allowing the cake to absorb all that delicious milk mixture), you’ll create a showstopper that will have everyone asking for seconds, thirds, quatros hehehe… Lets check the recipe!

Traditional Mexican Tres Leches Cake

Servings: 12
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Classic super moist and delicious South American cake, soaked in three types of milk and covered in creamy whipped cream.

Ingredients

Flour – 130gr
Baking Powder – 1+1/2 Teaspoon
Butter – To Grease
Salt – A Pinch
Eggs – 5
Sugar – 200gr (Divided)
Vanilla – 1 Teaspoon
Milk – 80ml
Condensed Milk – 1 Can (400gr)
Evaporated Milk – 1 Can (400gr)
Double Cream – 60ml
Double Cream – 340ml (Chantilly)
Sugar – 2 Teaspoons (Chantilly)

Directions

Preheat the oven to about 180ºC and prepare a round or square pan lined with non-stick paper on the bottom and well greased with butter (the butter will help the paper stick).
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and mix well.
Separate the eggs ino another two bowls (yolks on one, whites on the other) and add about 150 grams of sugar, whisk until you get a smooth, whitish cream, then add the milk and vanilla extract, mix again.

Now add the cream and eggs yolks to the bowl of flour and mix gently until everything is well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with 50 grams of sugar until the whites have stiffened into a classic meringue.

Now mix the meringue with the egg yolk and flour mixture, fold in without whisking, then pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cake is cooked through (poke a toothpick in the center, if it comes out dry then the cake is cooked), once cooked, remove from the oven, take out of the tin and leave to cool a little.

Now combine the condensed milk, evaporated milk and 60ml of double cream in a jug, mix everything together, then generously prick the top of the cake (use a fork or a wood skewer) and gradually pour this mixture on top of the cake, you have to be a little patient, because the cake will eventually absorb everything, try to pour it well around the edges of the cake where it gets a little drier from the baking, do this until you have no more liquid, it can take up to 30 minutes to absorb everything so be patient!

Then in a bowl whip the double cream with the sugar until you get a very thick but not too sweet whipped cream, then spread the whipped cream (chantilly cream) and cover the whole cake and that’s it, ready to serve like this or with cherries on top, it’s good like this still slightly warm or you can serve it very fresh from the fridge, I hope you love this recipe, bon appetit!

Notes: Since this cake has so much liquid, it will keep for several days in the fridge if it’s well covered (so it doesn’t dehydrate because of the cold).

This recipe for Traditional Mexican Tres Leches Cake was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Bolo Tres Leches Mexicano foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.