Tres Leches Cake

A light sponge soaked in three milks, served cold under whipped cream.

Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time5 hr
Yield12 servings
Tres Leches Cake
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Before You Start

The whole engineering problem here is a sponge airy enough to drink a litre of milk without collapsing, which is why the eggs are separated and the batter has almost no butter. Poke it all over while it is still warm and pour the milk on slowly, in stages.

Instructions

0 of 7 done

  1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Butter a 23 x 33 cm / 9 x 13 inch tin. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

  2. Beat the egg yolks with ¾ cup (150 g) of the sugar until thick, pale and ribbon-like, about 4 minutes. Beat in the ⅓ cup milk and vanilla.

  3. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the remaining ¼ cup (50 g) sugar and whip to stiff, glossy peaks.

  4. Fold the flour into the yolk mixture, then fold in the whites in three additions with a spatula. Keep as much air in as you can; this is what lets the cake soak.

  5. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes until golden and springy. Cool for 10 minutes, then poke the whole surface all over with a fork or skewer, right to the base.

  6. Whisk the evaporated milk, condensed milk and ½ cup cream together and pour over the warm cake in three stages, letting each soak in. Cover and chill at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

  7. Whip the remaining cream with the powdered sugar to soft peaks, spread over the cold cake, and dust with cinnamon just before serving.

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💡 Baker's tips

  • Do not skip the overnight chill if you can help it. The milk needs time to travel from the base back up through the crumb.
  • Serve straight from the fridge in the tin. Tres leches is too wet to lift out cleanly, and nobody minds.

🔀 Make it your own

  • Add 2 tbsp dark rum or coffee liqueur to the milk mixture for a grown-up version.
  • Swap the cinnamon dusting for toasted coconut, or top with sliced strawberries.

📦 Storing & freezing

Covered in the fridge for 4 days; it gets better on day two. Do not freeze, since the soaked crumb turns to mush when it thaws.

❓ Frequently asked

How many grams is a cup of condensed milk?

About 300 g per US cup, which is close to a standard 397 g tin at three quarters full. Evaporated milk is lighter, about 250 g per cup.

Why is my tres leches cake soggy at the bottom?

Too much milk poured at once. Add it in three stages and wait for each to soak in, and let the cake sit cold so the liquid redistributes evenly.

Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.

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