This Easy Tres Leches Cake Recipe is a dreamy, crowd-pleasing dessert that's soaked in rich, spiced milk and topped with sweetened whipped cream. Light, airy, and irresistibly moist, it's everything a homemade cake should be simple to make, rich in flavor, and perfect for sharing. Whether you're baking for a birthday, church potluck, or just a cozy night in with family, this from-scratch recipe brings sweetness and connection to the table. Prep Time: 25 mins | Chill Time: 4 hours | Total Time: 4 hrs 25 mins | Yield: Serves 10 to 12
Key Takeaways
- This easy tres leches cake recipe offers a rich, moist dessert soaked in three milks and topped with sweetened whipped cream.
- Infused with cinnamon and cloves, this cake brings a subtle warmth and flavorful twist to the classic version.
- Perfect for any gathering, this homemade cake provides a balance of simplicity and elegance.
- Make the cake ahead of time for the best flavor as it absorbs the milk mixture during chilling.
The Best Tres Leches Cake Recipe (Easy and Authentic)
I first tried tres leches cake years ago, and I've been baking it ever since. Over time, I've added my own twist, just a little extra sugar and a hint of spice to make it feel like home. Tres Leches Cake literally translates to Three Milks Cake. The simple yellow cake is soaked in a mixture of three milks. I've seen variations on which three milks to use. I prefer sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. The heavy cream gives an added creaminess to the mixture that is almost custard-like.
Indulge in the ultimate Authentic Tres Leches Cake with this rich, flavorful twist on the classic! This sponge cake is soaked in a creamy blend of three milks: sweetened condensed, evaporated, and heavy cream, creating a custard-like texture that melts in your mouth. Infused with hints of cinnamon and cloves, each bite brings a subtle warmth, topped with sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon for an elegant finish. Warning: the hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the cake to cool before diving in!
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- Key Takeaways
- The Best Tres Leches Cake Recipe (Easy and Authentic)
- 🥛 What Makes This Cake So Delicious
- 🍰 Our Family-Favorite Tres Leches Cake
- 🍽 A Family-Favorite Dessert for Every Gathering
- 🥘 Ingredients
- 🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
- ❓Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Recipe
- 🍰 What to Bake Next
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🥛 What Makes This Cake So Delicious
My kids (and friends) ask for this cake all the time, and honestly, I'm not mad about it. It's one of those recipes that disappears fast but lingers in memory. But, if you're craving more cozy desserts, don't miss our decadent flourless chocolate cake recipe, or our flourless brownies.
This version, which is a variation from a New York Times recipe, infuses the milk with cinnamon and cloves adding a subtle hint of spice, which I love. Pouring the milk over the cake while it is still warm helps it absorb the milk and spice flavors.
🍰 Our Family-Favorite Tres Leches Cake
My Tres Leches Cake recipe adds more sugar to the whipped cream topping than most. That may be controversial for some; to each his own, I like the sweetness! A dusting of cinnamon finishes the cake off, making it look deceptively elegant.
The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the cake to cool and absorb all of that delicious milk before eating!
🍽 A Family-Favorite Dessert for Every Gathering
Whether you're prepping for a birthday, or Christmas, a church gathering, or simply want to end a weeknight dinner with something special, this easy tres leches cake recipe fits beautifully into family-centered hospitality. It's the kind of dessert that feels both humble and celebratory, simple enough for a weeknight, yet rich and elegant enough to bring to a potluck or holiday table.
This easy tres leches cake is a must-try for fans of creamy desserts, moist cakes, and classic Latin-inspired recipes. With its custard-soaked sponge, lightly spiced warmth, and sweet whipped topping, it's homemade, and sure to impress your loved ones with every bite.
Check out more easy cake recipes and from-scratch desserts for your next celebration.
🥘 Ingredients
This tres leches cake uses simple ingredients that come together to create the tender crumb and creamy soak that make this dessert so beloved. Everything here plays a meaningful role, from the fluffy sponge to the warm, spiced milk mixture that gives you that unmistakably texture. Below is a high-level look at what you will use, and why it matters for this easy tres leches cake.
The Cake
You will start with a classic combination of flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar, and milk. These pantry staples build a light sponge that soaks beautifully without falling apart. Beating the eggs and sugar until they are pale and airy is what creates that delicate, cloud-like structure.
The Milk Mixture
The heart of any authentic tres leches cake recipe is the trio of milks. Sweetened condensed milk adds richness, evaporated milk brings depth, and heavy cream gives the mixture a custard-like finish. Warming the milks with a cinnamon stick and a touch of vanilla infuses gentle spice and holiday warmth, perfect for Christmas baking or church gatherings.
The Whipped Cream
A simple blend of heavy cream, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla creates a soft, sweet topping that balances the richness of the soaked cake. It is light enough for everyday meals but elegant enough for celebrations.
Exact quantities live in the recipe card below for easy reference.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
Making this tres leches cake is simpler than it looks, which is why it has become such a go-to recipe for busy moms and holiday bakers alike. You will start by whisking together a light sponge that bakes into a soft, airy base. The magic happens after baking, when the warm spiced milk mixture is slowly poured over the cooled cake. This gentle soak is what gives you that signature custard-like texture and incredibly moist tres leches cake you expect from an authentic tres leches cake recipe.
Once the cake has fully absorbed the milk, a fluffy layer of sweetened whipped cream brings everything together. It is a process that feels comforting and hands-on without being fussy, perfect for Christmas gatherings, weeknight celebrations, or sharing with your church family. The full step-by-step details live in the recipe card, but at a glance, you will mix the batter, bake until just set, warm and infuse the milk mixture with cinnamon, pour it over the cake, chill, and top with fresh whipped cream.
The result is a tender, soak-to-the-edges dessert that tastes even better after resting overnight. If you love cozy, crowd-pleasing desserts or need a dependable treat to bring to a potluck, this easy tres leches cake is one you will make again and again.
❓Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
Authenticity comes from both tradition and ingredients. This recipe uses the classic three milks: sweetened condensed, evaporated, and heavy cream, along with a light sponge cake that soaks it all up. The added touch of cinnamon and cloves gives a subtle warmth that's often found in Latin American home kitchens.
Yes! In fact, tres leches cake is better when made ahead. The cake needs time to fully absorb the milk mixture, at least 4 hours, but overnight is best. It's the perfect make-ahead dessert for parties, holidays, or Sunday dinner.
A proper tres leches cake should be moist and custardy, not soupy. If it's overly wet, the cake base may have been too soft or the milk wasn't absorbed long enough. This recipe is designed to balance soak time and sponge texture so you get that dreamy, tender bite every time.
If you don't have heavy cream, you can substitute whole milk for a lighter version, though the texture will be less creamy. For a slightly indulgent but still lighter twist, half-and-half works well too.
Cover the cake and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavor actually deepens over time, making leftovers even better. Just wait to add any garnishes like cinnamon or fruit until right before serving.
A light, airy sponge is essential because it creates a network of tiny pockets that act like pathways for the milk mixture. When you whip the eggs and sugar until they reach the ribbon stage, you are trapping air inside the batter. That trapped air expands in the oven and forms a delicate structure that is strong enough to hold its shape but open enough to absorb liquid evenly. If the batter is mixed too long, the proteins tighten and the air escapes, which leads to a tighter crumb.
A tight crumb cannot soak in the three milks as deeply, so you end up with a cake that is wet on top but dry in the center. When the sponge is made correctly, those little pockets draw the milk in from every angle, giving you that custard-like texture from edge to center that makes a tres leches cake so comforting.
Recipe
Tres Leches Cake Recipe: Easy, Authentic, and Irresistibly Moist
Equipment
- 1 9x13 inch glass baking dish
- 1 stand mixer with whisk attachment (or hand mixer)
- 2 medium mixing bowls
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 whisk
- 1 Rubber Spatula
- 1 Cooling Rack
- 1 fork
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
Milk Mixture
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Topping
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 inch glass baking dish with non-stick baking spray.
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and mix well.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar until very light and fluffy. This make take several minutes depending on the speed of your mixer. The mixture is done when it leaves a ribbon behind when stirred.
- For the remainder of the recipe I prefer to mix by hand. Add half of the flour mixture and fold together gently. Mix in milk and then remaining flour mixture. Take care to fold gently and only until the flour and milk are just combined. Over mixing will create a tough cake crumb.
- Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake 15-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out mostly clean.
- Allow cake to cool on wire rack while you make the milk mixture.
Make Milk Mixture
- In a small pot combine cream, evaporated milk and cinnamon stick and warm over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. This allows the cinnamon stick to infuse the milk.
- Remove from the heat and add sweetened condensed milk, ground cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk well to combine.
- Poke holes all over cooled cake, I use a fork for this. Slowly pour milk mixture over cake. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to refrigerate for several hours, up to overnight.
Make Whipped Cream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
- Whisk on medium speed until beginning to thicken. Turn mixer to medium-high speed until thickened and holds soft peaks.
- Top completely chilled cake with whipped cream and sprinkle very lightly with cinnamon before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
🍰 What to Bake Next
If you loved making this tres leches cake and want another cozy, crowd-pleasing dessert to share with family or bring to a gathering, here are a few reader favorites to inspire your next bake. Each one is simple, deeply flavorful, and designed for busy home bakers who want dependable from-scratch recipes.
Try exploring all of my Christmas Recipes for more holiday treats that bring warmth to the table, especially if you are planning ahead for church events or family traditions. If you are craving more cakes with rich, memorable flavor, you will find plenty of inspiration in our full list of Cake Recipes, where every recipe is written to build confidence and teach the why behind the steps.
For another comforting dessert that feels elegant but easy, our Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake is a wonderful next bake. It is simple enough for a weeknight but special enough to serve for birthdays or small celebrations.
As always, if you try this recipe, I would love to hear how it turned out for you. Your stories and kitchen wins are part of the joy we share here at The Baker's Table.
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About Kendra Boettner
Hi, I'm Kendra, wife, mom of three, and the baker behind The Baker's Table. After 20+ years baking at home, including time working in professional kitchens, these are some of my favorite recipes I've learned along the way.
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Eric Boettner says
Amazing!
Eric Boettner says
Crowd favorite for sure! Friends ask for this often.
Lauren says
Where do the cloves go? Whole or ground?
Shara McNeeley says
I am attempting this recipe. The batter ingredients indicated vanilla but I did not see it in the instructions. The milk mixture indicated cloves but not when to add it. Additionally the pan size did not change with the servings nor did the bake time. Not sure how this is going to turn out.