Tres Leches Cake
Tres leches is a sponge that drinks three milks — sweetened condensed, evaporated, and whole milk with a touch of cream — and turns, over a few hours in the fridge, from a dry cake into a cool, milk-soaked dessert. The dish is claimed by both Nicaragua and Mexico, but it is the Mexican version that took the cake worldwide: an airy whipped-egg sponge, pierced deep, slowly soaked, and finished with a thin layer of softly whipped cream and a generous dusting of cinnamon. The whole recipe lives in the patience of the soak. A warm or under-baked sponge won't absorb evenly — the milk pools on top and the middle stays dry. Tradition says the cake rests overnight in the fridge and the whipped cream goes on right before serving. Modern versions sometimes swap the cream for meringue; canela on top is the Mexican signature.
A cake that drinks
Sponge soaked in three milks — condensed, evaporated, whole
Three milks, one cake
Pour slowly — the sponge absorbs many times its weight
Better the next day
Overnight in the fridge for the deepest soak
Cinnamon and cream
A cold layer of softly whipped cream and a cloud of canela
Ingredients 8 servings
- 5 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
- 200 g caster sugar, plus 30 g for the whipped cream
- 200 g plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder, sifted together
- 1 tsp vanilla extract for the sponge, plus ½ tsp for the cream
- 1 can (397 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (340 g) evaporated milk
- 200 ml whole milk and 50 ml heavy cream (the three-milk soak)
- 250 ml cold heavy cream for whipping, plus ground cinnamon for dusting
How to make it
- 1Heat the oven to 175°C and butter and flour a 23×33 cm baking dish, then whisk the whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks, beating in 100 g of the sugar a spoonful at a time until glossy and stiff.
- 2Whip the yolks with the remaining 100 g sugar and the vanilla for 3–4 minutes until pale and tripled, sift the flour and baking powder over them and fold in gently, then fold in the meringue in three additions, keeping as much air as you can.
- 3Pour into the dish, level the top and bake 25–30 minutes until deep golden and springy at the centre, then cool in the dish for at least 30 minutes.
- 4Whisk the three milks together in a jug, pierce the cooled cake all over to the base with a thin skewer and pour the mixture across the surface in three or four slow passes — it looks like too much liquid, but the sponge drinks every drop; cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
- 5Just before serving, whip the cold cream with the 30 g sugar and the remaining vanilla to soft peaks, spread it over the chilled cake and dust generously with ground cinnamon.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
