Tres Leches Cake {Cake Mix OR From Scratch}

Why This is the Best Recipe

When I'm baking a special dessert for a party or a birthday, I love to pick delicious from-scratch recipes but sometimes you have to balance your energy and time.

Taking the boxed cake mix short cut when you need but dressing it up with homemade frostings or garnishes is a great way to save time but still have an amazing dessert.

I think this is the best tres leches cake recipe because:

1. From Scratch: When you have time, make the 100% from-scratch recipe for the vanilla cake.
2. Cake Mix: When you need the shortcut? Use a boxed cake mix. I've included instructions for both.
3. Sweet Comfort Food: This is what is affectionately known as a "nursery dessert" because it is so popular with children. If you love vanilla and creamy sauces, this cake is totally for you.

Which is Better: Cake Mix or From Scratch?

There are definitely differences between the two cake methods. Which one will work best for you?

From Scratch:

The from-scratch method requires a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.

It also includes lots of extra steps including whipping egg whites, layering in milk and flour, and folding in the egg whites.

But the from-scratch cake results in a firmer vanilla cake that can hold up very well to the three milks soak.

You will have a cake you can cleanly slice and serve in neat squares.

Cake Mix:

A cake mix is absolutely easier to prep and bake. This method will save you tons of time.

However, most boxed cake mixes result in a very soft and spongey vanilla cake that will not hold up quite as well to the three milks soak.

Your cake slices will be much softer and milky and may not hold their shape when sliced.

In fact, you may prefer to serve your cake by spooning it with a large serving spoon and putting it in bowls instead of plates.

You'll have all the wonderful creamy vanilla flavor but lose something in the texture.

See my assembly tips below to have the best luck with this method.

Ingredients

To make the tres leches vanilla cake base from scratch, you will need:

• Flour
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Butter
• Baking Powder
• Kosher Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Milk

Or you can just use a vanilla boxed cake mix and prepare it according to the instructions on the box.

To make the tres leches sauce for the cake soak you will need:

• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Evaporated Milk
• Heavy Cream
• Vanilla

How to Make a Tres Leches Cake from Scratch

Spray a 9 x 13-inch cake pan with cooking spray and set it aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set them aside.

Place your stand mixer on the counter with the whisk attachment in place.

Separate the egg yolks and whites, placing the whites in the stand mixer and the yolks in a separate small bowl.

Whisk the egg whites until frothy.

Increase the speed and while the eggs are being whipped, add just 1 cup of the sugar very slowly, just 2 tablespoons at a time, until stiff peaks form.

Scrape the egg whites into a clean bowl and set it aside.

Return the mixing bowl to the stand mixer and switch the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment. (You don't need to clean the bowl.)

Add the softened butter and remaining cup of sugar. Beat them together until well combined.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, to the butter mixture and stir them in well. Add the vanilla and stir once more.

Scrape the butter-eggs mixture into a large mixing bowl.

You could do this step right in the same stand mixer bowl but I wanted you to be able to see the next steps really clearly so I chose a clear glass mixing bowl.

Add the milk and the flour to the butter mixture in stages.

Start with just 1/4 cup of the milk and stir it in well.

Add about 1/3 cup of the flour and stir it in.

Repeat with another dose of milk and then another dose of flour and keep repeating till they are all stirred in and smooth.

Finally, gently scrape the egg whites into the mixing bowl.

Very gently fold them into the cake batter.

The final batter should be nice and smooth with no large chunks of egg white in the mix. But don't use too heavy of a stir or you'll completely break the egg whites.

Pour the cake batter into your prepared baking dish and bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

How to Make a Tres Leches Cake from Cake Mix

Now that you've seen the steps it takes to make the cake from scratch, you might be tempted to make it from a cake mix.

If you choose this route, simply bake your vanilla cake according to the directions on the box.

Be sure to let the cake cool completely before moving on to the tres leches soak.

Make the Tres Leches Milk Sauce

Add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, and vanilla to a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk them together.

This step is the same whether you make the from-scratch cake or the cake mix cake.

Soak the Vanilla Cake

Now the most important step: soaking the vanilla cake with the tres leches sauce.

Use a fork or a skewer to poke holes all the way through the cake from top to the bottom of the pan and all over the surface of the cake.

This will allow the three milks to soak all throughout the cake.

Slowly pour the tres leches over the cake and let the pan rest for a few moments. As the milks start to soak in, cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill it for at least 3 hours or overnight.

I was in a rush to finish the cake so you can see in Step 2 that my cake did not completely soak in all the milk before I frosted it. That's how far it got in 3 hours, so I'd definitely give a from-scratch cake overnight to soak if you have the time.

The last step is to frost the cake with whipped cream.

You can choose to make a homemade whipped cream or a prepared whipped topping like Cool Whip.

I chose Cool Whip because I wanted the cake to hold its shape for the next day.

If you plan to serve it immediately after frosting, you may prefer a from-scratch whipped cream too. There are instructions in the recipe card below if you like.

A Note on Soaking a Cake Mix Cake:

If you baked a cake mix cake, the quantity of tres leches sauce may be more than you need.

I suggest poking the holes in the cake surface and spooning the tres leches sauce over the top in smaller doses.

Let the spoon fulls of milks soak into the cake and keep ladling the sauce over the top until it won't soak in any more.

Simply discard the remaining sauce. This will help prevent the cake from being too wet and mushy.

Frost the Tres Leches Cake

The last step is to frost the cake with whipped cream.

You can choose to make a homemade whipped cream or a prepared whipped topping like Cool Whip.

I chose Cool Whip because I wanted the cake to hold its shape for the next day.

If you plan to serve it immediately after frosting, you may prefer a from-scratch whipped cream too. There are instructions in the recipe card below if you like.

Make Ahead Tips

Tres leches cake is the perfect make ahead dessert since it needs to soak up the tres leches sauce for several hours, or even better overnight.

Store it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap so the milk has the chance to soak into the vanilla cake completely.

Don't try to frost the cake until just before serving if you are using homemade whipped cream.

If you use whipped topping, you can frost it up to 24 hours in advance.

Variations

Cinnamon Tres Leches Cake: Garnish your cake with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Strawberry Tres Leches Cake: Add fresh strawberry garnish over the top of the cake.

Serving Suggestions

A homemade tres leches cake makes a fun dessert for any Mexican-themed party you plan to host.

It would be a delicious family dinner dessert for Taco Tuesday / Cinco de Mayo or even a sweet way to celebrate finishing this year's Spanish Class at school.

More Cake Recipes

I think a 9 x 13-inch cake is a fun way to make a party dessert. Sometimes I make them from scratch, sometimes I dress up a boxed cake mix.

Here are a few other easy cake recipes you may enjoy: