Tres leches cake, a classic Latin American dessert, can be made from scratch or from a boxed cake mix. Soak the vanilla cake in the traditional three milks sauce and frost with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
PREP TIME 45 minutesminutes
CHILL TIME 3 hourshours
COOK TIME 40 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 4 hourshours10 minutesminutes
YIELD 12servings
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Sponge Cake *See Notes
2cupsflour
2tspbaking powder
1tspkosher salt
5eggsseparate the whites and yolks
2cupssugardivided
8tbsp(1 stick) buttersoftened
1 1/2tspvanilla
1cupmilk
For the Tres Leches Sauce
1(14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1(12 oz) can evaporated milk
1/2cupheavy cream
1/2tspvanilla
For the Whipped Cream Topping *See Notes
1 1/2cupsheavy cream
1/2cuppowdered sugar
1/2tspvanilla
Sprinkle of ground cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the Vanilla Sponge Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl and whisk them together. Set them aside.
Place the whisk attachment on a stand mixer and set a small bowl near the mixer. Separate the eggs by placing the egg whites in the mixer bowl and the egg yolks in the small bowl next to it. Reserve the egg yolks.
Whisk the egg whites in the stand mixer on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed another notch to medium high. Measure just 1 cup of the sugar and add it just 2 tablespoons at a time to the mixer while the whisk is running. Count to 10 and then add another 2 tablespoons. Repeat till the cup of sugar has been incorporated into the egg whites.
Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to whisk the egg whites until they are thickened, glossy, and stiff peaks form when the whisk attachment is pulled up. Be sure to stop the mixer once or twice and scrape down the sides of the bowl so there are no too-soft egg whites at the bottom.
Gently scrape the egg whites into a clean bowl and set aside. Return the mixing bowl to the stand mixer (there's no need to wash it.) Replace the whisk attachment with the paddle attachment.
Add the softened butter and remaining cup of sugar to the stand mixer. Beat them together on medium speed until well incorporated.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, to the mixer and beat it until just combined. Scrape the bowl down and add another egg yolk. Repeat till they are all incorporated. Add the vanilla and stir one last time.
Remove the mixing bowl from the mixer stand so you have more room to work. Add roughly 1/4 cup of the milk to the egg yolk mixture and stir it in completely. Add about 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to the bowl of egg yolks and stir it in completely. Repeat adding the milk and then the flour in three more turns. This helps ensure the batter is smooth and well incorporated.
Gently scrape the reserved egg whites into the mixing bowl. Slowly and carefully fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Be sure to break up all the bits of egg whites but don't mix too hard or your cake will be dense.
Pour the prepared batter into the baking dish and bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the cake is set in the middle and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool for one hour.
Prepare the Tres Leches Sauce and Chill the Cake
In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetened condense milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, and vanilla.
Use a fork or skewer to poke holes all the way through the cake from the top to the bottom of the baking dish all over the surface of the cake. This will make space for the tres leches to soak in better.
Slowly pour the tres leches over the top of the cake making sure to cover every last little spot. Smooth it over the cake as needed.
Let the cake rest for 5 minutes so that the sauce can start to soak into the cake. Then cover the baking dish with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and transfer the cake to the fridge. Let it chill for at least 3 hours up to overnight.
Frost with Whipped Cream Topping
Just before you're ready to serve the cake, frost it with whipped cream on top.
To make the homemade whipped cream, whisk together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of the stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium-high. Whisk the cream until thickened and spreadable and smooth over the top of the cake.
You can sprinkle the ground cinnamon over the entire top of the cake before slicing or you can simply garnish each individual serving as you plate it for your friends and family.
Recipe Notes
Easy Tres Leches Cake from Cake Mix with Whipped Topping
If the from-scratch cake instructions and the homemade whipped cream don't fit your party prep timetable, you can make a significantly easier version of this tres leches cake with a boxed cake mix and container of Cool Whip style whipped topping.Bake a vanilla cake mix in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan according to the box instructions. Let the cake cool completely and then poke holes in it with a fork or skewer.Pour the tres leches sauce over the top and let it chill for 3 hours.Spread one 8oz container of thawed whipped topping over the cake before serving.Prepared whipped topping is an excellent choice if you want to frost your cake up to 24 hours in advance of your party since it will hold its shape better than homemade whipped cream.