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This is the perfect classic Tres Leches Cake (milk cake): light, soft, moist and thoroughly soaked in a delicious three milk mixture that has the perfect amount of sweetness and a hint of cinnamon. The base is a sponge (“biscuit”) cake made by folding whipped egg whites into the batter for its light and spongy texture, and no oil or butter to weigh it down. The cake is baked, poked with holes and soaked in a mixture of three milks: sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk. Finally, a layer of plain whipped cream (no sugar) is piped on top to finish the cake and balance it out, along with some fresh berries for decoration. This Tres Leches is truly as good as it gets with no dry bits to be found, while also being incredibly simple!
I first developed this recipe in 2023 after falling in love with the viral Milk Cake from L’ETO Caffe in London. Since then, I’ve tested, tweaked and improved it further to create a version that is light and moist like the original, but even better in flavor.
This is one of the first and only Tres Leches cake recipes that has worked really well for me! The sponge was super soft and the overall flavor was perfect. Another one of Zoha’s recipes added to my dinner party menu! Give it a go, you won’t be disappointed.
– Deeba, ★★★★★
If you’re too short on time to attempt a sponge cake from scratch, you may wanna try my Easy No Bake Tres Leches which uses ladyfingers instead and works perfectly! And if you’re not scared to venture out in flavor, my Mango Lassi Tres Leches and Masala Chai Tres Leches are both delicious.
Step-by-Step Photos
The detailed recipe is below, but let’s quickly go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
Add half of the sugar, milk, vanilla and salt to the egg yolks.
Whisk thoroughly until the mixture becomes light in color.
Sift in the flour, cornstarch and baking powder.
Whisk or fold in gently until no lumps remain.
To the egg whites, add the other half of the sugar and cream of tartar (optional).
Using clean whisks, whip the egg whites until they form a stiff, glossy and stable meringue that holds a peak.
Add a third of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture and gently fold it in.
Add the rest of the meringue and continue gently folding until just combined.
Gently transfer the batter to a 9×13″ baking pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean – then let it cool down.
It is totally normal for the sponge cake to deflate a bit after you take it out of the oven as it loses steam. As long as it still has a light texture, you’re fine!
Add the ingredients for the milk mixture to a bowl.
Whisk to combine, and taste to adjust! I like to start with a smaller amount of sweetened condensed milk, and add more if I feel it’s needed.
Use the back of a skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Pour over half of the three milk mixture and let it aborb.
Pour over the rest of the milk mixture and refrigerate until it is all soaked in.
Once chilled, decorate the cake with whipped cream and fresh berries! I use a 1M star tip to pipe swirls and they look beautiful.
Two Common Mistakes To Avoid
The most important thing you need to get right for this recipe is, unsurprisingly, the Sponge Cake itself. Unlike many recipes which use boxed cake mix and end up feeling heavy and dense, this recipe uses a “biscuit sponge” which is very light and airy with no oil or butter. When correctly made, the cake will have lots of air pockets that soak up all the liquid like a sponge while still maintaining a light texture.
There are 2 common mistakes people make which result in a dense or rubbery sponge instead of a light one – and here’s how you can avoid them.
1. Not whipping the egg whites properly
The egg whites are whipped with sugar and cream of tartar until they form a white and glossy meringue. The air whipped into the meringue is what gives the cake its texture, so it is crucial to whip it perfectly. Here are my best tips for you:
- Make sure there’s no fat in the egg whites. Use a clean bowl and clean whisks with no grease residue, and ensure you don’t accidentally get any egg yolks in them. Fat causes egg whites to deflate
- Whisk on medium speed. Medium speed allows creating the right sized air bubbles that are stable. If you try to whisk at high speed, the meringue can become split and deflate. So be patient and take your time!
- Don’t under-whip. You are looking for the stiff peak phase. This means when you lift the whisk (or beaters) from the meringue, it should leave behind a little peak that stands up straight and doesn’t fall back down. If it bends back down into the bowl, whisk longer
- Don’t overwhip, either! Once the meringue reaches the stiff peak stage, stop whisking. Over-whipping adds too many air bubbles which break down the structure of the meringue
2. Overmixing the batter
The meringue needed to be folded into the rest of the cake batter. The goal with here is to retain as much of the air in the meringue as possible, so you don’t undo all the effort! Many people end up overmixing or being too aggressive with this step, which causes the batter to deflate. Here are my tips:
- Start with a third of the meringue. This will lighten up the texture of the cake batter, making it easier to mix with the rest of the meringue
- Use a very gentle folding motion with a rubber spatula. Go around the bowl, then cut through, then lift from the bottom. Don’t do any rigorous whisking, and take your time here
- Don’t overdo it! As soon as the meringue is 95% of the way folded in, you can stop. If you see a few tiny lumps of meringue, break them gently with the spatula.
A Few More Tips
- Weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale – this is much more accurate than measuring cups, and you won’t accidentally add too much flour!
- Don’t let the cake batter sit out for too long – bake it straight away so it doesn’t lose air
- Use a metal baking pan, NOT ceramic or glass. Sponge cakes do not bake and dry out properly in ceramic / glass pans
- Do NOT grease the pan, and ideally avoid nonstick! Put parchment paper on the bottom but no oil, butter or spray on the edges. We want the cake batter to be able to hold on to the edges of the pan to rise and stay there as it cools. If your pan is greased, the cake will fall away from the edges immediately and deflate more than desired
- Taste the three milk mixture. Start with a smaller amount of sweetened condensed milk, taste, and add more as needed
- Feel free to customize the flavor. Don’t like cinnamon? Skip it or use vanilla instead. Want a rus malai flavor? Replace it with cardamom powder (my personal fave!)
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Ingredients
Cake Sponge:
- 6 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g), divided into 2 equal portions of 100g each
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup whole milk (80g)
- 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour (175g)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
Three Milk Mixture:
- 14oz sweetened condensed milk (1 14oz can) (400g)
- 24oz evaporated milk (2 12oz cans) (680g)
- 1 cup milk (240g)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
Decoration:
- 2 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled and whipped to medium peaks (600g)
- Fresh berries of choice
Instructions
Cake Sponge:
- Preheat your oven to 350F (conventional) and prepare a 9×13″ metal cake pan with parchment paper on the bottom (no butter, oil or spray)
- Separate the egg whites and yolks into 2 clean bowls, taking care not to get any yolk into the whites
- To the yolks, add half of the sugar, salt, vanilla, and milk. Whisk for 2-3 minutes until light in color
- Sift in the flour, cornstarch and baking powder, and gently mix until just combined
- Add the cream or tartar and remaining half cup of sugar to the egg whites, and use a clean mixer to whisk on medium speed until a glossy, stiff meringue is formed (you should be able to hold the bowl upside down without the meringue falling out). This process can take several minutes, please read my tips in the blog post above to ensure the meringue is perfect
- Add 1/3 of the meringue to the remaining cake, and use a rubber spatula to very gently fold it in. Then add the rest of the meringue and continue to very slowly and gently fold it in. Take care not to knock out the air or overmix the batter; it should be very light and fluffy
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
- Let the cake cool down in the pan – it is normal for it to deflate a bit; as long as it is still soft and light, it will be fine!
Soaking:
- Mix the ingredients of the three milk mixture in a bowl. Taste and adjust as needed
- Keeping the cake in the pan, poke holes in it using a skewer
- Slowly pour half of the three milk mixture onto the cake inside the pan. If baked properly, it should soak up the mixture quickly. Wait 10 minutes, then pour over the remaining milk mixture
- Keep the cake in the fridge for 1-2 hours until it has absorbed all the liquid
Decoration:
- Whisk the heavy cream to medium peaks and transfer to a piping bag. Pipe swirls on top of the cake (alternatively, just spread it with a spatula). Decorate with berries however you like
- Slice up & enjoy!
Video Tutorial
Notes
- Make ahead: You can prepare this cake 1-2 days in advance. Soak the cake after baking, then cover the pan with cling wrap and refrigerate. Decorate with freshly whipped cream when ready to serve
- Storage: Store the cake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week
Comments
Rima
Hi there – will be making a ras malai version of this tomorrow. Can i add ground pistachio to the cake batter or would you only add as garnish?
Also, do you use large or medium eggs?
Zoha Malik
large eggs (50g) and I wouldn’t recommend adding anything to the cake batter as it can deflate easily from the fat from the nuts 🙂
Maria
hello zoha I tried few of your recipes and I must say your recipes are perfect and accurate in measurements.
The tres leches recipe is also very balanced good job dear .
Zoha
Thank you so much, Maria! That means a lot to me <3
Priya
Hi if I wanted to change the milk mixture to a chocolate or pistachio, are you able to tell me the ratios I’d use
Zoha
Hi there! It’s very flexible depending on your taste. if adding pistachio cream, I recommend reducing sweetened condensed milk, mixing in the pistachio cream, tasting and adjusting. just make sure the milk mixture is still fairly liquid as if it becomes thick, it will not absorb easily.
Sarah
Incredible recipe as always ive tried many recipes from bake with zoha and not once has she disappointed love you soo much !!
Zoha
Thank you so much, Sarah! Means the world to me <3
Z
Hi Zoha, thanks for sharing the recipe. Love everything I have made from your website so far! Quick one- can we sub vanilla bean paste with vanilla extract, or would it change the flavor of the cake?
Zoha
Yes, that should be totally ok 🙂
Ayesha A
I made this yesterday for iftar and my family loved it. I really love trying out your recipes 🙂
Zoha
I am honored, thank you so much Ayesha 🙂
Zenab
hi zoha, i made this cake yesterday, it was my first attempt of making tres leches, i followed your recipe and it turned out amazing, everyone in the family loved it. Thank you so much 😊
Zoha
Aw, thank you so much, Zenab!
Fowziah Akhtar
Hi Zoha, I’ve made your milk cake from the old recipe so many times and its delicious, it such a forgiving recipe ! With the new recipe we all got seconds but my family said they preferred the old one (apparently the new one tastes more cakey). Could you republish that aswell or email it to me.
Thank you. Personally I think both recipes are fabulous
Zoha
Hi there! the recipe is the exact same, just the quantities have been doubled. You can halve all quantities for the “old” version 🙂
Jaseema Jasmin
Tres leches is my all time favorites and I started making it from 2019.The last time I tried it with your recipe,and I loved it.Looking forward to try more from your list
Zoha
Yay, thank you so much!
N
Made a double batch of the recipe for our community gathering. Everyone loved it! Thank you Zoha
Zoha
I am honored, thnak you so much!
Afsheen Atif
I made it many times and always appreciated by my guests.
Zoha
So happy to hear that!
Amara Nisar
Made this and it was a hit. The cake the sweetness everything was on point.
I was little bit worried about how it will taste but it turned out fantastic 😋thank you Soo much❣️
Zoha
AW thank you so much!
Shahina
Tried making this tres leches for the first time. I was amazed how easy and simple it was to make. Very clear and precise recipe & instructions. Loved it ❤️❤️
Zoha
SO glad you liked it!
Sanya
hi, can i use vanilla extract liquid instead of vanilla bean paste?
Maryam aftab
thissssss recipeeee is there OG tres leches recipe that youll everrr find like c’mon the spongeee turneddd out sooo damnnnn gooodddd 😭😭😭💗💗✨✨🎀🎀🎀
THANK YOUUU SOOO MUCHH ZOHAAAAAA
Namra Ahmad
Ufffff I made it and it turned out so good. Thanks thanks thanks zoha 😘😘😘🥰🥰
Axelle
It was so good. I really wanted to try a tres leche but no one is selling it in my country so I tried the recipe.
Zoha
I am really glad you liked it!
Uroosa
Hi Zoha, love watching your videos. I’ve never baked before, so this going to be my first time trying out your recipe. Can you please help me with a few questions I have :
1. When the cake is ready, baked & cooled, how & when do you take out the parchment paper, before you add the milk mixture to it? Because I do not want to add milk to it, while having the parchment paper on.
2. Can I prepare the cake, soak it & also add the frosting to it, a day before the event, and just refrigerate it? Will it change the way it looks or the taste? I just want to get it done ahead of time, so that I don’t have to do it on the daawat day.
3. Can I use a glass/ceramic pan to bake? Also, can I just use 1/2 of all the quantities you listed, to make a smaller portion?
4. Can we skip cornstarch & cream of tartar? or are there any alternatives for it?
Thanks so much !
Zoha
Hi Uroosa! I left the parchment underneath but what you can do is let the cake cool, take it out of the pan, remove the parchment, and put it back in the pan. Yes, you can do everything the day before and keep in the fridge. I do not recommend glass/ceramic pans for baking this kind of cake, metal is best. if you want to do just 1/2 the quantities, please don’t use a pan bigger than 9×9 and reduce baking time slightly. Do not skip cornstarch, but cream of tartar can be skipped
Ayesha
Amazing!!! Husband made me bake it again for him alone.. after I had made it for a dawat 😍😍😍😍
He said it’s the best tres leches he everrrr had!
Zoha
AWWH yay thank you so much!!
Zainab
This is by far the BEST, the ABSOLUTE BEST tres leches you’ll make! The sponge is soo ‘sponge-y’ that it soaks up all the milk beautifully without being soggy.
I’ve made this recipe around 15+ times now. And to whoever I give this cake, ALWAYS asks for more. It’s a big hit in my family, friends and neighbours.
Zoha
I am SOO honored, thank you so much, Zainab!!!