Strawberry Tres Leches Cake
A light, spongy cake soaked in three types of milk and topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. A classic Mexican dessert that's impossibly moist and elegant enough for any celebration.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 12
- Calories
- 420
- Protein
- 8g
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 whole large eggs, separated
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon dark rum or vanilla liqueur
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 6 whole maraschino cherries, optional garnish
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with unsalted butter or nonstick spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper for easy removal. This ensures your cake releases cleanly and prevents sticking.
- 2
Sift together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder, and 0.25 teaspoon of kosher salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- 3
In a separate bowl, whisk together the three milks for the soak: one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, one 12-ounce can of evaporated milk, and 0.5 cup of heavy cream. Stir in 3 tablespoons of dark rum or vanilla liqueur. Set this soak aside at room temperature.
- 4
Separate 5 large eggs, placing yolks in one bowl and whites in another — even a tiny bit of yolk will prevent the whites from whipping properly. Add 0.75 cup of granulated sugar to the yolks and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 3-4 minutes. You should see the volume increase and the color lighten from golden to pale yellow.
- 5
Add 0.25 cup of whole milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the egg yolk mixture. Beat on medium speed until fully combined, about 1 minute.
- 6
Gently fold the sifted flour mixture into the wet ingredients using a rubber spatula. Use slow, deliberate motions — fold from the bottom of the bowl up and over the top, rotating the bowl a quarter turn with each fold. Stop as soon as you see no white streaks. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the cake tough.
- 7
In the separate bowl with the egg whites, beat on high speed with clean beaters until stiff peaks form — the whites should look glossy and hold their shape when you lift the beaters. This takes about 4-5 minutes.
- 8
Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter in two additions. Use the same gentle folding technique — you want to keep as much air in the batter as possible, which is what makes a tres leches cake light and airy.
- 9
Pour the batter into your prepared 9x13-inch baking dish and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is light golden, about 25-30 minutes. The cake is done when it springs back lightly when you press the center with your finger.
- 10
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes at room temperature — it will be delicate, so handle gently. Using a fork, pierce the entire surface of the cake all over, creating lots of small holes. This allows the tres leches soak to penetrate deeply.
- 11
Slowly pour the entire tres leches soak evenly over the pierced cake, starting at one end and working across the surface. The milk mixture will absorb into the cake gradually — don't rush this. If some liquid pools on top, that's fine; it will absorb as the cake cools.
- 12
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. This resting time allows the flavors to meld and the cake to set properly so it can be sliced cleanly.
- 13
When you're ready to serve, prepare the topping. In a large bowl, whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream with 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 0.5 teaspoon of vanilla extract on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Don't overbeat or you'll end up with butter.
- 14
Spread the whipped cream evenly over the chilled cake using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Arrange 1.5 pounds of fresh strawberries — hulled and sliced — on top in overlapping rows or scattered across the surface. Garnish with 6 whole maraschino cherries if desired. Slice into 12 pieces and serve cold.
Tools you’ll need
- 9x13-inch baking dish
- parchment paper
- medium mixing bowl
- whisk
- large mixing bowl
- electric mixer with whip attachment
- rubber spatula
- offset spatula
- fork
- plastic wrap
- toothpick
- knife for slicing strawberries
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
