Tres Leches (Three-Milk Cake)
"Dairy products effectively neutralize the heat of chilies. Cool off after a spicy Mexican meal with this cake. This is my most requested tres leches recipe and the simplest to make!"
photo by Jonathan Melendez
- Ready In:
- 1hr 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Serves:
-
12
ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 cup milk
- 1⁄4 cup Kahlua (or strong coffee)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- lightly sweetened softly whipped cream
- sliced strawberry
directions
- In a large bowl, with a mixer on high speed (use whip attachment if available), beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow, 5 to 6 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix flour and baking powder.
- With mixer on medium speed, gradually add flour mixture in small increments and beat until smooth.
- Scrape batter into a buttered 9 by 13 inch baking pan.
- Bake in a 325 degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl condensed milk, evaporated milk, regular milk, Kahlua, and vanilla until well blended.
- Pour evenly over hot cake; let cool about 15 minutes, then cover and chill until cake has absorbed all the milk mixture, at least 3 hours, or up to 1 day.
- Cut cake into squares or rectangles, lift out with a wide spatula, and set on plates.
- Top each piece of cake with a spoonful of whipped cream and garnish with strawberries.
Questions & Replies
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do you need to poke holes in the hot cake before pouring on the milk mixture?
Reviews
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To anyone making this cake, or any tres lehes cake, instead of poking it with a fork to absorb liquid, I simply turn the cake over on alumminum foil straight out of the oven and let it cool completely. When it is done cooling the top of the cake comes off and exposes the top. I then soak it and it absorbs the milk beautifuly. -
WOW!!! I love this recipe. My knowledge of Tres Leches was limited to seeing one on Good Eats on the Food Network. I am so glad I decided to make one. Everyone I shared this cake with wanted the recipe. I made one slight change in the preparation. I did not have Kahula so I upped the vanilla and added some almond extract. This is one recipe I intend to make again.
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This was such an easy cake to make. I've seen some tres leches cakes where you have to separate the eggs but this was straight forward and so much easier. It turned out great! -
This cake was fantastic. Instead of kahlua or coffee (not a fan), I added Bailey's Irish Cream. Mmmmmmmm. I served it with the whipped cream on the side and presented it with bowls of strawberries, blueberries and rasberries and let my guests make their own combination. It was a huge hit. To get the milk into the cake, initially, I used a pastry brush then realized that it would suck up liquid fairly quickly, but I did pour it slowly, all around the edges and the middle. I didn't want to lose that moisture. -
Hi. This was a request of a friend of my son. I had never heard of it before. Looking it up, this one sounded to be the most simple to make. This is an amazing cake and will always be a favorite now. The taste was unbelievable and we loved it. Our friend was thrilled to have this for her birthday!
see 11 more reviews
Tweaks
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I had my class make this yesterday for Cinco de Mayo. They didn't quite follow my directions and poured in 1/4 cup of instant coffee granules instead of making a cup of coffee first...it turned out to be a yummy mistake! Of the five things we cooked yesterday, this was of the top 2 favorites. It was easy and tasty...a little bit heavy and sweet, but still good. 'Gracias'. :-)
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
glynn117
United States
I'm a self-taught home cook who reads cookbooks like a novel. Then I try out all different nationalities of recipes, especially the more complicated ones...I love a challenge! I entertain often and enjoy cooking for others more than for myself. If my friends and family are happy eating my cooking, then I'm ecstatic!
