How to Make 3 Milk Cake or Tres Leches - A Step-by-Step Guide

3 Milk Cake, also known as Tres Leches, is a popular dessert in Latin America and Mexico. This decadent cake gets its name from the three types of milk used in the recipe: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. The cake itself is soaked in this rich, creamy mixture, giving it a moist and luscious texture that is sure to please any sweet tooth.

While the exact origins of Tres Leches are debated, it is widely believed to have originated in Nicaragua or Mexico. Regar...

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Ingredients

  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoons milk
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Information

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Additional Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
  • Servings: 10
  • Yield: 1 9x13-inch sheet cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
  • Beat 6 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy; set yolks aside. Gradually beat in sugar until mixture holds soft peaks. Beat in flour gradually, then beat in milk, reserved egg yolks, melted butter, 4 teaspoons vanilla extract, and baking powder, beating in each ingredient thoroughly before adding the next. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
  • Bake in preheated oven until cake is browned and crusty on top, no more than 30 minutes. Let cake cool in pan for about 10 minutes before gently removing cake to finish cooling.
  • Whisk sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and half-and-half in a bowl. Pour half the 3-milk mixture into a pan deeper and longer than the cake. Lay the cake into the milk mixture. Use a fork to score deep lines into the top of the cake and pour remaining 3-milk mixture over cake, allowing the mixture to soak in.
  • Beat cream cheese with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a bowl with electric mixer until soft and fluffy; gradually beat in cream until frosting is thick and spreadable. Spread over the cake.
  • Nutrition

    748 cal.

    • Total Fat: 38g
    • Saturated Fat: 23g
    • Cholesterol: 234mg
    • Sodium: 422mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 88g
    • Dietary Fiber: 1g
    • Total Sugars: 66g
    • Protein: 15g
    • Vitamin C: 2mg
    • Calcium: 406mg
    • Iron: 2mg
    • Potassium: 416mg