With summer upon us I thought this is the perfect time to share my family’s FAVORITE Cinco de Mayo dessert that will be the perfect compliment to your tacos and guacamole. 😉  Have you ever wondered how to make a tres leches cake? Well, you’re in luck, because this is a super easy Tres Leches cake recipe!  

We actually love this as a spring/summer dessert every year…it’s not just a Cinco de Mayo dessert!  Once you taste it you will realize why we don’t like to limit ourselves to eating it just once a year. Andy likes it for his birthday in April and it makes a great refreshing summer party dessert too.  

This Tres Leches cake recipe takes just about an hour to make and will have all of your guests begging you for the recipe.  This can be a REALLY calorie laden cake, so I have lightened it up a bit without sacrificing flavor.  That means you can eat a bigger piece.  You’re welcome. 😉

Here’s what you will need for this amazing Cinco de Mayo dessert: (affiliate links are included in this post)

For the Tres Leches Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Milk Topping

• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can light sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can fat free evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup of white sugar

For the Cream Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. Cream butter or margarine and the 1 cup sugar together with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla, mix well.
3. Add the flour and baking powder to the wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F  for 30 minutes. 
5. After the cake comes out of the oven pierce the top of the cake ALL over with a fork.  You want the milk to have lots of places to go when you cover the cake with it. Let the cake cook completely.
6. Combine the 2% milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of white sugar together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
7. Whip whipping cream, the remaining 1 cup of the sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Refrigerate until really cold.  Serve cake icy cold like a nice glass of milk.
8. I like to top the cake with strawberries too, to help cut through the sugar!

Here’s a printable version for you:

Yield: 16

The Best Tres Leches Recipe

Print

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the Milk Topping
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 (14 ounce) can light sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can fat free evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• For the Cream Topping:
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
3. Cream butter or margarine and the 1 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat well.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
6. Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
7. Whip whipping cream, the remaining 1 cup of the sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

This tres leches cake recipe is so yummy, I want to make one now just writing this post!  😉 Looking for more great Mexican recipes and Cinco de Mayo dessert ideas?  Check out some of our most popular recipe posts for this festive time of year:

Delicious Taco Salad 

Chili Lime Chicken Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa and Avocado Crema

Yummy Chicken Enchiladas

Restaurant Style Guacamole

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

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Bon Apetit!

Tammy