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Eggless Tres Leches Cake/Mexican Cake Recipe

Cooking Method
Cuisine
Courses
Difficulty Beginner
Time
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 38 min Total Time: 48 mins
Servings 8
Best Season Suitable throughout the year
Description

Tres Leches Cake is a must try and one of the best Mexican dessert. Tres Leches cake is basically a sponge cake, pricked, soaked in three varieties of milk mixture and topped with whipped cream. This deliciously rich, moist, milk-soaked cake is amazingly satisfying and melts right way in your mouth.

Ingredients
    Dry Ingredients
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour/Cake Mix (see notes for cake mix recipe)
  • 1½ Tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1½ Tsp. Baking Soda
  • ½ Tsp. Salt
  • Wet Ingredients
  • ½ cup Butter (At room temperature)
  • 2-3 Tbsp. White Sugar
  • 14 oz./400 g. Sweetened Condense milk
  • 1 Tbsp. Vanilla extract
  • ½ - 1 cup Milk
  • Milk Mixture
  • 2 cups Whole milk
  • 1 can/14 oz Sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 can/12 oz Evaporated milk
  • For Whipping Cream
  • 2 cups Heavy whipping cream
  • 6 Tbsp. Icing sugar
  • ½ Tsp. Vanilla essence
  • Toppings
  • Handful Fresh fruits of your choice (I have used strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)
  • 1/8-1/4 Tsp. Cinnamon powder
Instructions
    Getting Ready
  1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F 0r 180 degrees C.

  2. Grease 9” round baking tin and dust with all-purpose flour.

  3. Mix Dry Ingredients
  4. In a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. 

  5. Sieve all the ingredients thrice. Mix well and keep aside.

  6. Mix Wet Ingredients
  7. In a bowl whisk, together butter and sugar till well blended. 

  8. Next add in condense milk, vanilla extract and beat until everything gets incorporated.

  9. Mixing and Baking
  10. Now pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in three batches and whisk well.

  11. Now gradually add milk from ½ cup to 1 cup to get the right consistency.

  12. Pour batter in greased tin and fill the half way. You can use 2 baking pans instead of 1 pan.

  13. Bake it for 20 minutes or till toothpick inserted comes out clean. The time may vary depending on size of the pan and size of the oven.

  14. Remove onto a wire rack and let it cool down just for 15-20 minutes. Let’s work on milk mixture meanwhile.

  15. For Milk Mixture
  16. In a bowl/jug add sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk. Mix well and keep aside. The mixture should taste lightly sweet, adjust the condensed milk according to your taste.

  17. For Soaking
  18. Line the cake tin with cling wrap or use deep dish plate. 

  19. Once the cake has cooled for 20 minutes, invert the cake. Now using a fork, prick the cake all over the top.

  20. Transfer the cake into lined cake pan or deep dish. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake. Tilt the pan so milk mixture covers all the edges. 

  21. Don’t be afraid to use all the milk, the cake will soak it up. I used 3 cups milk mixture for soaking and saved 1 cup for serving.

  22. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight.

  23. For Whipping Cream
  24. Chill the bowl and whisk attachment for 15 minutes in freezer. This will help the cream whip quickly and will increase its volume.

  25. Pour the heavy whipping cream into big bowl, I have used kitchen aid stand mixer with a wire hook attachment here. You can also use a hand mixer.

  26. Whisk on medium speed until it just starts to thicken. 

  27. At this point gradually pour in the sugar and vanilla essence, continue to whisk at medium high speed until stiff peaks form.

  28. Your cream is done when it holds stiff peaks.

  29. For Tres Leches Cake
  30. After 2 hours, gently transfer the cake into serving platter or you can continue in same cake tin. I have cut rectangle cake in1 big square cake and two small pieces. Trim the sides, this step optional.

  31. Now spread the frosting over chilled cake and spread evenly.

  32. Refrigerate the cake for 10-15 minutes to set the icing. Meanwhile slice the strawberries and keep other fruits ready.

  33. Garnish the cake with sliced strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Dust with cinnamon powder as per your taste.

  34. Refrigerate the cake for 2-3 hours before serving.

  35. Soft, moist and chilled Tres Leches Cake is ready to serve, Enjoy!!! Store leftover cake refrigerated; cake stays fresh up to 3-4 days.

Note
  • Cake Flour Mix: You can easily make cake flour at home by adding cornstarch and all-purpose flour. For every cup of cake flour called for the recipe, measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Remove 1 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour from the measurement and replace with 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch. Whisk to combine and sift flour mixture. Cake flour is ready.
  • Milk Mixture: For milk mixture to make it light, add 2% milk instead of whole milk.
  • Pricking & Soaking: When you prick the cake, do not prick it all the way down, just prick half way. Leave the cake for soaking for at least 2 hours, more soaking times makes better moist and soft cake. If you let the cake soak overnight, cover the cake with cling wrap and refrigerate.
  • Cake Serving Plate: For this cake use high edge plate or deep dish, as the milk mixture might run out the sides as you pour over it.
  • Garnish: Traditionally Maraschino cherries are used to garnish Tres Letches cake, but fruits like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries also goes well with this cake.
Keywords: Delicious, Homemade, From the scratch
Rekha Nahata
A Food Blogger

Hi,
I am Rekha Nahata - a mother, wife, daughter and a friend who is passionate about cooking. I bring you a collection of my tried and tested recipes that are  delicious and easy to prepare. My step by step instruction guide will help you understand not only the procedure but also make cooking not a task anymore! 

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