This Tres Leches Layered Cake is exactly what dreams are made of and more. Made with a doctored-up boxed cake mix for a base, we get three layers of flavor and simplicity. You're going to love this milk and berries cake!
Recipe: $18.24 | Per Serving: $1.14 | Servings: 16
A strawberry tres leches cake, also known as a "3 milk cake" is a very moist cake served with a whipped cream topping and fresh fruits. Oftentimes it's strawberries but other fruits and berries work great too.
Tres Leches Cake is delicious because it strikes the perfect balance between moisture, creamy richness, and sweetness, providing a delightful textural experience that's both comforting and indulgent.
These cakes are also usually made in a 9x13 baking dish so that they are a single layer. We, however, took it to the next level and made a 3 layer tres leches cake.
For more fun cake recipes, make sure to check out our Southern Banana Pudding Cake, Easy Rainbow Unicorn Cake, and Easter Confetti Cake.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- It's easy to make. Made with a stabilized whipped cream frosting on the outside and a boxed cake mix on the inside, this cake is super easy for anyone to make.
- It looks gorgeous with little effort. I am not a professional cake decorator, but just look at how incredible the cake can turn out! It'll look AMAZING at any Cinco de Mayo event or Taco themed party alongside some Nacho Cupcakes.
- The best part? The inside of the Tres Leches Layered Cake is really moist thanks to our three milk syrups and the fresh strawberries between every layer will have our tastebuds in heaven.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Cake mix- The base of this recipe is the dry mix found inside of one box of yellow cake mix. Do not prepare the boxed mix.
We use cake mix for everything from Cake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies to Jiffy Cornbread With Cake Mix and for our fancier cakes like this one and our Chocolate Pistachio Bundt Cake as well. The convenience, quality and taste, are all great reasons to keep a box on hand.
Oil- Vegetable oil is used to prevent the cake from feeling dry. While melted butter could work, it may make the cake dense.
Heavy cream- Heavy cream serves as the base of the frosting. Tres leches cakes typically feature whipped cream, so we'll be making our own stabilized whipped cream frosting.
Vanilla pudding mix- Adding a box of dry vanilla pudding mix helps stabilize the whipped cream frosting, allowing for easy piping and frosting.
Tres leches syrup- This is made with three milks and for this syrup we will be using evaporated milk, condensed sweetened milk, and heavy cream or regular milk.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions for Tres Leches Layered Cake
Prepare the cake layers
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2: Cut some parchment paper into circles that can fit at the bottom of your 8-inch cake pans. Spray cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and lay the parchment circles inside. Spray again with cooking spray and set aside.
Step 3: In an extra-large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, flour, sugar, salt, and boxed vanilla pudding mix (Image 1). Add in the cinnamon if using.
Step 4: Whisk together until well blended (Image 2).
Step 5: In another mixing bowl, add the eggs, sour cream, oil, water, and vanilla (Image 3).
Step 6: Blend together until smooth (Image 4).
Step 7: Add your wet ingredients to the dry ones (Image 5).
Step 8: Mix until well combined and no flour streaks remain (Image 6).
Step 9: Divide the batter evenly between your three cake pans and spread the batter to level it out nicely (Image 7).
Step 10: Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean (Image 8).
Step 11: Once the cakes have finished baking allow them to cool in the cake pans for about 10 minutes before flipping over onto a cooling rack while warm, poke the tops with a toothpick several times.
Tres Leches Syrup
Step 12: Prepare the syrup by mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk until smooth (Image 9). Reserve 1 cup of the liquid in a small bowl.
Step 13: Spoon the syrup onto the cakes and use the back of the spoon to press the liquid into the cake as you go along (Image 10). You will need to repeat the syrup over the top of the cakes a few times to get them nice and moist.
Whipped Cream Frosting
Step 14: Combine the vanilla pudding mix with your reserved Tres Leches syrup. Whisk together until well blended and allow to sit for a few minutes to set.
Step 15: In a large mixing bowl, add the heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (Image 11).
Step 16: Beat just until stiff peaks form (Image 12).
Step 17: Add in the pudding mixture (Image 13).
Step 18: Continue to beat for about 15-20 seconds until the mixture has been fully incorporated (Image 14). You should still have stiff peaks forming.
Assembly
Step 19: Place some frosting into a pastry bag or Ziploc baggie with a corner snipped off.
Step 20: Frost the tops of two of the cakes with frosting and add some sliced strawberries on top (Image 15).
Step 21: Apply another thin layer of frosting over the top of the berries (Image 16).
Keep unused frosting in a covered bowl in the fridge. This helps for stability to keep the cake and frosting cold. Alternatively, half the time in the freezer may work too.
Step 22: Stack the cakes and then chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to set (Image 17).
Step 23: Frost the outside of the cake as desired and garnish with fresh strawberries and fruits. Sprinkle with cinnamon along the sides if desired (Image 18).
Slice, serve, and enjoy!
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Leveling the Cakes- For a shorter, more even cake, remove cooked cakes from pans, and level tops, and return to pans. Spoon tres leches syrup over the tops to absorb. Avoid oversaturation.
- Chilling the Frosting- If the frosting becomes messy and difficult to apply, place the cake in the freezer and the frosting in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firm up. This makes it easier to spread evenly.
- Tools for Frosting- Use a large frosting leveler, a butter knife, or a clean wooden ruler to spread the frosting evenly over the tops and sides of the cake.
- Cinnamon Decoration- To cover up any imperfections on the cake's sides, gently shake cinnamon from a sifter or sieve up and down the sides of the cake. This adds visual appeal and camouflages minor flaws.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Tres leches cake is often served at celebrations like birthdays, weddings, and holidays, but it's also enjoyed as a delightful dessert for any occasion.
Common toppings and garnishes include whipped cream, fresh fruit, cinnamon, and a sprinkle of cocoa or cinnamon powder.
Yes, you can make tres leches cake in advance. In fact, it often tastes better after it has had time to absorb the milk mixture. Refrigerate it until serving.
What makes Tres Leches cake special is that it's soaked in three types of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. This gives it a rich, creamy texture that makes it a delicious treat.
It's not recommended to leave Tres Leches cake out overnight as it contains dairy products in the syrup and frosting. These ingredients can spoil if left at room temperature for too long, increasing the risk of foodborne illness. It's best to store Tres Leches cake in the refrigerator to keep it fresh and safe to eat for longer.
❤️ More Delicious Cake Recipes
If you tried this Tres Leches Layered Cake, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Tres Leches Layered Cake
Equipment
- (3) 8 inch cake pans
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box (15.25oz) yellow cake mix (just the dry stuff!) ($1.00)
- 1 cup all purpose flour ($0.13)
- 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.36)
- 1 teaspoon salt ($0.01)
- 1 box (3.4oz) vanilla flavored instant pudding mix ($0.98)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon *optional ($0.04)
- 4 large eggs ($0.60)
- 1 cup sour cream ($1.00)
- ½ cup vegetable oil ($0.35)
- 1 cup milk ($0.20)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.03)
Tres Leches Syrup
- 1 can (12oz) evaporated milk ($1.26)
- 1 can (14oz) condensed milk ($1.86)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (or regular milk) ($1.49)
- 1 splash vanilla extract ($0.01)
Frosting
- 1 small box (3.4oz) vanilla flavored instant pudding mix ($0.98)
- 1 cup reserved tres leches syrup
- 1 quart heavy whipping cream ($5.67)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ($0.03)
- 1 pound fresh strawberries ($2.24)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut some parchment paper into circles that can fit at the bottom of your 8 inch cake pans. Spray cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and lay the parchment circles inside. Spray again with cooking spray and set aside.
- In an extra large mixing bowl whisk together the cake mix, flour, sugar, salt, and boxed vanilla pudding mix. Add in the cinnamon if using.
- In another mixing bowl blend together the eggs, sour cream, oil, milk, and vanilla.
- Add your wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix until well combined and no flour streaks remain.
- Divide the batter evenly between your three cake pans and spread the batter to level it out nicely.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out clean.
- Once the cakes have finished baking allow them to cool in the cake pans for about 10 minutes before flipping over onto a cooling rack while warm, poke the tops with a toothpick several times and spoon the Tres Leches Syrup over the top.
Tres Leches Syrup
- Prepare the syrup by mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of the liquid in a small bowl.
- Spoon the syrup onto the cakes and use the back of the spoon to press the liquid into the cake as you go along. You will need to repeat the syrup over the top of the cakes a few times to get them nice and moist.
Prepare the Frosting
- Combine the vanilla pudding mix with your reserved Tres Leches syrup. Whisk together until well blended and allow to sit for a few minutes to set.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the heavy whipping cream with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
- Add in the pudding mixture and continue to beat for about 15-20 seconds until the mixture has been fully incorporated. You should still have stiff peaks forming.
Assembly
- Place some frosting into a pastry bag or Ziploc baggie with a corner snipped off.
- Frost the tops of two of the cakes with frosting and add some sliced strawberries on top. Apply another thin layer of frosting over the top of the berries.
- Stack the cakes and then chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to set. Keep unused frosting in a covered bowl in fridge. This helps for stability to keep the cake and frosting cold. Alternatively half the time in the freezer may work too.
- Frost the outside of the cake as desired and garnish with fresh strawberries and fruits. Sprinkle with cinnamon along the sides if desired.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- For a shorter and more level tres leches layer cake, remove the cakes from the pans and level the tops before returning them.
- Spoon the tres leches syrup over the cakes and allow them to absorb the liquid to enhance their moistness.
- Ensure the cake cools and absorbs the added liquid without becoming unstable when stacking the layers.
- If the frosting becomes difficult to work with, chill the cake in the freezer and the frosting in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
- Spread the frosting over the tops and sides using a large frosting leveler, a butter knife, or a clean office ruler.
- To cover up imperfections on the cake's sides, gently sift cinnamon up and down the sides for a decorative touch.
Lay says
I have to make this cake for a pickup in two days. How long should I let the liquid sit on the cake before icing it? I plan to bake one day, put the liquid on the next day & decorate it, then have it picked up the day after.
Nicole says
I have made it from start to finish in one day, and it did just fine, but there was a lot of fridge and freezer chilling between steps. I recommend using a support rod in the center just in case (since it sounds like you'll be selling the cake, it would alleviate some of the stress from cake transport). The liquid should rest on the cake layers for about 10 minutes, but as the cake ages and rests, it will continue to absorb the liquid and moisten. I would recommend baking the cake and adding the liquid in the same day and then decorating it the following day.