This Tres Leches Bundt Cake is sure to be a hit at your next party! It’s light, fluffy, and soaked in a delicious mixture of three milks. Plus, it’s easy to make and only requires a few ingredients.
Tres Leches means “three milks” in Spanish, and this cake gets its name from the fact that it’s soaked in a mixture of three different kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk.
The result is a cake that’s incredibly moist and flavorful. It’s perfect for serving at parties or gatherings, or even just for a special treat.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The cake is light, fluffy, moist and your entire family will enjoy this recipe.
- It’s soaked in a delicious mixture of three milks.
- It’s easy to make and starts with a simple yellow cake mix.
🛒Ingredients
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Cake Ingredients
- all purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- large eggs, separated
- granulated sugar
- whole milk
- vanilla extract
Filling Ingredients
- evaporated milk
- sweetened condensed milk
- heavy cream
- cinnamon
Icing Ingredients
- heavy cream
- confectioners sugar
- vanilla extract
See the recipe card below for quantities.
🔪 How to Make Tres Leches Bundt Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray the bundt pan with a non stick baking spray. Set to the side.
- Separate your eggs by adding the egg whites in one medium sized bowl and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and whisk to combine. Set to the side.
- Use an electric hand mixer and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set to the side.
- Add the sugar to the egg yolks and use an electric hand mixer.
- Mix the egg yolks and sugar for 6-7 minutes or until the egg mixture doubles in size and turns a lighter shade of yellow.
- Add in the milk and vanilla to the egg yolk mixture and mix together for 1 min on low speed.
- Begin to add the flour mixture slowly to the egg yolk mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
- Now add the egg whites into the batter and fold in together.
- Continue to fold in the egg whites until fully incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the bundt pan and baker for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- While the cake is cooling, make the filling.
Filling and Icing Directions:
- In a medium sized bowl add the evaporated milk, condensed milk, heavy cream and cinnamon.
- Mix with an electric mixer on low for 2 minutes.
- Using a skewer poke holes into the bundt cake,
- Pour 3⁄4 of the milk mixture into the holes.
- Allow to sit for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the pan and place on a baking tray.
- Pour the remaining milk mixture over the cake and allow to sit until the milk mixture is absorbed fully.
- Make the icing by adding all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use an electric hand held mixer.
- Mix the icing on medium for 4 minutes.
- Drizzle the icing over the cake.
Hint: I used a Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Cake pan to make this cake, because I love the designs it makes. You can use any type of bundt cake that you have on hand.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this Tres Leches Pound Cake recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Flavor: Increase the flavor of this dish by adding 1⁄2 teaspoon of almond extract to the cake batter.
- Nuts: Add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the cake batter before you add it to the pan for some crunch.
- Coconut: Switch out the heavy cream for coconut cream in the filling for a delicious variation.
- Chocolate: Add 1⁄2 cup of chocolate chips to the cake batter before you add it to the pan.
- Strawberries: Top this bundt cake with fresh strawberries for a beautiful and tasty garnish.
If you love bundt cake recipes give this Coconut Bundt Cake recipe a try.
🥄 Equipment
Here is a list of the equipment that you need to make this delicious recipe.
- Bundt pan
- Medium sized bowls
- Large mixing bowls
- Hand mixer
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Cake plate
🥫 Storage
Tres Leches Bundt Cake will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This cake can also be frozen for up to 2 months, just be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Be sure to thaw the cake overnight in the fridge before serving.
💭 Tips
- It’s very important to make sure that your cake ingredients are at room temperature otherwise you will not get a smooth cake.
- When measuring the flour, be sure to spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Do not scoop the flour out of the container with the measuring cup as this will pack too much flour into your cake and make it dense.
- Be very careful to overmix your pound cake batter, overmix can cause your cake to tightly up and dry out.
- Be gentle when folding the egg whites in. You don’t want to overmix the egg whites.
- I prefer to grease and flour my bundt cake pans, but you can also use baking spray. Do not use cooking spray, your cake will still stick.
- Be sure to poke holes into the cake before you add the filling. This will allow the milk mixture to soak into the cake and give it a delicious flavor.
- When making the icing, start on a low speed and increase it to medium once all of the ingredients are combined. This will help to prevent the icing from becoming too thick.
- If your cake isn’t absorbing all of the milk mixture, try poking more holes into it. You want the cake to be saturated with the milk mixture for the best flavor.
- You can top this cake with powdered sugar, whipped cream or even fresh strawberries if you don’t want to use the icing. But give the icing a try because it’s delicious.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
The cake is called tres leches because it is made with three types of milk: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and regular milk.
Tres leches cake is a very moist and dense cake that is soaked in a milk mixture and then topped with a sweetened condensed milk frosting. The cake has a rich flavor and is very sweet.
Yes, tres leches cake needs to be refrigerated because it is made with milk. The cake will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
🍽 More Bundt Cake Recipes
Do you enjoy bundt cake recipes, try these delicious recipes:
🧾Tres Leches Bundt Cake
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[mailerlite_form form_id=1]Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 large eggs separated
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling Ingredients
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Icing Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Spray your bundt pan with a non stick baking spray.
- Set to the side.
- Separate your eggs by adding the egg whites in one medium sized bowl and egg yolks.
- in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate large mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
- Set to the side.
- Use an electric hand mixer and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Set to the side.
- Add the sugar to the egg yolks and use an electric hand mixer.
- Mix the egg yolks and sugar for 6-7 minutes or until the egg mixture doubles in size and turns a lighter shade of yellow.
- Add in the milk and vanilla to the egg yolk mixture and mix together for 1 min on low speed.
- Begin to add the flour mixture slowly to the egg yolk mixture and mix on low speed until combined.
- Note the batter is very thick.
- Now add the egg whites into the batter and fold in together.
- Continue to fold in the egg whites until fully incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the bundt pan and baker for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- While the cake is cooling, make the filling.
- In a medium sized bowl add the evaporated milk, condensed milk, heavy cream and cinnamon.
- Mix with an electric mixer on low for 2 minutes.
- Using a skewer poke holes into the bundt cake,
- Pour 3⁄4 pf the milk mixture into the holes.
- Allow to sit for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the pan and place on a baking tray.
- Pour the remaining milk mixture over the cake and allow to sit until the milk mixture is absorbed fully.
- Make the icing by adding all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use an electric handheld mixer,
- Mix the icing on medium for 4 minutes.
- Drizzle the icing over the cake.
Notes
- It’s very important to make sue that your cake ingredients are at room temperature otherwise you will not get a smooth cake.
- When measuring the flour, be sure to spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. Do not scoop the flour out of the container with the measuring cup as this will pack too much flour into your cake and make it dense.
- Be very careful to overmix your pound cake batter, overmix can cause your cake to tightly up and dry out.
- Be gentle when folding the egg whites in. You don’t want to overmix the egg whites.
- I prefer to grease and flour my bundt cake pans, but you can also use baking spray. Do not use cooking spray, your cake will still stick.
- Be sure to poke holes into the cake before you add the filling. This will allow the milk mixture to soak into the cake and give it a delicious flavor.
Richard says
I tried this cake and couldn’t believe how moist and soft it turned out. I will be making this recipe again.
Jennifer Woodruff says
The filling says 1/2 heavy cream. Is that 1/2 cup?
Wendy says
Oh my! Not sure I misesed that error for so long! Thank you for catching it. Yes, it is 1/2 cup!