Authentic Spanish Milk Cake Recipe

Any time is a good time to try and make delicious Spanish desserts.

In this article, we will show you the recipe for the Spanish milk cake, a big fan favorite in Andalusian recipes.

You can find tres leches cake recipes from all around the world, but we will dedicate this article to the Hispanic dessert.

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Background of the Dish

This cake is a vanilla sponge cake soaked in a mix of heavy cream, condensed and evaporated milk, and topped with a perfect meringue. 

It is impossible to know the exact date or place of origin of this dessert, but it is believed that it was developed thanks to a gastronomic and cultural exchange between Mexico and Spain.

Today it is one of the most popular Spanish treats along with Spanish rice pudding, and though you can find it in some bakeries, it is better to make it homemade.

Things You’ll Need for Spanish Milk Cake

For this Spanish milk cake recipe you will need eggs, flour, sugar, heavy cream, condensed and evaporated milk, and vanilla essence (or extract).

It is easier to make with a hand or stand mixer, but if you have strong arms then you can do it by hand.

Ingredients

• For the cake
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup (200 gr) sugar
• 1 1/4 cups (200 gr) flour
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• For the cream
• 1 can (300ml) condensed milk
• 1 can (300ml) evaporated milk
• 1 can (300ml) heavy cream
• For the meringue
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup (200g) sugar

How to Make Spanish Milk Cake – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making this milk cake recipe you have to preheat the oven to 200ºC (390°F) while you do the step-by-step of the recipe.

2. Now grab a large bowl and beat the eggs until they become foamy, then add the sugar little by little without stopping beating.

3. After that, beat until the mixture triples its volume. It’s easier if you use a stand or hand mixer, but you can do it by hand and take it as an arm workout.

4. Then, sift the flour with the baking powder. Add it with folding movements to the bowl.

5. For the next step in this tres leches recipe put vanilla essence and continue mixing with the same soft movements.

6. In a greased cake pan, pour the Spanish milk cake batter. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. To make sure that it is cooked, you can prick the cake with a toothpick, if it comes out clean it is cooked. Set it aside and let it cool.

7. Now you have to prepare the cream while the cake cools. Mix the cans of evaporated and condensed milk and heavy cream in a large bowl.

8. Now is the time to mix everything with a whisk or a hand mixer. Set aside in the fridge.

9. For the meringue, beat the egg whites until stiff and gradually add the sugar. You must beat until the meringue acquires the right consistency (Thick and firm is the ideal one).

10. Now it is time to assemble the cake. Make some holes in the cake with a toothpick and pour the milk mix. You can do it in the same cake pan where you cooked it or in a different container.

11. The Spanish milk cake will take from 30 minutes to 1 hour to completely absorb the milk cream. After that time, you can spread the meringue on top.

12. You can add as much meringue as you want. Optionally, you can use a butane torch to toast the meringue. You can also optionally dust some powdered cinnamon.

13. Now you can serve the three milk cake while it is cold.

Substitution of Ingredients

Something that we love about this Spanish dessert is that if you follow the recipe then you will feel that all the flavors hit the right note.

This means that even though you can make some changes, we recommend sticking to the Spanish milk cake ingredients as shown in this article.

Still, there are a few small changes that you can make to this easy tres leches cake.

The cake batter and the milk mixture should stay exactly the same, but instead of merengue, you can do a different topping, like buttercream or whipped cream to spread on top of the Spanish cake. 

As well as it happens in other milk recipes, the vanilla essence or extract gives the right flavor, but you could use any other flavoring of your choice.

The easy-to-make Spanish orange cake is a must-try dessert, with a citrusy and refreshing flavor you won’t be able to refuse.

Tips on Serving Spanish Milk Cake

This Spanish milk cake is one of the most famous Spanish desserts that you will find out there, but you can have it at any time of the day.

Keep in mind that this one is a pretty sweet cake,  so it is better to lean for more bitter beverages like dark tea or black coffee.

You can also serve it for tea time or make a full table of Hispanic desserts with others like Spanish tortas or Spanish almond cake.

How to Store Spanish Milk Cake

Once you finish making this incredibly delicious dessert you can either eat it right away or store it in the fridge.

You can store the Spanish milk cake for up to 3 days in the fridge, and then just take it out of there and serve it.

Unfortunately, you can’t freeze this cake, but if you are looking for a dessert that you can store in the freezer, then the famous Spanish sponge cake is a great choice.

Recipe Card: Spanish Milk Cake

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