Tres Leches Cake with Dulce de Leche Recipe

Many people associate desserts with something chocolatey or fruity, but in between there is a wide variety of Spanish desserts waiting to be discovered.

One of them is tres leches cake with dulce de leche: a sweet, creamy, and decadent dessert that combines the best of Spanish and Latin American gastronomic culture.

In this article, we will show you how you can make it step by step, with the best tips for serving, storing, and adapting its ingredients.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish dessert recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Dulce de leche puff pastry rolls

• Dulce de leche custard cups

• Dulce de leche brownies

Background of the Dish

The recipe in this article emerged as a modern version of the classic Spanish milk cake, which from its origins was already a blend of Mexican, Central American, and Spanish cuisine.

The tres leches cake with dulce de leche incorporates the culinary tradition of the Río de la Plata region, with the inclusion of its star sweet ingredient: dulce de leche.

This dessert is often sold during the summer months because it is refreshing even in its sweetness, but if you want to enjoy it all year round, the best option is to prepare it in the comfort of your own home.

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Things You’ll Need for Tres Leches Cake with Dulce de Leche

To prepare this delicious tres leches cake with dulce de leche, you will need flour, baking powder, eggs, white sugar, whole milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, heavy cream and dulce de leche as the main ingredients.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups (190g) All-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 cup (200g) White sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup (80ml) Whole milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

For the three-milk mixture:

• 1 can (14oz / 400g) Sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (12oz / 350g) Evaporated milk
• 1 cup (240ml) Whole milk

For the topping:

• 1 1/2 cups (360ml) Heavy cream, cold
• 1/4 cup (30g) Powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (150g) Dulce de leche

How to Make Tres Leches Cake with Dulce de Leche – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in the dulce de leche tres leches cake recipe, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and lightly grease a 9×13-inch (23x33cm) baking dish.

2. Next, grab a medium bowl and combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the dry mix aside.

3. After that, place the egg yolks and 3/4 cup (150g) of the white sugar in a large bowl. Beat until the mixture becomes pale, thick, and creamy.

4. To continue with the dulce de leche milk cake recipe, add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

5. Then, gradually add the flour mixture and gently mix until you obtain a smooth batter.

6. Now grab a separate clean bowl and beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup (50g) of white sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

7. Up next, gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter, being careful not to deflate the mixture.

8. After that, pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

9. Now, remove the tres leches cake with dulce de leche from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Use a fork or skewer to poke holes across the entire surface of the cake.

10. In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk. Slowly pour the three-milk mixture over the warm cake, allowing it to soak into the holes.

11. As a key step, cover the cake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, so it can absorb the milk mixture completely.

12. Once the cake is chilled, place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Beat until soft peaks form, then spread the whipped cream evenly over the top of the cake.

13. To finish the recipe, warm the dulce de leche slightly until it becomes easy to drizzle. Add the dulce de leche over the whipped cream and serve the tres leches cake with chilled dulce de leche.

Substitution of Ingredients

The best thing about making a homemade tres leches cake is that there are no limits to the changes and adaptations you can make to the recipe ingredients.

For example, if you don’t have or can’t find evaporated milk at nearby stores, you can replace it with the same amount of whole milk or half-and-half.

A flavor that pairs perfectly with this creamy tres leches dessert is coconut.

To incorporate it, replace the whole milk with coconut milk in the tres leches milk mixture, or add coconut flakes as a topping to the cake.

Tres leches cake with dulce de leche can also be made with gluten-free flour, although we recommend buying a mix specifically for baking or cakes to ensure you get the right fluffiness for this recipe.

Do you have more dulce de leche at home?

We have more easy Spanish desserts for you: check out our recipes for dulce de leche churros, dulce de leche crepes, and dulce de leche tart.

Tips on Serving Tres Leches Cake with Dulce de Leche

Unlike other Spanish desserts, tres leches cake with dulce de leche has a more elaborate decoration, so once you finish the recipe, you’ll be ready to enjoy a chilled cake.

To enhance its appearance, you can add decorations on top, such as edible flowers if you’re serving the cake for a summer or spring gathering.

For the colder months, you can top it with chopped and toasted nuts, or themed sprinkles for holidays like Halloween, Christmas, or even more colorful ones for birthdays.

The easy tres leches cake with dulce de leche is very sweet, so the best way to serve it is paired with a more bitter beverage like black coffee, café con leche, or tea.

Having a party soon? Prepare other authentic Spanish dessert recipes like Halloween orange flan, Spanish chocolate biscuit cake, and Spanish chocolate cake and impress all your guests.

How to Store Tres Leches Cake with Dulce de Leche

The tres leches cake with dulce de leche already requires some time in the refrigerator to soak in all the flavors, but you can also store it for longer if you wish.

Place the cake in an airtight container or baking dish tightly covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from absorbing other odors.

Then, you can store it for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and serve it right away when you are ready to enjoy it.

While it is possible to separate the cake into portions, cover them, and freeze them, we do not recommend doing so because, being such a moist cake, the liquids can crystallize and ruin the texture.

If you are a meal prep fan, there are other Spanish cake recipes that you can prepare and freeze or store for longer, such as the delicious Spanish sponge cake and the classic yemas de Santa Teresa.

Recipe Card: Tres Leches Cake with Dulce de Leche

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