Tres Leches Cake – Desserts of the World

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Tres Leches Cake; soft and fluffy cake soaked with a milk mixture and a light cinnamon-dusted whipped cream topping.

Mexico. A big place both divided and united in its diversity.

Its cultures, traditions, and variety of heritage have created the country it is today. Understandably, they have all also had a big influence in curating the cuisine that us foreigners know and love.

Unless you live under a very tasteless rock, it’s very likely you’ve at least heard of some Mexican dishes. The nation’s ingredients, techniques, and recipes have been a source of great inspiration for people all over the world, even if they have never been lucky enough to step foot on its soil.

That said though, when many of us cast our mind to Mexican cuisine, we think of the savoury. Mole, chilis, beans, corn, and a multitude of ways to make a meal from the humble tortilla. All delicious, nutritious, and easy on the eye. How many of us would think about Mexican desserts though?

In today’s instalment of Desserts of the World, it’s time to talk about the tres leches cake. 

The bold and iconic flavours of Mexico’s savoury dishes aside, this treat is one that celebrates simplicity. It looks every bit as straightforward as it tastes, in the best way possible. 

Its name literally means “three milks,” alluding to the three different ways the cake is flavoured and decorated. Fresh cream, condensed milk, and evaporated (or whole) milk. While it may look and feel entirely wrong to douse a freshly baked still-warm cake in over half a litre of milk, I assure you that there is method to the madness.

I challenge you to find a cake as simple, moist, and flavourful as this tres leches cake. It’s one that doesn’t rely on intricate technique, or hyper-sweet frosting, or lashings of rich fatty ingredients to make it what it is. It’s just a light and fluffy cake with a clever, milky, creamy finish.

This tres leches cake is somewhat light but satisfying at the same time, both nicely rich and not-too-sweet. It makes for an ideal snack or perfect dessert.

You might think the cake ingredients look a bit sparse, as there is no added fat (such as oil or butter) present. Equally, the only raising agent required are the eggs, making this recipe wonderfully straightforward. Simply whisk, mix, and bake. I must add: while I was unfortunately unable to get ahold of the seemingly traditional evaporated milk for the cake soak, whole milk did a beautiful job of adding the fresh creaminess that classic recipes call for.

Baking the tres leches cake won’t take you too much time at all, you’ll just need a bit of patience to rest and chill the dessert. Once baked and drenched in the milk mixture, it needs a few hours to soak up those flavours and to chill to perfect serving temperature. If you can wait those few hours before topping it with some fresh whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon, you’ll be generously rewarded.

While the other recipes in the Desserts of the World series are not always something I’d add to my regular baking repertoire, I feel like this cake is an exception. Indian Kheer or Canadian Nanaimo Bars may be a bit fiddly or a bit too much for everyday eats, but this tres leches cake is something I’d welcome on my table any time. I hope you love it as much as we have!

Want to save this tres leches cake for later? You can pin the image below:

To make this tres leches cake, simply follow the recipe below:

BE A MAVERICK: why not try adding lemon or lime zest to the cake batter before baking for extra fresh flavour?

This tres leches cake will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days, but is best enjoyed fresh!

You may also like:

• Simple Salted Caramel Sauce
• Bailey’s Panna Cotta with Chocolate Ganache
• Chocolate Salame
• Raspberry Dark Chocolate Cookies (small batch!)
• 5 Ingredient Key Lime Pie