One of our favorite cakes we love to create in our home is a Puerto RicanTres Leches cake that is so delicious and is one of our favorite dishes to create during the holidays and birthdays.
If you haven't tried a Tres Leche Cake, my friend, you need to, but I will caution you that you should try a homemade Tres Leche cake recipe before buying a store-bought one.
What is tres leches cake?
Tres Leches is a popular dessert originating from Latin America. The name ‘Tres Leches' translates to ‘three milks' in Spanish, and as the name suggests, it's a sponge cake— or sometimes a butter cake— soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream.
The cake is typically baked, then holes are poked into the top so that the three-milk mixture can permeate throughout, resulting in a moist, sweet, and incredibly rich cake. It's often topped with whipped cream or meringue and sometimes garnished with fruits like maraschino cherries or strawberries for added color and flavor.
Tres Leches goes by different names in various cultures. In Nicaragua and Mexico, it's commonly known as “Pastel de Tres Leches” or “Torta de Tres Leches.”
In English, it is sometimes referred to as Three Milk Cake. Despite the varying names, the general concept remains the same: a deliciously sweet and creamy cake that's a delight to the senses.
This Puerto Rican tres leche includes the following:
- Condensed milk
- Evaporated milk
- Heavy cream
The cake alone is very light and contains air bubbles, and it's not soggy at all, even after beingsoaked in a milk mixture.
There are many Tres Leches cake recipes some include rum, which gives it an amazing taste. Add fruit topping to this Puerto Rican Tres Leches cake recipe.
For this Tres Leche cake recipe, we are using Media Crema, and if you haven't heard of nor used this product, let me give you some facts.
MediaCremais a cream that can survive without going spoil, so we have this product around,especiallyaround the holiday season.
Once you try Media Crema on your favorite recipes, you will love it.You will also add this recipe to theNESTLÉ Media Crema recipes file.
See how this amazing, mouth-watering creation is made, then try it yourself.
How to Make Tres Leches Cake Recipe
What are the ingredients to make Puerto Rican Tres Leches cake?
To make the cake, you are going to need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 5Large Eggs, Separated
- 1 cup Sugar, Divided
- 1teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Milk
Follow these directions to make the dry cake.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and you are going to use a 9 x13-inchpanand spray it with non-stick baking spray.
In abowl,you will combine flour, bakingpowder,and salt.
Separate the eggs
Egg yolks in one bowl and egg whites in another.Using a mixer,mixthe egg yolks on high and add about ¾ cup of sugar. Continue to mix until eggs are a pale yellow color. Add vanilla and milk to the egg mix.
Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture and stir it gently until it combines.
Now for the egg whites.
With the egg whites, use high speed and mix the mixture until it forms soft peaks.Once the soft peaks form, with the mixer on, add the remaining sugar and keep mixing until egg whites becomestiff (not dry).
Add the egg whites to the batter and again mix very gently.
Once mixed, add the cake mixture to the baking pan and bake the cake for 35 – 45 minutes.
While the cake is cooling, use a fork and poke holes into it.
Now for the mixture, and for this, you are going to need:
- 1can (7.6 fl. oz.)NESTLÉ Media Crema,or 1 cup of Heavy Cream
- One 14 oz.Canof Sweetened Condensed Milk
- One 12-oz.Canof Evaporated Milk
- ½ teaspoon of Imitation Rum
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
Now, for this part, I like to warm up the milk mixtures, and this is just a preference you don't have to, but to me, it gives the cake a creamier flavor. Again, you can mix everything and stir it and call it a day.
On a medium saucepan, add all condensed milk, evaporated milk, and Media Crema and stir on medium heat. Once the mixture is warm,add the imitation rum and vanilla extract and stir again.
Continue to stir until it's warm enough but not boiling hot.
Pour the mixture onto the cake and let it soak for at least 30 minutes. Remove excessive liquid. I tend to leave it and refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes. I tend to leave it longer.
Once you are ready to eat the cake, it is time to make the topping, which is super easy to make.
Topping ingredients:
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Add the ingredients to a bowl at high speed until stiff peaks form. Then add vanilla and stir.
Spreadthe topping all over the cake and serve.
Once you try it, you are going to love this cake! You can top this cake with cherries or any other fruity topping, too!
Your Puerto Rican Tres Leches Cake Recipe is ready to serve.
Check out these recipes:
- Leche Frita (Fried Milk)
- Dulce De Leche Cortada
- Puerto Rican Arroz Con Leche
Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Now that you know everything you need to create this delicious homemade tres leches cake, it is time to print the recipe with the exact measurements.
To print, hit the print button located below. If you want to save this recipe, hit the pin button, Mix button, or Yummly button.
Puerto Rican Tres Leche Cake
Yield: 12 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Additional Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 51 minutes
Puerto Rican Tres Leche Cake is a delicious and decadent cake famous in the United States. This recipe makes for a moist, dense, and sweet dessert that will please any guest.
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour
- 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 5 Large Eggs, Separated
- 1 cup Sugar, Divided
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Milk
Tres Leche Mixture:
- 1 can (7.6 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ Media Crema, or 1 cup of Heavy Cream
- One 14 oz. Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
- One 12-oz. Can of Evaporated Milk
- ½ teaspoon of Imitation Rum
- 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
Topping:
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a 9 x 13-inch pan and spray it with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bow, you will combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Separate the eggs. Egg yolks in one bowl and egg whites in another.
- Using a mixer mix the egg yolks on high and add about ¾ of sugar. Continue to mix until eggs are a pale yellow color. Add vanilla and milk into the egg mix.
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture.
- Stir the mixture gently until it is all combined.
- With the egg whites, use high speed and mix the mixture until it forms soft peaks.
- Once the soft peaks form, with the mixer, add the remaining sugar and keep mixing until egg whites become stiff (not dry).
- Add the egg whites to the batter and again mixed very gently.
- Once mixed, add the cake mixture to the baking pan.
- Bake the cake for 35 – 45 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling use a fork and insert holes all over it.
Tres Leche Mixture:
- In a large measuring cup combine sweetened condensed milk, Media Crema, evaporated milk, imitation rum, and vanilla, and stir the mixture well.
- Pour the mixture over the cake and wait about 20 to 30 minutes for the cake to absorb the liquid.
- Remove the excess liquid from the side.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes.
Topping:
- In a bowl, combine sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla and mix until it peaks.
- Spread the topping all over the cake and serve.
Notes
You don't have to add rum or substitution rum to this recipe.
You don't have to warm the milk mixture at all.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 474Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 252mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 0gSugar: 48gProtein: 11g
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