How to Make Tres Leches Cake

Tres leches cake is a cake soaked in a sweet milk syrup and topped with whipped cream. If you want to get really fancy, spoon some diced strawberries and syrup over the cake. It's really moist, delicious, and simple.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Calories: 564 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening, or as needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 10x15-inch baking pan with vegetable shortening.

Step 2

Combine yellow cake mix, eggs, water, vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Scrape batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth the top of the batter, shake pan, and tap lightly on counter 2 or 3 times to eliminate air bubbles.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Let cake cool in the pan at least 30 minutes. Poke holes all over the cake with a bamboo skewer or the handle of a wooden spoon.

Step 4

Combine evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and half-and-half in a large bowl; slowly pour milk syrup all over the cake. Syrup will soak into cake. Wrap cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours (or preferably overnight).

Step 5

Whip cream with sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until cream is fluffy; spoon whipped cream over cake.