Our super easy shortcut Tres leches cake is as sweet as it gets! This spongey yellow cake is soaked in 3 types of milk that lends it an incredibly moist texture and heavenly sweet taste that makes it disappear fast!
Jump to:
What Goes Into Super Easy Shortcut Tres Leches Cake?
Most people think of Mexican cuisine as tacos and burritos. But from Mexican cuisine comes the revered tres leches cake. Literally meaning “three milks,” the recipe uses sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy whipping cream to attain its blissful texture and flavor.
The shortcut here is that you’ll use a yellow cake mix from a box which saves tons of time yet gives you a perfect dessert. Plan ahead to make it the day before serving as it’s meant to be enjoyed right from the fridge where those 3 milks converge for an amazing taste you’ll never forget!
Common Questions
If you like your desserts sweet (and who doesn’t?), you’ll love the flavors. It’s served cold which renders a creamy, milky texture in every bite with a sweet sugary vanilla taste.
Because of all that milk and cream, you need to keep your tres leches cake in the fridge. It will be good for 4 days though it’s best to eat it as soon as possible to enjoy the best flavors. Do not leave it out longer than it takes to serve and eat!
Some claim Nicaragua is where this milky cake originally comes from, though Mexico has a stronger case backing up its origins of this dessert.
Yes, though you should make it without frosting it, then freeze it. Cover it tightly in freezer wrap and it should be good for 2 to 3 months. You’ll need to thaw it in the fridge overnight before you plan on serving it.
Chopnotch Tips
- Don’t forget to grease your baking pan! You want that yellow cake to come out of there with ease.
- If you’ve ever made a poke cake before, this recipe is similar in that you’ll want to poke lots of holes on the top so the 3 milks can seep into every part of it.
- A chopstick is a handy tool to use to do the poking, as is a fork or skewer.
- Refrigerate this shortcut tres leches cake, preferably overnight, without frosting it. You’ll want to make the frosting right before serving.
Delicioso!
Related Recipes
Let us know what you think! Give this recipe a rating in the comments section below.
Recipe
How to Make
Shortcut Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
- ½ package yellow cake mix
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For topping:
- ½ can condensed milk, sweetened
- ½ can evaporated milk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
For cream:
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare and grease a baking pan.
- Combine cake mix, eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk well to combine, for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer to the pan, bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Let cool for about 20 minutes. Whisk all topping ingredients in a bowl until blended.
- Poke holes in the top of the warm cake with a fork or a skewer. Pour milk mixture over the cake and fill all the holes. Let cool completely.. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Beat cream in a bowl until thick. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat until soft peaks form. Spread over cake and serve.
Notes
- This is a rich cake and a little really does go a long way so you will get at least ten servings out of the cake, maybe more.
- Cool the cake upside down so it has enough room to stretch out in the pan and won't collapse or shrink.
- If you want to change the flavor, swap the vanilla for any other extract you like.
- Don’t forget to grease your baking pan! You want that yellow cake to come out of there with ease.
- If you’ve ever made a poke cake before, this recipe is similar in that you’ll want to poke lots of holes on the top so the 3 milks can seep into every part of it.
- A chopstick is a handy tool to use to do the poking, as is a fork or skewer.
- Refrigerate this cake, preferably overnight, without frosting it. You’ll want to make the frosting right before serving.
Always a hit at parties! Easy to make.
Thanks for the feedback, Rebecca! I'm so happy to hear it's always a hit!