Tres Leches Cake with Fruit
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This tres leches cake is the ultimate Mexican dessert! An ultra-light cake soaked in a sweet creamy mixture, then dusted with powdered sugar and topped with fresh fruit, whipped cream, and a light sprinkle of lemon zest.
While this recipe does require a bit of planning ahead to allow time for the cake to chill, that actually works to your advantage. It forces you to prepare most of the cake before the party kicks off, leaving only the finishing touches to add just before serving. That means more time to relax and enjoy time with your guests!
We love this for Cinco de Mayo – it’s the ultimate dessert you can make ahead, plus it’s festive and springy at the same time. It’s also great for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day! It’s my favorite!
What is a tres leches cake?
The name tres leches literally means “three milks”, and tres leches cake is an ultra-light sponge cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture. It’s popular throughout Mexico, Latin America, and the United States, where it’s commonly featured on the menus of Mexican restaurants.
After baking, you poke holes all over the cake (traditionally with a fork or skewer) and pour three types of milk over the top: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk (or heavy cream) which is exactly how the cake earned its name, tres leches!
Why you’ll love this tres leche cake recipe
- A vibrant topping of sugar-coated strawberries and mango pieces, vanilla-infused whipped cream, and a bright hint of lemon zest adds a refreshing fruity contrast to the rich, soaked cake.
- This tres leches recipe elevates the classic tres leches cake with a luxurious infusion of pure almond extract and real vanilla bean seeds for deeper, more complex flavor.
- It’s the perfect dessert for Cinco de Mayo celebrations that you can make ahead for quick and easy assembling.
Ingredients needed to make tres leches cake with fruit
- All-purpose flour: My preferred flour to bake with.
- Baking powder: For the perfect rise and tender texture.
- Kosher salt: Enhances the flavors of the cake.
- Eggs: Brought to room temperature for easy mixing.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is best, although you could use light brown sugar too.
- Vanilla extract: For depth of flavor.
- Whole milk: I prefer whole milk for the batter when making a decadent cake.
- Tres leches mixture: This combines heavy cream, canned evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk.
- Pure almond extract: Added to the tres leches mixture together with the scraped vanilla bean seeds.
- Vanilla bean – In addition to the extract, scraping seeds from a vanilla bean to incorporate into the cake batter really elevates this dessert!
- Confectioner’s sugar: For dusting over the baked cake for a little extra sweetness and pretty presentation. Sift the sugar to eliminate any lumps.
- Toppings: Each piece of tres leches cake gets topped with sugar-coated strawberries slices and mango pieces, a sweetened vanilla-infused whipped cream, and a tiny bit of fresh lemon zest! Check out the variations below for more mouth-watering options.
How do you make this tres leches cake with fruit?
Make the vanilla cake base:
- Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a small bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt, then set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and the vanilla extract on medium-high speed for 10 minutes, until the mixture turns light yellow and fluffy.
- Lower the mixer speed to slow and gradually add half of the dry ingredients, followed by the whole milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Finish mixing by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is well combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan, smooth the top, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The cake is done when the center springs back lightly to the touch and a tester comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 40 minutes.
Infuse with tres leches mixture:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, almond extract, and vanilla bean seeds.
- Use a bamboo or grilling skewer to poke holes all over the cooled cake.
- Slowly pour the cream mixture over the cake, waiting for each addition to be fully absorbed before adding more.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Add toppings and serve:
- Toss the sliced strawberries and mango pieces with 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
- In a chilled bowl, beat the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla on high speed until medium to stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.
- Dust the chilled cake with confectioners’ sugar, then cut it into 12 squares and transfer each square to a dessert plate.
- Arrange the sugared strawberries and mango around each serving, top with a dollop of the sweetened whipped cream, and finish with a tiny sprinkle of fresh lime zest.
Serving
Enjoy a serving of this tres leches cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s also just as good served as a standalone dessert after a lineup of your favorite Cinco de Mayo party appetizers and mains!
If you’re looking for inspiration, check out my 60+ Cinco de Mayo Recipes for the Ultimate Fiesta.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover tres leches cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days due to the creamy tres leches filling.
- Freeze and make-ahead: Wrap the tres leches cake, or individual slices, tightly in plastic wrap or foil without the toppings and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving again with fresh toppings.
- Dust with powdered sugar just before serving: If you dust too far in advance, the sugar will absorb moisture and dissolve into the surface of the cake. A last-minute dusting maintains a bakery-style appearance.
- For clean slices: Use a long, thin-bladed knife and wipe it clean between cuts.
- Poke holes correctly: Use a thin skewer (like a bamboo skewer) and poke holes all over the cake, about 1 inch apart. Avoid large holes as you want the creamy mixture to seep in slowly, not pool on the bottom.
- Pour in batches: Pour the tres leches mixture in batches, allowing each addition to be fully absorbed before adding more. If you pour too quickly, the liquid may run off the sides or collect at the bottom instead of soaking into the cake.
- Don’t skip the chilling time: Chilling the assembled cake is an essential step as it allows the cake to fully absorb the liquid and develop a creamy, pudding-like texture.
Variations:
- Type of filling: If you don’t want to use a traditional tres leches mixture to soak your vanilla cake with, consider using Lemon Curd, Mango Orange Curd, or Tart and Sweet Rhubarb Curd.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, and add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum if needed.
- Grilled pineapple topping: Top this tres leches cake with grilled pineapple for a smoky sweetness. It also pairs amazingly with a side of churros.
- Mango, chili, and lime topping: For a tajín-style twist.
- Strawberries and balsamic topping: The deep flavor created by the balsamic is a slightly unexpected surprise, but somehow it works like magic!
- Roasted berries: For a richer, jammy texture.
- Citrus segments: Top this tres leches cake with bright and fresh orange or blood orange segments.
If you enjoy cakes that are infused with flavor, you’ll love Pineapple Poke Cake and Raspberry Poke Cake.
More Mexican-inspired desserts you may want to try:
- Mexican Flan Cake
- Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream
- Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Mexican Chocolate Brownies
- Mini Margarita Cheesecakes
Get the Recipe:
Tres Leches Cake with Fruit
The ultimate Mexican dessert! An ultra-light cake soaked in a sweet creamy mixture, and decorated with powdered sugar, sugar-coated fruit, whipped cream, and a pop of lemon zest.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 eggs, extra-large, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp pure almond extract
- seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
- sifted powdered sugar, for dusting
For the Toppings:
- 5 cups sliced strawberries
- 3 cups same size pieces of fresh mango
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 pint whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Lime zest
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a small bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt, then set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and the vanilla extract on medium-high speed for 10 minutes, until the mixture turns light yellow and fluffy.
- Lower the mixer speed to slow and gradually add half of the dry ingredients, followed by the whole milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Finish mixing by hand with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is well combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan, smooth the top, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The cake is done when the center springs back lightly to the touch and a tester comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 40 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, almond extract, and vanilla bean seeds.
- Use a bamboo or grilling skewer to poke holes all over the cooled cake.
- Slowly pour the cream mixture over the cake, waiting for each addition to be fully absorbed before adding more.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- Toss the sliced strawberries and mango pieces with 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
- In a chilled bowl, beat the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla on high speed until medium to stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.
- Dust the chilled cake with confectioners’ sugar, then cut it into 12 squares and transfer each square to a dessert plate.
- Arrange the sugared strawberries and mango around each serving, top with a dollop of the sweetened whipped cream, and finish with a tiny sprinkle of fresh lime zest.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Storage: Store leftover tres leches cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days due to the creamy tres leches filling.
- Freeze and make-ahead: Wrap the tres leches cake, or individual slices, tightly in plastic wrap or foil without the toppings and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving again with fresh toppings.
- Dust with powdered sugar just before serving: If you dust too far in advance, the sugar will absorb moisture and dissolve into the surface of the cake. A last-minute dusting maintains a bakery-style appearance.
Calories: 424kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.004g, Cholesterol: 115mg, Sodium: 303mg, Potassium: 272mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 32g, Vitamin A: 1474IU, Vitamin C: 51mg, Calcium: 118mg, Iron: 1mg
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Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
