This chocolate tres leches cake is a classic Mexican dessert that you won’t want to miss out on. Soaked in a signature three-milk mixture, this amazingly moist cake will wow your tastebuds!
Tres Leches Chocolate Cake
This chocolate tres leches cake is sure to please all who try it. It has a light and fluffy sponge layer steeped into three different kinds of milk. Just like a classic tres leches milk, but with the addition of chocolate!
It’s a rich, milky, and chocolatey cake that’ll be every chocolate lover’s dream. Serve it at Cinco de mayo, birthday parties, or any special occasion as an instant crowd-pleaser.
Why You’ll Love this Tres Leches Cake Recipe:
- Ultra Moist: This chocolate sponge cake gets a warm milk bath, making it deliciously rich and moist.
- Make It Ahead: You can easily make this cake a few days in advance. The cake will soak up the milk, so the longer it sits, the better!
How to Make Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Combine ingredients to make the cake batter, pour into the cake pan, and bake.
- Poke holes in the car while it’s still warm.
- Mix the three milks together, then pour the mixture over the cake and let it cool.
- Cover the cake and let it chill in the refrigerator so the milk can soak in.
- Combine ingredients to make the frosting, and spoon it on top of the chilled cake to serve.
Tres leches cake is Latin American cake that is soaked in a sweet milk mixture and topped with a whipped cream frosting. “Tres leches” is Spanish for “three milks”. The three milks in this recipe are sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy whipping cream. In this recipe, we soak a chocolate cake with a chocolate milk mixture and top it with a chocolate whipped cream topping and chocolate sauce.
While you can use any unsweetened cocoa powder you prefer, I like to use natural cocoa powder in the cake because the baking soda helps to neutralize the acidity of natural cocoa powder, letting its rich flavor shine. In the milk mixture and the whipped topping, you can use Dutch-process instead, if you prefer.
If your tres leches cake came out a bit flat, that’s most likely because you didn’t add enough baking powder or baking soda. Also, be sure to check the expiration date on your baking powder/soda! If it’s expired, it just won’t do the trick.
To save time, you could definitely use a boxed chocolate cake mix in this recipe. Simply bake it according to the instructions on the box for a 9×13-inch cake.
If your tres leches cake is not absorbing the milk after several hours, it is possible that the batter was overmixed. Overmixed batter loses its airy, spongey texture, which makes the cake heavy, dense, and non-absorbent. Be sure to poke the cake all over with the skewer to help it absorb the mixture.
No! Tres leches cake should be super moist, but not soggy. To prevent the milk mixture from pooling, be sure spread the cake batter evenly before baking. A level cake will absorb the mixture more evenly.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Be careful not to overmix your cake batter, as it can result in a flat, deflated cake.
- This simple cake can be made and stored in the fridge up to 3 days ahead of time. However, we recommend leaving the whipped topping off until it’s ready to be served.
Make Ahead Instructions
Chocolate tres leches cake can be made up to 2 days in advance of when you plan to serve it. In fact, I find that this cake is best made the day before, as this gives it plenty of time to soak up the milk mixture! Store the cake tightly covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover chocolate tres leches cake tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that after 2 days, the whipped cream topping will begin to deflate.
Freezing Instructions
The only part of chocolate tres leches cake that can successfully be frozen is the chocolate cake itself. Do not soak in the milk mixture or top with whipped cream before freezing. To freeze, tightly wrap the cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before soaking and topping.
Substitutions
- If you don’t have cake flour, you can make your own by measuring out 1½ cups of all-purpose flour, removing 1 tablespoon + 1½ teaspoons of flour, and adding 1 tablespoon + 1½ teaspoons of cornstarch. Whisk together well before using.
- Feel free to use whatever unsweetened cocoa powder you have on hand.
- In place of the vegetable oil, you can use another neutral oil, such as canola or coconut, or use an equal amount of melted butter.
- I used light brown sugar, but you could also use dark.
- You can leave out the instant espresso if you prefer.
- Plain or Greek yogurt can be used in place of the sour cream.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by measuring out ½ cup of milk, removing 1½ teaspoons, and adding 1½ teaspoons of lemon or lime juice. Whisk together and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
Decorating Ideas
The traditional topping for tres leches cake is a whipped cream frosting and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. However, you can also serve the cake with fresh berries! Strawberries are traditional, but blueberries, raspberries, or a mixture of all 3 would be delicious! You could also top this cake with a dusting of cocoa powder or a drizzle of caramel or dulce de leche!
Tips for the Best Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
- Be sure to spoon and level the dry ingredients to prevent a dry, dense cake.
- When pouring the cake into the baking pan, spread the batter evenly to create a level cake that will soak up the milk more evenly.
- Let the cake soak in the milk mixture for at least 4 hours before serving. This will allow the cake ample time to soak in the milk evenly and become moist and tender.
- Do not top the cake with whipped cream until it has fully chilled; otherwise, the whipped cream will melt into the cake.
- I recommend waiting to top the cake with the whipped cream until just before you plan to serve it, especially if you are preparing it in advance.
- If you plan to leave this cake out for an extended period of time in warm conditions, you may wish to use stabilized whipped cream to prevent deflating.
We hope you enjoy this chocolate tres leches cake! There’s nothing quite like it, so savor every moment and let us know how it went. We’d love to hear all about it!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Chocolate Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1½ cups cake flour 180 grams
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 56 grams
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 40 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 8 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- ¾ cup vegetable oil 150 grams
- ⅓ cup brown sugar 71 grams
- 3 large eggs 150 grams
- 1 egg yolk 14 grams
- ½ cup buttermilk 114 grams (see note)
- ½ cup sour cream 114 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso 2 grams, optional
For the Milk Mixture
- 1 cup milk 227 grams, hot (180-200°F)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 396 grams (1 can)
- 12 ounces evaporated milk 340 grams (1 can)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 28 grams
For the Topping
- 2½ cups heavy cream 568 grams
- ½ cup powdered sugar 57 grams
- 4½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 24 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Chocolate sauce for topping
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.1½ cups cake flour, ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a separate medium bowl, stir the sugar, vegetable oil, and brown sugar together to combine.1 cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup vegetable oil, ⅓ cup brown sugar
- Add in the eggs and mix until just incorporated. Add the buttermilk and mix, then add the sour cream and mix to combine.3 large eggs, 1 egg yolk, ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup buttermilk
- Add in the vanilla and instant espresso, if desired, and mix until incorporated.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon instant espresso
- Mix the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
- Transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and place into the preheated oven on the middle rack. Bake for 48 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack.
- While the cake is warm, poke holes into the cake using the handle of a wooden spoon or a clean dowel rod. Set aside while you make the milk mixture.
For the Milk Mixture
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the hot milk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and cocoa together.1 cup milk, 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, 12 ounces evaporated milk, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Once well combined, pour over the warm cake, then let the cake finish cooling.
- Once cooled, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
For the Topping
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and salt. Beat for 4-5 minutes, until stiff.2½ cups heavy cream, ½ cup powdered sugar, 4½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For Assembly
- Spoon the topping onto the chilled, milk soaked cake. Drizzle lines of chocolate sauce overtop and pull with a toothpick.Chocolate sauce
Notes
- If you don’t have cake flour, you can make your own by measuring out 1½ cups of all-purpose flour, removing 1 tablespoon + 1½ teaspoons of flour, and adding 1 tablespoon + 1½ teaspoons of cornstarch. Whisk together well before using.
- Feel free to use whatever unsweetened cocoa powder you have on hand.
- In place of the vegetable oil, you can use another neutral oil, such as canola or coconut, or use an equal amount of melted butter.
- I used light brown sugar, but you could also use dark.
- You can leave out the instant espresso if you prefer.
- Plain or Greek yogurt can be used in place of the sour cream.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by measuring out ½ cup of milk, removing 1½ teaspoons, and adding 1½ teaspoons of lemon or lime juice. Whisk together and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Be sure to spoon and level the dry ingredients to prevent a dry, dense cake.
- When pouring the cake into the baking pan, spread the batter evenly to create a level cake that will soak up the milk more evenly.
- Let the cake soak in the milk mixture for at least 4 hours before serving. This will allow the cake ample time to soak in the milk evenly and become moist and tender.
- Do not top the cake with whipped cream until it has fully chilled; otherwise, the whipped cream will melt into the cake.
- I recommend waiting to top the cake with the whipped cream until just before you plan to serve it, especially if you are preparing it in advance.
- If you plan to leave this cake out for an extended period of time in warm conditions, you may wish to use stabilized whipped cream to prevent deflating.
- Top chocolate tres leches cake with berries, a dusting of cocoa powder, or a drizzle of caramel or dulce de leche
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