Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

In this recipe

Chocolate through and through
About Tres Leches
chocolate whipped cream
Make it spicier!

Tres leches cake, which means “three milk cake” in Spanish, is a popular Latin American dessert found in many forms in different countries. Tracing its origins is complicated as it has been known and loved in Nicaragua, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ecuador and Colombia for many years. Some even claim that it is reminiscent of the English trifle.

In my case, Tres Leches is a celebration cake that we had for birthdays and Christmas and the cake I bake when I want to show my Colombian origins. It’s the ultimate comfort food.

Chocolate through and through

A chocolate tres leches cake is a chocolate sponge cake that is moistened with three types of milk after baking. The cake won’t be soggy – it will be softer and incredibly moist. Flavored with cocoa powder and ground cinnamon, this milk mix is reminiscent of hot chocolate. Then the top of the cake is topped with a fluffy chocolate flavored whipped cream. There is chocolate in every ingredient of this cake.

Use high-quality chocolate – it contains more cocoa solids, resulting in more flavor. For the sponge cake, I recommend Dutch cocoa powder, not natural cocoa powder, which results in a drier cake. Also, a little coffee is a great way to enhance the chocolate flavor. You won’t be able to taste the coffee at all.

About the Tres Leches

Not every Tres Leches cake is made equal. Some call for milk instead of cream and some even use four types of milk. I’ve even seen recipes that use coconut milk. This recipe calls for about 2 cups total of sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and condensed milk. I like this creamier and silkier combo, but for something lighter, use half-and-half or whole milk instead of heavy cream.

Master the chocolate whipped cream

Whipped cream creates a magical moment in the kitchen when the cream transforms into something new and exciting with very little effort. Homemade whipped cream tastes better than store bought and is easy to customize too. Here are some tips:

Use cream. You need fat to trap all those air bubbles that make whipped cream light and fluffy. A lower-fat alternative won’t achieve that.
Keep your cream and bowl cold by refrigerating until ready to use. Cold cream whips better because the fat is more stable and traps air bubbles better.
Slapping by hand might feel like a bit of a workout, but it’s the best way to avoid flipping. A grainy and curdled cream is whipped too hard, which cannot be fixed.
Swipe from side to side instead of going in circles. It’s more efficient and your shoulder won’t get as tired.

Make it spicier!

Are you creative and want to spice up the cake?

Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and a teaspoon of vanilla extract for a Mexican hot chocolate-inspired flavor.
Infuse the milk mixture with whole cardamom pods and strain before use.
Dust the cake with some grated nutmeg to keep it warm.
Who am I to tell you Baileys isn’t milk? Substitute an equal amount of Baileys for 1/4 cup of condensed milk.

More celebration cakes

Tiramisu Cake
Key Lime Cake
Lemon Lavender Cake
ice cream cake
Coconut cake with lemon curd and vanilla buttercream

preparation time
15 minutes

cooking time
30 minutes

cool time
15 minutes

total time
60 minutes

portions
12
up to 16 servings

yield
1 (9×13 inch) cake

Don’t have instant espresso powder? Use 2 teaspoons of a strong brewed coffee. Add it to the cake batter when you add the oil, eggs and vanilla.

For the sponge cake

Nonstick Cooking Sprayfor the cake pan
1 1/2 cups (300G) sugar
1 1/4 cups (178G) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Instant espresso powder
1 Cup whole milk
1 1/3 cups (235G) hacked bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup (75G) Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
2/3 Cup vegetable oil
4 Big Eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Tres Leches mixture

1 (14–ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 Cup heavy cream
1 Cup condensed milk
2 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinammon

For the chocolate whipped cream topping

6 ounces (170G) bittersweet or Dark chocolate
1 3/4 cups very cold heavy creamdivided
strawberriesRaspberries or maraschino cherries for garnish (optional)
your favourite chocolate barfor garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Align the oven rack with the center of the oven. Lightly spray a 13×9-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. put it aside
Prepare sponge cake:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and espresso, being careful to break up any lumps, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine milk, chocolate, and cocoa powder. Stir constantly until the chocolate melts and the mixture looks like a rich chocolate sauce. Remove from the stove and let cool down a bit.

Then stir in the oil, eggs and vanilla. Don’t worry if it initially looks a little curdled – the oil will try to separate from the batter, but the eggs will emulsify and make it smooth. Keep beating until it looks smooth.

Use a rubber spatula to spread the mixture onto the dry ingredients and mix well.
Bake the cake:

Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan. Gently tap the pan on your kitchen counter a few times to dislodge some air bubbles.

Bake the cake for about 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even baking. Insert a toothpick in the center to check the cake is done – the cake is done when it has a few crumbs stuck to it but no wet batter. Set the cake pan on a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, make the milk mixture:

While the cake is baking, prepare the tres leches mixture. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, condensed milk, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Beat vigorously until the cocoa powder and cinnamon are completely dissolved and the mixture is warmed through. It gets foamy. Set aside to cool.
Poke and bathe the cake:

Poke the cake all over with a toothpick or fork. It’s okay if the cake is still warm. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture evenly over the cake. Don’t worry if it seems like there’s too much milk – it’s not – the cake will absorb it all quickly. Cover the cake pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. The cake should be cold so that the whipped cream doesn’t melt as it freezes.
Melt chocolate:

Fill a medium saucepan with about 2 inches of water. Set on medium-high heat to bring the water to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and place a medium-heatproof bowl on top of the saucepan. Make sure the boiling water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. This is called a double boiler.

Add the chocolate chips and 1/3 cup cream. Stir gently until the chocolate is completely melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Milk chocolate gives you a sweeter, lighter cream that balances out the cake’s deep chocolate flavors. If you want even more chocolate flavor, opt for bittersweet.
Whip cream:

In a medium bowl, whip the remaining heavy cream until soft peaks form, being careful not to over-whip. You can do this by hand with a whisk or with an electric hand mixer. Then gently stir in the cooled melted chocolate until fully incorporated.
Decorate cake:

Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread the chocolate whipped cream over the chilled tres leches cake. Create little spikes and swirls if you like.

Garnish with your favorite berry if you like – strawberries, raspberries and maraschino cherries balance the chocolate beautifully. I like to use the berries as a guide to indicate where to cut portions.

Another way to decorate the cake: use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls. Simply run the blade over a bar of your favorite chocolate over a plate. Sprinkle them on the cake.
Serve Cake:

Chill the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

This cake tastes even better the day after making it – the milk mixture would have had a chance to really soak the cake. Leftovers (though there usually aren’t any) can be refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. It is not suitable for freezing as it will become rubbery and the whipped cream will collapse.

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