This tres leches cake with cake mix is a lazy shortcut way to make this rich and moist Mexican inspired dessert.
I’ll show you step by step how to make this milk cake the easy way that will save you time, perfect for birthdays, family events, and to celebrate cinco de mayo.
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What Is Tres Leches Cake?
Tres Leches Cake is very popular in Mexico and Latin America. A vanilla sponge cake soaked in “three milks” or leches. The milks used are sweetened condensed, evaporated and whole milk. Served chilled with with a delicious whipped topping and fruit.
Check out this delicious recipes using boxed cake mix - Strawberry Crunch Tres Leches Cake, Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake, Easy Pound Cake, and TikTok Honey Bun Cake.
How To Make Tres Leches Cake With Cake Mix
Shortcut or “lazy” tres leches cake uses a boxed cake mix, sweetened milk mixture and whipped cream topping.
Boxed Cake Mix
For this recipe, we are using a time-saving shortcut boxed cake mix. For a simple cake, I prefer white or French vanilla cake mix. If you want more classic flavor pick a yellow or butter cake mix. Choose your favorite brand and bake as directed on the package.
Most store-bought cake mixes directions say to add oil, water, and eggs to the batter. If you want to make it taste homemade substitute the oil for butter, water for milk and add an extra egg for a fluffy texture.
Tres Leches Milk Mixture
You cannot make a tres leche cake without that delicious leches milk mixture. The Spanish word “tres leches” means “three milks”. We are adding sweetened condensed, evaporated, and whole milk.
Honestly it makes one of the best coffee creamers, it is that good.
Homemade Whipped Cream Topping
Just two ingredients for sweetened homemade whipped cream, cold heavy cream and powdered sugar. Mix the ingredients together with a hand or stand mixer until stiff peaks are formed.
Try not to overmix the cream or you’ll have sweet butter. Keep it refrigerated until ready to top the cake.
Tips & Additions
To save time use whipped topping instead of making homemade whipped cream. You’ll find it in the freezer section of the grocery store.
Don’t forget to save some of the tres leches milk mixture for serving.
A touch of flavored extract to the cake mix and milk mixture, like vanilla or almond.
Let the milk mixture really soak into the cake overnight, for that creamy moist texture.
Add a delicious topping for an extra boost in flavor.
Toppings For Tres Leches Cake
The flavor of this tres leches cake is simple which makes it easy to add additional flavors. Sky’s the limit on toppings and mix in’s for the leches mixture.
- Fresh or Canned Fruit - Strawberries, Blueberries, Peaches, Raspberries, Kiwi, Mango, Grapes, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, Guava and Maraschino Cherries.
- Jams and Jelly’s
- Sprinkles/Funfetti
- Crushed Cookies
- Cookie Crunch Toppings - Check out these No Bake 2 Ingredients Recipes !!
- Dulce De Leche or Caramel Sauce
- Sauces - Chocolate, Strawberry, or Peanut Butter - Check out these 2 Ingredients Condensed Milk Dessert Toppings !!
- Shave Chocolate or Mini Chocolate Chips
- Cocoa Powder
- Nutella
- Cookie Butter or Biscoff
- Lemon Curd
- Lime or Lemon Zest
- Warm Spices - Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, and Ginger
- Cereal - Fruity Pebbles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch
- Candy Bars
- Toasted Nuts and Coconut
- Marshmallow Fluff
- Honey or Maple Syrup
- Coconut Milk - Fresh or Canned
- Coffee Creamer
- Malt Powder
- Flavor Instant Drink Mixes - Ovaltine, Strawberry, or Banana
- Liquor/Spirts- Bailey’s, Rum, or Whisky
- Edible Rose Petals
Storage and Leftovers
Leftover tres leches cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The longer the cake sits it will become soggy over time.
Alternatively, you can pour ⅔ of the milk mixture into the cake and keep the other ⅓ to use when serving, will prevent it from becoming too soggy.
How To Make Ahead Tres Leches Cake?
You can bake the vanilla cake ahead of time up to three days before and keep it in the refrigerator. Or freezethe cake up to a month in advance and defrost it on the counter in less than 2 hours.
The milk mixture can be made up to three days before. Just be sure the fresh whole milk is not close to its use-by date.
Homemade whipped cream using just heavy cream and sugar has a tendency to melt or deflate a bit. I would not recommend making it more than one day in advance. Add fully dissolved unflavored gelatin to the mixture if you want a stabilized whipped cream that can last up to 4 days.
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
- Mix and bake your boxed cake mix as directed with substitutions if desired. Pour batter into a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Cool for about an hour.
3. With a fork poke holes throughout the cooled cake.
4. Grab the ingredient for the leches milk mixture and prep them.
5. In mixing bowl add condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk. Mix Well. Keep refrigerated.
Optional: Reserve about ½ cup for serving the cake slices.
6. Pour half leches "milk" mixture and wait till it absorbs about 5-8 minutes. Pour the remaining half.
7. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
8. Grab the ingredients for the homemade whipped topping and prep them.
9. Place the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.
10. With hand or stand mixer whip the cold heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
11. Grab the moist cake from the refrigerator.
12. Spread the whipped topping evenly and add any topping of choice.
13. Serve with extra leches mixture, if desired. Enjoy.
Tres Leches Cake With Cake Mix
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring Tools and Fork
- Hand Mixer
- 9x13 Baking Dish
- Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 White Cake Mix Baked and Cooled
Tres Leche "Milk" Mixture
- 1 15oz Can of Evaporated Milk
- ½ - 1 12oz Can of Condensed Milk (Depending on your preferred sweetness)
- ½-1 cup Whole Milk (Depending on the milky textured preferred)
Whipped Topping
- 2 cups Cold Heavy Cream
- ¼ - ½ cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Mix and bake your boxed cake mix as directed with substitutions if desired. Pour batter into a 9x13 baking dish. Cool for about an hour.
Tres Leches "Milk" Mixture
- In mixing bowl add condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk. Mix Well. Keep refrigerated. Optional: Reserve about ½ cup for serving the cake slices.
Whipped Topping
- With hand or stand mixer whip cold heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Keep refrigerated.
Assemble
- With a fork poke holes throughout the cooled cake.
- Pour half leches "milk" mixture and wait till it absorbs about 5-8 minutes. Pour the remaining half, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready serve cover with whipped topping. Garnish with a topping of choice and extra leches mixture, if desired. Enjoy.
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