This authentic tres leches cake is characterized by two elements that guarantee its success and explain its popularity: first, it’s absolutely divine, but it’s also super easy to make with ingredients you probably have in your pantry and fridge. You can’t ask for more.
Simply put, it consists of a light sponge cake (a genoise) made with large eggs, sugar, and flour, soaked in a sweet milk mixture of three different types of milk, and topped with a delicate meringue.
The fluffy texture of the cake base and the balanced sweetness of the three-milk mixture make it one of those best cakes you never get tired of repeating. This is the the tres leches cake, Venezuelan style.
I’ve partnered with Nestlé® Carnation® to make this recipe. As a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program and other affiliate programs, I receive compensation for products sold through the affiliate links in this post at no cost to the buyer.
A Dessert That Came to Stay
I don’t remember exactly when my Aunt Nancy introduced, for everyone’s enjoyment, her tres leches cake that was so good it became one of her specialties. What’s certain is that this “pastel de tres leches” turned out so divine that there wasn’t a family gathering she didn’t bring it to.
Don’t ask me why, but I never asked her for the recipe. I guess because I never thought I’d miss that light, fluffy, and moist homey cake that seemed so divine in its simplicity.
Recently, my cousin Adriana and Sophie visited me—daughter and granddaughter of my Aunt Nancy—and feeling so nostalgic, I wanted to make my tres leches cake.
Craving it as I was, I asked María Carolina Izquiel, a Venezuelan friend, for the recipe, and she recited it from memory not only because she bakes it frequently, but because it’s so easy to make.
Without further ado, I’m sharing this tres leches cake recipe. Not too sweet, it’s perfect as a dessert or snack, and for any celebration with family and friends.
Enri
Ingredients
- Large eggs
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Evaporated milk
- Condensed milk
- Regular whole milk
- Lime zest
How to make a Venezuelan Tres Leches
Sponge Cake Preparation. First, prepare a genoise using eggs, sugar, and sifted flour and bake it until golden and fluffy.
Sweet Milk Mixture. Once the cake base is baked, while still warm, poke it and soak it with the three-milk mixture. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight so it can absorb all the flavors.
Meringue Preparation and Decoration. Make a Swiss meringue using a double boiler method and then whisking until it forms stiff peaks. Cover the tres leches with the meringue, either with a spatula or piping bag to give it the final touch.
FAQs
More Venezuelan Desserts
- Venezuelan Mini Cheesecakes with Guava Jam
- Venezuelan Torta de Jojoto
- Venezuelan Upside Down Pineapple Cake
- Venezuelan Quesillo de Auyama
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Venezuelan Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the sponge cake
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (100 g) sugar
- 15 tablespoons (120 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the three-milk mixture
- 12 oz (1 ½ cups / 360 ml) evaporated milk
- 1 can (aprox. 395 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (240 ml) regular whole milk
For the meringue
- 4 egg whites at room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- Zest of 1 lime
Instructions
- Grease with butter and flour a refractory mold. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat the whole eggs with sugar and salt for 15 minutes at medium-high speed.
- Add vanilla extract and beat for a few more seconds.
- Incorporate the sifted flour gradually, with folding movements using a spatula.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Leave the cake in the pan and poke holes with a toothpick all over the surface.
- Mix the three different types of milk in a large bowl and soak the cake while still warm. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- For the meringue, put the egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl and place over a double boiler at medium speed, without the bowl touching the water.
- Beat continuously until the sugar dissolves (touch the mixture with your fingers).
- Transfer to the stand mixer and beat at medium-high speed until you achieve stiff peaks and silky meringue.
- Cover the cake with the meringue and sprinkle lime zest on top. Serve cold.
Nutrition
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