Tres Leches Cake

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 345°F and butter a 23 x 33 cm baking dish.

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2. Whisk the egg yolks with 150 g of the sugar for 4 minutes until pale, thick and ribboning. Beat in the milk and vanilla.

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3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the yolk mixture and fold in gently.

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4. In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the remaining 50 g sugar and whisk to stiff, glossy peaks.

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5. Fold the whites into the batter in three additions, keeping as much air as possible.

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6. Pour into the dish and bake 28 to 32 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely in the dish.

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7. Whisk the three milks together with the vanilla.

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8. Pierce the cooled cake all over with a fork, right to the base. Pour a third of the milk mixture over and wait 10 minutes, then repeat twice more.

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9. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

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10. Whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks, spread over the cake, dust with cinnamon and top with fruit.

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Chef’s Tips

• The cake must be completely cool before soaking. A warm sponge collapses under the milk.
• Pour in stages. All at once and most of it sits in a puddle at the bottom.
• It genuinely improves overnight, which makes it an ideal make-ahead dessert.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Double cream won't whip if you swap it, but for the cooking itself, full-fat crème fraîche or a lower-fat single cream works in its place.

Pairing Suggestions

• Strong coffee
• Fresh strawberries or mango
• A glass of dark rum, in the Nicaraguan style

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate up to 4 days, covered. Do not freeze — the soaked crumb turns to paste on thawing.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.