This strawberry tres leches cake is refreshing, light and incredibly moist. It's soaked in strawberry milk made with fresh strawberries, giving it the most delicious, fruity flavour.
The abundance of berries and fruit is one of the only reasons spring and summer are my favourite seasons. Strawberries, blueberries, mangoes and more! I don't want anything to do with the rain or heat though.
This strawberry tres leches is the perfect dessert to use in-season strawberries and to beat the heat. It's SUPER refreshing and so so addictive. The recipe uses fresh strawberries to flavour the milk, so rest assured there's none of that fake strawberry flavour around here.
Tres leches is one of my favourite cake/dessert and of course I have multiple variations of it, which I know you'll love! Check out this popular Pistachio Tres Leches, this refreshing Lemon Coconut Tres Leches, this summery Mango Coconut Tres Leches and of course a Pina Colada Tres Leches!
Ingredients
See recipe card BELOW for quantities.
- Eggs - whites and yolks separated
- White granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Whole milk
- Salt
- Evaporated milk
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Strawberries - fresh or frozen
- Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
Getting started
There are three parts to this recipe, starting out with making the cake, the three milk mixture and then the whipped cream. It's can seem a little daunting, especially the sponge cake, but it's actually quite simple! I'll walk you through the recipe so make sure to follow the steps to get the best results!
Making the sponge cake
Before starting, I recommend getting all your ingredients ready and laid out to make it easier for you. This way you won't end up forgetting an ingredient or having to scramble around.
Whipping egg whites can seem like an intimidating task - I still go into it praying it whips up. The most important thing is to make sure your bowl and beater doesn't have any grease on it. Even the tiniest amount can prevent the egg whites from whipping up. Wash and properly dry before starting.
Another thing to consider while separating the egg whites from the yolks is to ensure no yolks get into the whites. The fat will prevent them from whipping up. The best way to do this is to separate the egg whites into separate bowls before adding to the main one.
Crack the eggs one at a time and place the egg white into a small bowl and the yolk into another large bowl (where you'll whisk it with the sugar). Add the egg white to the main bowl to whip them up. Repeat with the rest.
Whipped egg whites tend to deflate the longer the rest, so I make the rest of the batter before whipping the whites up. Using separate whisks and beaters of course.
- Separate the whites and yolks into clean separate bowls.
- Add 7 tablespoon sugar to the yolks and whisk together until light and airy. Whisk in the milk and vanilla. Add in the flour, salt and baking powder and gently mix until combined.
- Using a clean whisk or beater, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the rest of the sugar while beating. Continue until you get stiff peaks.
- Loosen the yolk mixture with a dollop of egg whites, then gently fold in the rest with a spatula making sure not to knock the air out. Cut down the middle with the spatula and fold from the sides towards the middle. Rotate and repeat.
- Pour the batter into an 8x8 pan lined only on the bottom with parchment paper. Don't grease the sides.
- Bake at 350°F for about minutes without opening the oven until the last 10 minutes. Check doneness by pressing the cake—if it springs back, it’s done; if it leaves an indent, bake a few more minutes.
- Let the cake cool upside down on a wire rack. Remove cake from pan and discard the parchment and put cake back in the pan.
Strawberry milk
- Cut up the strawberries and mix them with the sugar to macerate. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to draw out the liquid.
- Combine the three milks and the strawberries in a large bowl, and blend into a smooth mixture with an immersion blender. You can also use a blender. Adjust condensed milk to taste. Add red food colouring if desired.
- Take cake out of pan and add about ½ cup of the milk to the bottom of the pan. Put the cake back in and poke holes in the cake using a knife or a fork. Slowly pour the milk mixture in 2-3 intervals, letting it absorb before adding more. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to soak.
Whipped cream
- Whip the cream until it starts to thicken, then beat in powdered sugar and vanilla extract just until you reach stiff peaks. Don't over-mix it or it will start to curdle.
- I like to add a layer of sliced strawberries on the cake before frosting it. You can skip this step if you prefer. The sliced strawberries do make it a little more difficult to cut a clean slice and they aren't soft and don't cut as easily as the cake or cream. BUT they taste absolutely delicious.
- Pipe whipped cream or spread evenly with an offset spatula. Decorate with sliced or whole strawberries on top.
Storage
Cover and store this cake in the same pan, in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Tips to make the best strawberry tres leches cake
- Beating the egg whites - Make sure the bowl and whisk you use to whip up the egg whites is completely CLEAN. It shouldn't have any grease, especially. This will prevent the egg whites from whipping up properly. When you separate the whites from the yolks, make sure not to get any of the yolk in the whites.
- Mixing the batter - Once you add the whipped egg whites to the yolk/flour mixture, make sure to gently combine it together. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl inwards and cut through the middle. You want to make sure to not deflate the egg whites because that is what will make the chiffon cake rise.
- Prevent cake from deflating - Only line the bottom of the pan and do NOT line or grease the sides of the pan. As the cake bakes, it needs to cling onto the pan to be able to stay up and remain that way as it cools. If you line/grease the sides, the cake will collapse and sink when it cools down. Place the cake pan upside down on a cooling rack as it cools down so it doesn't deflate.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Strawberry Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (103g)
- ⅔ cup white granulated sugar (133g)
- 3 tablespoon milk
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Milk Mixture
- ½ cup evaporated milk (120ml)
- ¾ cup whole milk (180ml)
- ⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk (80ml)
- 1 ½ cup strawberries
- 2 ½ tablespoon sugar
- pinch of salt
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy cream (240ml)
- 2-3 tablespoon powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Separate the egg whites and egg yolks in clean separate bowls. To prevent a yolk from accidentally breaking into the whites, separate the whites into a separate small bowl each time and then transfer it to the one you will beat them in. Make sure the bowl you add the egg whites in is very clean and has no grease marks.
- Add about two-thirds of the sugar into the yolks (about 7 tbsp - 88g) and whisk well until pale and light. Whisk in the milk. Then add in the flour, salt and baking powder. Fold or whisk gently until all mixed together.3 large egg yolks, room temperature, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup white granulated sugar, 3 tablespoon milk, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Now beat the egg whites in the separate clean bowl, until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the rest of the sugar (3.5 tbsp - 45g) while beating and continue until you get stiff peaks.3 large egg whites, room temperature, ⅔ cup white granulated sugar
- Add a dollop of the egg whites into the yolk mixture and whisk it in to loosen the batter and make it easier to fold in the whites. Add the rest of the whites and fold gently with a spatula by scraping from the sides of the bowl, inwards. Cut down the middle with the spatula and fold the sides towards the middle until mostly combined. Don’t mix too much or aggressively to prevent deflating the whites.
- In a 8x8 pan, with ONLY the bottom lined with parchment paper, pour the batter and bake at 350F° for about 40 minutes. Don’t open the oven door until the last 10 minutes. Gently poke the cake with your finger and if it springs back, it’s done. If it leaves an indent, then bake for another 5 ish minutes.
- Take the cake out of oven and place upside down on a cooling rack to let cool. This helps prevent it from deflating. Take the cake out of the pan and take off the parchment paper. Put the cake back in.
Milk Mixture
- Macerate the strawberries: cut the strawberries and sprinkle with the sugar. Mix to combine and let sit for at least 30 minutes to draw out the moisture.1 ½ cup strawberries, 2 ½ tablespoon sugar
- Add the condensed milk, whole milk, evaporated milk, the strawberries and a pinch of salt to a large bowl. Use an immersion blender to blend it all together. You can also use a blender instead.Make sure to start with less sweetened condensed milk than stated, depending on how sweet your strawberries are. Taste as you go. Add a few drops of red food colouring if you prefer a vibrant colour.½ cup evaporated milk, ¾ cup whole milk, ⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk, pinch of salt
- Strain the milk through a sieve to get rid of the seeds and pulp.
- Take the cake out of the pan and pour about ½ cup of the milk mixture to the bottom of the pan. Place cake back in and poke holes all over it with a fork, knife or a skewer. You don't want the holes to be too small or the milk won't absorb into the cake.
- Slowly pour the milk over the cake in 2-3 intervals for better absorption. Let it absorb and then pour more. You can reserve some of the milk for serving if you desire. I would do about ⅓ cup. Cover it and let it soak for a couple hours in the fridge or overnight (better overnight.)
Whipped Cream
- In a chilled bowl, pour in your whipping cream and beat it until you get soft peaks. Now add in the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat just until you reach stiff peaks. Don't over-mix it or it will start to curdle.1 cup heavy cream, 2-3 tablespoon powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cover the cake in a layer of sliced strawberries. You can skip this step if you prefer. The sliced strawberries do make it a little more difficult to cut a clean slice as they aren't soft and don't cut as easily as the cake or cream. However, they do enhance the strawberry flavour and make it much more refreshing. Or you can chop them up smaller as well!
- Top with the cream and smooth out the top. Decorate with strawberries on top.
- Slice, serve and enjoy!
alexa says
loved it and my family too. a cake this size usually lasts a week in the fridge here... this one had 2 days of life before being fully extinction. i did make a small change, using half whole milk and half cream instead of evaporated milk (as it can not be purchased in brazil) and it worked just fine!