Tres Leches - 4 Ways - The Food Flamingo

One cake recipe, but with 4 mouthwatering flavors! This tres leches recipe is perfect for parties and get-togethers because there will be a flavor for everyone! Coffee, caramel, strawberry and lemon!

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About This Recipe

This tres leches recipe may seem complicated but it is simple. The four flavors are all made with the same sponge cake base and milk mixture, although a few different ingredients are added to the milk mixture to flavor it.

The four flavors include strawberry, coffee (my fav!), lemon, and Turkish Trilece or you can call it caramel flavored. Let me break down the process of making this recipe so it’s easier to understand. I made one batch of my go-to sponge cake recipe, that I use for all of my tres leches cakes, and divided that into 4 bowls.

Then I made the milk soak in a large bowl, a mixture of whole milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. I then divided this mixture into 4 separate bowls. I then added lemon zest in one bowl for the lemon tres leches, strawberry milk in another one for strawberry tres leches, some coffee in the third one for coffee tres leches and finally, I left the fourth bowl of the milk soak as is for the Turkish or caramel tres leches.

Once the cakes were soaked with their respective milk mixtures, I topped them all with whipped cream, I also added some coffee into the whipped cream for the coffee tres leches. Finally, for the topping, the strawberry tres leches is topped with my Homemade Strawberry Sauce, the lemon tres leches is topped with my Homemade Lemon Curd, the Turkish/caramel tres leches is topped with my Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce, and last but not least, the coffee tres leches is topped with a generous dusting of cocoa powder!

Okay! That was a lot, but trust me it’s way easier than it sounds, plus a little extra effort is going to give you 4 amazing and delicious flavors of an irresistible dessert! And honestly, they’re all so good that it’s pretty difficult to pick a favorite!

What You Need To Make This Recipe

Ingredients for the Sponge Cake:

Flour: all you need is regular all-purpose flour. All my cake recipes are made using AP flour.

Granulated sugar: this is for sweetening the sponge cake.

Vegetable oil: use a flavorless oil like canola or sunflower oil.

Baking powder: this is the rising agent that makes sponge cakes super fluffy. Ensure your baking powder is not expired.

Eggs: use room-temperature eggs for the perfect sponge cake.

Ingredients for the Milk Soak:

Whole milk: it’s best to use whole milk for this recipe to achieve a creamy milk bath for the cake.

Condensed milk: you really can get good Tres leches without condensed milk, but I did talk about how to make Tres leches without condensed milk, in this post.

Heavy cream: this is needed for the milk soak and the topping.

Lemon zest: this is to flavor the milk for the lemon tres leches.

Coffee: just a mixture of water and instant coffee to flavor the milk for the coffee tres leches.

Strawberry milk: I used store-bought strawberry milk, this is to flavor the milk for the strawberry tres leches.

Ingredients for the Whipped Cream Topping:

Heavy Cream: Make sure your heavy cream is cold and has a fat percentage of 35% or higher, or else it will not whip into stiff peaks. You could also use store-bought whipped cream to make this recipe easier.

Powdered sugar: this is to sweeten the whipped cream.

You’ll also need:

Lemon curd: here’s my recipe (you can also use store-bought).

Strawberry sauce: here’s my recipe (you could also use store-bought).

Caramel sauce: here’s my recipe for homemade salted caramel sauce (of course you can use store-bought).

Cocoa powder: for dusting the top of the coffee tres leches.

How To Make Tres Leches – 4 Ways

Let’s go through step-by-step instructions on how to make this dessert.

Step 1: Make the sponge cake: Beat egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks using an electric hand/stand mixer. Set aside.

Step 2: Beat egg yolks and sugar until pale, add in vegetable oil, water, and vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Sift in all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until fully incorporated. This can be done with an electric mixer or by hand.

Step 3: Add one-third of the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and use a spatula to fold until fully combined.

Step 4: Pour the egg yolk mixture into the rest of the whipped egg whites and gently fold until everything is fully incorporated.

Step 5: Transfer the cake batter to a greased and lined 10-inch square baking tray and bake at an oven preheated to 180 °C / 350 °F for 20-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool down completely then remove it from the pan, cut the cake into 4 equal squares, and place them into 4 different plates/bowls.

Step 6: Make the milk soak by combining whole milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream.

Step 7: Divide the milk mixture into 4 bowls. Add lemon zest into 1, strawberry milk into another, coffee into the third and leave the fourth one as is. Set this aside. (the milk mixture can be made while the cake bakes and cools.)

Step 8: Strain the lemon milk. Add the milk mixtures to the 4 pieces of cake, transfer them to the refrigerator, and chill for at least 30 min to an hour.

Step 9: Beat cold heavy cream and powdered sugar to stiff peaks. Top the lemon, strawberry, and caramel tres leches with plain whipped cream frosting. Add coffee to the remaining whipped cream and add that to the coffee tres leches.

Step 10: Finally add on the toppings, lemon curd for the lemon tres leches, strawberry sauce for the strawberry tres leches, caramel sauce for the caramel/Turkish tres leches, and cocoa powder for the coffee tres leches. Store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.

Storing The Tres Leches Cake

Store the tres leches cakes in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve them. I recommend letting the cakes chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

The sponge cake can be made a day ahead and assembled the next day with the milk soaks and toppings.

Pro Tips

Balance the Soak: Be mindful of not oversaturating the cake to maintain a balanced texture. Each flavor might adjust the milk soak consistency slightly.
Measure the dry and wet ingredients properly. For the flour spoon it into a measuring cup and level it using the back of a spoon.
Cold eggs are easier into whites and yolks, so separate them and then let them come to room temperature before using.
Use a spatula to fold the egg whites and egg yolk mixture. Once fully incorporated stop mixing, be very careful not to overmix otherwise your cake will deflate. This is because the cake relies on the volume of the eggs to rise.
If you’re really short on time, chill the cake for at least 30 min. The longer the cake rests the more flavorful it will be.
Use a clean bowl when whipping the egg whites.
Bake the cake immediately after you make the batter, don’t let it sit around for too long.

FAQ’s

Why did my sponge cake deflate?

When sponge cakes cool, it’s normal for them to deflate a little, but if it’s deflated too much then this can be caused by several reasons: overmixing the batter, baking in an oven that’s too hot or cold, or even opening the oven to quickly.

Can I use store-bought whipped cream for the topping?

If that works for you, then go right ahead!

Can I use fresh strawberries to flavor the strawberry milk instead of store-bought strawberry milk?

Yes, add about 1/4 cup of strawberry puree or strawberry sauce into the milk soak instead of strawberry milk.

Check out my YouTube Channel for detailed recipe tutorials! Made one of my recipes? Tag me on Instagram, I would love to see your creations!

If you want to make just a single flavor of tres leches, then you should try out my Turkish Trileçe, one of the most popular recipes on my blog, or even my Pistachio Cardamom Tres Leches Cake.

Recipe Card

Tres Leches – 4 Ways

One cake recipe, but with 4 mouthwatering flavors! This tres leches recipe is perfect for parties and get-togethers because there will be a flavor for everyone! Coffee, caramel, strawberry and lemon!

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Chill Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hrs. 50 min

Course: Dessert

Servings: 8-10

Calories:

Ingredients

For the Sponge Cake:

4 eggs, separated into whites and yolks, room temp.
3/4 cup granulated sugar, separated into 1/2 and 1/4 cups (150g)
4 tbsp. water, room temp.
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tbsp. All-purpose flour (140g)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

For the Milk Soak:

3 cups whole milk, warm (720ml)
1/2 cup heavy cream (120ml)
1/2 cup condensed milk (120ml)
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup strawberry milk
1 1/2 tbsp coffee ( 1 1/2 tbsp water + 1-2 tsp instant coffee)

For the Toppings:

1 cup heavy cream, cold (240ml)
3 tbsp powdered sugar (45g)
1 tbsp coffee (1 tbsp milk + 1 tsp instant coffee)
Lemon curd (my recipe)
Strawberry sauce (my recipe)
Caramel sauce (my recipe)
Cocoa powder

Equipment/Utensils

Large bowl
3 medium-sized bowls
Electric hand/stand mixer
4 small bowls (for milk soaks)
4 serving plates/bowls
Spatula
10-inch square baking tray, greased and lined
Offset spatula (optional)

Instructions

Make the sponge cake: Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F and grease and line a 10-inch square baking tray and set aside.
Add egg whites into a large bowl, and beat with an electric hand/stand mixer on medium-high speed until frothy. Continue beating while gradually adding in 1/2 cup of granulated sugar until stiff peaks form, this takes 6-7 minutes. Set aside.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar until pale and creamy. Add in water, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Next add in all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until fully incorporated.
Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and use a spatula to fold the mixture until fully combined. It’s ok to be a little rough while folding the mixtures together at this point.
Add all of the egg yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites and, this time gently fold together until everything is fully incorporated. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking pan and bake at 180 °C / 350 °F for 20-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once baked let the cake cool completely, then remove it from the pan, flip it over, and remove the parchment paper. The back side will now be the top of the cake because it’s neat and flat. Cut the cake into 4 equal squares and place them in 4 different serving plates/bowls.

Make the milk soak: While the cake bakes and cool you can make the milk soak for the cakes.
In a medium-sized bowl combine whole milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. Divide this mixture into 4 different bowls.
For the lemon tres leches: add lemon zest into one bowl and mix, set aside for at least 15-20 minutes, and strain it before adding it to the cake.
For the strawberry tres leches: add strawberry milk to the second bowl, mix, and set aside.
For the coffee tres leches: add coffee( 1 1/2 tbsp water + 1-2 tsp instant coffee ) into the third bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
For the caramel/Turkish tres leches: leave the milk mixture as is.

Assembly: Pour all of the milk mixtures into each of the cakes and let them rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
While the cakes chill make the whipped cream frosting: Add cold heavy cream and powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl and use an electric hand/stand mixer to beat the cream to stiff peaks.
Spread whipped cream onto the lemon, strawberry, and caramel tres leches cakes.
Add coffee (1 tbsp milk + 1 tsp instant coffee) into the remaining whipped cream and spread that onto the coffee tres leches cake.
Add on the final toppings: Spread lemon curd on the lemon tres leches cake, and decorate however you’d like!
Spread strawberry sauce on the strawberry tres leches cake, and decorate however you’d like!
Spread caramel sauce on the caramel tres leches cake, and decorate however you’d like!
Dust cocoa powder on the coffee tres leches cake.
Chill the cakes for at least 30 more minutes before serving, enjoy!

Nutrition

**Does not contain the nutrition for the toppings such as lemon curd, strawberry sauce, and caramel sauce.**

Calories: 386.4kcal

Total Fat: 19.92g

Carbs: 44.38g

Sugars: 33.3g

Protein: 8.59g

Sodium: 242.94mg

Fiber: 0.49g

** Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, cooking methods, portion sizes, and more. **