Strawberry Tres Leches Cake

Strawberry tres leche cake
Dorling Kindersley: Charlotte Tolhurst / Getty Images
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 24 servings
Yield: 1 cake

Tres leches cake is a favorite throughout Latin America. The name tres leches (three "milks") comes from the 3 different kinds of milk (condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cream) that soak into this cake after it bakes, making it rich, dense and intense! Tres leches is typically served cold, tasting like ice cream has just melted into your cake. It's a great dessert for hot weather. Some people top tres leches with Italian meringue, and others prefer to use whipped cream.

This strawberry tres leches cake has a layer of strawberry filling between the cake and the whipped cream, and is topped with strawberries and blueberries (or whatever fruit you choose, peaches and raspberries would be good, for example). The red, white, and blue colors of the berries and whipped cream are perfect for the 4th of July.

Ingredients

  • 8 large eggs

  • 2 2/3 cups sugar

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla

  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

  • 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 1/2 cup buttermilk

  • 1 1/2 cups condensed milk

  • 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

  • 3 cups whipping cream, divided

  • 1 pound strawberries, plus more for decoration

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1 cup blueberries, for decoration

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to 350 F.

  3. Line the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan wIth parchment paper.

  4. In a standing mixer, beat the eggs with 2 2/3 cups of the sugar until light in color and thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon vanilla and the almond extract.

  5. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.

  6. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg and sugar mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold gently and do not overmix.

  7. Spread the batter into the pan.

  8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, and cake just starts to spring back to the touch.

  9. While the cake is baking, prepare strawberry filling: Rinse 1 pound of strawberries, remove stems, and cut strawberries in half.

  10. Place them in a saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Heat strawberries over medium heat, mashing them gently and stirring them with a spoon. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.

  11. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve, using a spatula to force strawberries through, into a bowl. Let cool.

  12. When the cake has cooled for about 5 minutes, use a skewer to poke holes all over the surface of the cake.

  13. Whisk together the condensed milk, the evaporated milk and 1 1/2 cups of the cream, and pour over the hot cake.

  14. Refrigerate cake for 2 to 3 hours or overnight, until chilled.

  15. Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. .

  16. Leaving cake in pan, spread strawberry filling over the top of the cake.

  17. Spread the whipped cream over, covering the strawberry filling.

  18. Decorate cake with strawberries and blueberries. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
382 Calories
15g Fat
54g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories 382
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 20%
Saturated Fat 9g 46%
Cholesterol 107mg 36%
Sodium 150mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 20%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 42g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 13mg 64%
Calcium 170mg 13%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 228mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)