This chocolate tres leches cake is a rich chocolate cake soaked in a chocolate three-milk mixture and topped with chocolate whipped cream.
If you love the classic Mexican tres leches but want a chocolate version, this recipe is for you. I start with a moist chocolate cake base.
Once it's baked and still warm, you poke holes all over the top and pour a cocoa-infused three-milk mixture right over it.
The cake absorbs all the liquid like a sponge, making it incredibly moist and rich without getting soggy. To finish it off, I top it with a light, homemade chocolate whipped cream and some chocolate shavings.
For more delicious chocolate cake recipes, check out my chocolate mayonnaise cake, chocolate brooklyn blackout cake, chocolate caramel cake, and Matildas chocolate cake.
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Why this recipe works
- Rich Chocolate Flavor: I use Dutch cocoa powder in the cake batter, the milk soak, and the whipped cream topping so you get chocolate in every single bite.
- Holds Up to the Liquid: The cake base is sturdy enough to soak up the milk mixture without breaking apart or turning into mush.
- Easy to Make Ahead: This dessert actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge for a day, making it perfect for parties or weekend baking.
- Warm Soaking Method: Pouring the milk mixture over the cake while it is still warm helps it absorb the liquid quickly and evenly.
Ingredients
Before starting, measure out your ingredients to make the process easier. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
For the Chocolate Cake Base
All-Purpose Flour: This gives the cake its structure. Cake flour works as a swap too.
Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder: I prefer Dutch-process because it has a deeper chocolate flavor, but natural cocoa powder works fine here too.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These help the cake rise and create pockets to hold the liquid.
Granulated Sugar: To sweeten the cake and keep it soft.
Vegetable Oil: Keeps the cake soft and moist, even when it is cold in the fridge. Canola oil works too.
Eggs: Use room-temperature eggs so they mix easily into the batter.
Buttermilk: Adds moisture and activates the baking soda. (If you don't have any, mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes).
Hot Coffee or Hot Water: Hot liquid melts and "blooms" the cocoa powder, which brings out a much stronger chocolate flavor.
Vanilla Extract & Kosher Salt: Standard baking ingredients to balance the sweetness and enhance the chocolate.
For the Chocolate Tres Leches Soak
Sweetened Condensed Milk: Thick, sweet, and makes the soak rich and creamy.
Evaporated Milk: This is just concentrated milk with most of the water removed, which adds a nice richness without being too heavy.
Whole Milk: Helps thin out the mixture so the cake can easily drink it up.
Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder: To turn the milk mixture into a chocolate soak.
For the Chocolate Whipped Cream
Heavy Whipping Cream: Make sure it is cold from the fridge so it whips up properly.
Cocoa Powder: Sift this first so you don't get bitter chocolate lumps in your frosting.
Powdered Sugar: To sweeten the whipped cream smoothly.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 9x9-inch baking pan. (Note: Do not use parchment paper to line the pan, because you will keep the cake in this pan to soak and serve it.)
Make the Cake Base
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, buttermilk, salt, and vegetable oil until combined.
Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda until almost combined.
In a separate small bowl, whisk the hot coffee (or hot water) with the cocoa powder until smooth. Pour this hot mixture into your batter and fold it in gently with a spatula just until combined. Try not to overmix.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30–40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes so it is warm, but not boiling hot. Use a fork or a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
Soak the Cake
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, and evaporated milk. To prevent lumps, mix your cocoa powder with a tablespoon of warm milk first, then whisk it into the rest of the liquid.
Slowly pour the chocolate milk mixture over the warm cake. Put the cake in the fridge for at least 30 to 60 minutes to let the liquid soak in and allow the cake to cool completely before you frost it.
Make the Chocolate Whipped Cream
In a cold mixing bowl, combine the cold heavy cream, sifted cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cold cake. Garnish with some chocolate shavings or a little cocoa powder, then slice and serve directly from the pan.
Expert Tips
- Leave It in the Pan: Never try to take a tres leches cake out of the pan. Because of all the liquid, it will fall apart if you try to lift it out. It is meant to be served straight from the baking dish.
- Pour Slowly: Give the cake time to drink up the milk. If it starts pooling on top, wait a couple of minutes before pouring the rest.
- Let It Chill: While you can eat it after an hour, this cake is much better if you let it sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or even overnight, so the liquid fully settles.
- Soak While Warm: Make sure the cake is still warm when you pour the milk over it. Cold cakes don't absorb liquid nearly as well.
Troubleshooting
Why is my cake soggy?
Tres leches is a very wet cake by design, but if it feels mushy, the cake might have been slightly underbaked, or it didn't get enough time to sit and set in the fridge.
Why is the milk sitting on top of the cake?
If the cake cooled down completely before you poured the milk, it will have a harder time absorbing it. Make sure the cake is still warm when you do the soak.
The cake will still absorb the milk mixture when it's cool, but it will take longer.
Can I use a 9x13 pan?
Yes. You can double the ingredients to make a larger 9x13-inch cake. If you use this exact recipe in a 9x13 pan, the cake will just be much thinner, so you'll need to decrease the baking time to about 22–28 minutes.
Faq's
It means "three milks" in Spanish. The name comes from the combination of condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk used to soak the baked sponge cake.
Yes. The coffee is just there to bring out the chocolate flavor, but you can swap it for plain hot water, and the cake will still turn out great.
This recipe uses a sponge-style cake with plenty of eggs. The eggs give the cake a strong, springy structure that acts like a real sponge, holding onto the liquid instead of dissolving into mush.
Storing
Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or foil and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing
You can freeze the plain, baked chocolate cake before you add the milk or frosting. Wrap the cooled cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to use it, thaw it, warm it slightly in the oven, poke the holes, and proceed with the recipe. I don't recommend freezing the cake after it has been soaked and frosted.
Substitutions
Gluten-Free: Use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend containing xanthan gum.
Egg-Free: Replace the eggs with ⅔ cup of unsweetened applesauce (the cake will be slightly denser).
Variations
Mocha: Add 1 teaspoon of espresso powder to the cake batter and another teaspoon to the whipped cream topping.
Mexican Hot Chocolate: Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the cake batter and dust the top of the finished cake with a little extra cinnamon.
Salted Caramel: Pour a layer of caramel sauce over the cake before adding the whipped cream.
Equipment
More cake recipes
Butter Cake- A simple, tender cake with a rich, buttery flavor that is perfect for snacking.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake- A bright lemon cake topped with lemon mascarpone cream and sweet lemon curd.
Crepe Cake- Layers of thin crepes and whipped cream, topped with a rich chocolate ganache.
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 1 ½ cups Granulated sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
- ½ cup Buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups Flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ⅓ teaspoon Baking soda
- ⅔ cup Coffee hot!
- ½ cup Cocoa powder Dutch processes
For the tres leches
- 14 oz Sweetened condensed milk aka 1 can
- ½ cup Evaporated milk
- ½ cup Milk
- 2 tablespoon Cocoa powder Dutch processed
For the chocolate whipped cream
- 2 cups Heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon Cocoa powder
- ⅔ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 9x9-inch baking pan. (Note: Do not use parchment paper to line the pan, because you will keep the cake in this pan to soak and serve it.)
Make the cake base
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, buttermilk, salt, and vegetable oil until combined.
- Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda until almost combined.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk the hot coffee (or hot water) with the cocoa powder until smooth. Pour this hot mixture into your batter and fold it in gently with a spatula just until combined. Try not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30–40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes so it is warm, but not boiling hot. Use a fork or a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
Soak the cake
- Slowly pour the chocolate milk mixture over the warm cake. Put the cake in the fridge for at least 30 to 60 minutes to let the liquid soak in and allow the cake to cool completely before you frost it.
Make the chocolate whipped cream
- In a cold mixing bowl, combine the cold heavy cream, sifted cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cold cake. Garnish with some chocolate shavings or a little cocoa powder, then slice and serve directly from the pan.
Notes
- Hot Coffee vs. Hot Water: I use hot coffee to bloom the cocoa powder because it brings out a much deeper chocolate flavor without making the cake taste like coffee. However, you can swap it for plain hot water if you prefer.
- Serve Directly from the Pan: Do not try to take this cake out of the pan. Because of the amount of liquid, it will break apart if you try to lift it. It is meant to be soaked, frosted, and served right out of the baking dish.
- Soak While Warm: For the best absorption, poke the holes and pour the milk mixture over the cake while it is still warm (about 20 minutes after baking). A cold cake won't drink up the liquid nearly as well.
- How to Dissolve the Cocoa: Cocoa powder does not dissolve easily in cold milk. To prevent dry lumps in your milk soak, whisk the cocoa with a tablespoon of warm milk or water first to form a paste, then whisk that paste into the rest of the milk mixture.
- Make Ahead & Chill Time: Let the cake sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours before slicing. If you can make it the day before, even better—the cake gets much creamier, and the flavors settle beautifully overnight.
- Storage: Keep the cake covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing the cake after it has been soaked and frosted, as the texture of the whipped cream and milk soak will break down when thawed.
Stephanie says
This cake was amazing! Follow the exact instructions and it’ll turn out perfect!! It was a huge hit!
Meli says
Going to use your recipe but tweak it with a double layer with strawberries in the middle, I will let you know how it went!
Amber says
It looks sooo moist