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This moist Chocolate Tres Leches Cake is a delicious twist on the classic Mexican dessert! Soaked in a signature three milk mixture and topped with homemade chocolate whipped cream, it’s great for any celebration, including Cinco de Mayo, Christmas, and New Years!
This post is sponsored by Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs. All opinions expressed here are my own.
If you love the classic Mexican tres leches cake (or “three milks cake” in English), then you’re going to love this chocolate version! (I also have a pumpkin tres leches cake and an apple tres leches cake!)
This popular Mexican dessert consists of a delicious chocolate cake soaked in a mixture of three milks and topped with chocolate whipped cream. It’s creamy yet light and airy, chocolaty without being overly rich, and extremely easy to make!
It’s my go-to cake to make for any celebration, including the holidays when everyone is wanting a little bite of something special.
Ingredients in Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
To make the moist chocolate cake, you’ll need all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, milk, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and (my personal favorite!) Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs.
I’m a huge fan of Pete and Gerry’s and have been eating their eggs for a few years now because they’re so high quality. Not only are they USDA Certified Organic and Certified Humane Free Range, but the flavor is so much better than any other store-bought eggs I’ve ever had, and the color of their yolks is always so vibrant! I can’t recommend them enough.
To make the signature three milks mixture, you’ll need:
- milk (either 2% or whole)
- sweetened condensed milk
- evaporated milk
Some recipes call for heavy cream instead of regular milk, but I prefer using regular milk since I’m already using heavy cream in the whipped topping.
How to Make Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Make the cake batter by first combining all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda) and then whisking in the wet (milk, oil, and vanilla extract).
Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Then using a wooden skewer or the tines of a large fork, poke holes all over the cake. This will give the three milks mixture plenty of places to go and soak in.
Next, make the three milks mixture by combining milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk.
Pour it over the entire cake as evenly as possible so that every part of the cake gets some of the liquid. Cover and refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours so that it can cool completely.
Next, make the chocolate whipped cream by beating together heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder until fluffy. Then cover and refrigerate until the cake is ready.
I used a handheld electric mixer to make the whipped cream, but you could also use a stand mixer if you prefer.
Make Ahead and Storage
This cake can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. However, I recommend leaving the whipped topping off until right before serving.
Cover and refrigerate any leftover cake for up to 4 days.
Once the cake has completely cooled, spread the whipped cream all over the top of the cake, garnish with chocolate shavings, and serve!
More Desserts
Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 3 cup milk, divided (2% or whole)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 6 ounces evaporated milk
For the whipped topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- chocolate shavings, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray, olive oil, or butter. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add 2 cups of milk, the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until well combined and smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes while you make the three milk mixture.
- In a medium bowl, add the remaining 1 cup of milk, the sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Whisk together to combine.
- Using a knife or a spatula, gently unstick the sides of the cake from the pan. Then, poke holes all over the cake using a skewer or a large fork.
- Gradually pour the three milk mixture over the cake. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours to let the cake fully cool and absorb the liquid.
- While the cake cools, make the whipped topping. In a large bowl, add the heavy cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract.
- Beat on high speed using a handheld or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- When the cake has cooled completely, top with the whipped topping and garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead: This cake can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. However, I recommend leaving the whipped topping off until right before serving.
- Storage: Cover and refrigerate any leftover cake for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very simple, I added a few touches of my own! Made a two layer cake with strawberry/pineapple for the filler! The theme of the cake was Wolverine/Deadpool
I made this cake, but because I was baking for a crowd, I wanted to make individual portions, so I used this recipe to make cupcakes. I used solid paper cups, filled them 1/2 full, Poured 1 1/2 tablespoons of the milk into each cupcake. When ready, I piped the whipped cream frosting onto the cakes and sprinkled the chocolate shavings. It made 20 cupcakes. They looked and tasted amazing! Everyone wanted the recipe. This cake is super moist and rich! Isabel, I will be coming to your website for more inspiration!
Thank you so much, Donna! I’m so happy that everything worked when turning them into cupcakes! Thanks for sharing.
I made this and was a total success with the family. I do plan on using less sugar next time, but it reminded me of Mexican Gansito. I added strawberries to mine. Thank you for sharing!
Oh my gosh, adding strawberries for a Gansito vibe is genius!!
This recipe was SO easy to make and turned out delicious. Isabel, if you see this I need you to know we use ALL your recipes and they always turn out amazing!
Aw, thank you so much! I see every comment, and I really appreciate your kindness.
Yum I cannot wait to try this, Isabel! Thanks
I did a test run of this cake as my sister wants it for her birthday. My question I only need enough cake for four to six people. How do I cut this recipe down. I’m using 2 6″ round pans.
It was the perfect cake, and she loved the piece I gave her. Even my husband a non chocolate lover, enjoyed this as well. Thank you so much for your time.
Hi Kima! If you’re using 2 6inch round pans, then I would cut the recipe ingredients in half. I hope this helps!
You can cut it down by sending half of it to me… Just joking. This looks so delicious. Make sure to update us all and how it tastes.
Had a good taste. Too dense for me. Was very soggy.
The flavors were good but the cake was too mushy. Not sure if I did anything wrong but I like the cake to be more spongy.
I made this and followed the recipe exactly. The cake is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had and the icing tastes like a Wendy’s chocolate frosty . The cake as I thought when I first read the recipe definitely needs a lot more of the 3 milks to really be a tres leches cake but is still yummy anyway.
How do you measure the sweetened condensed milk? The only size I can find in my store is 14 oz. and from what I’m reading online, since it’s 14 oz by weight, you don’t measure it like you would a liquid. Thanks!
Hi Kym! We used half of a 16 oz can, which is where we got 8 oz. If you eyeball about half of your 14oz can it should be okay!