I’m not sure that there is anything better than tres leches cake, and this Strawberry version is at the very top of my list of favorite desserts right now. If you’ve never had Strawberry Tres Leches Cake before, imagine this: A light, airy strawberry sponge cake, baked in a 9×13-inch pan. While it’s still warm, we’ll poke holes in it and drench it in a sweet combination of three milks and wait until it’s all absorbed into the cake. Finally, we’ll top the cake with a simple whipped cream frosting and fresh strawberries before serving to our incredibly grateful family or dinner guests. This cake is SO good! You’ll love it, they’ll love it, and the best part is that it can be made ahead of time – either earlier in the day or the day before you plan to serve it.
Tres Leches Cake with Strawberries
Be sure to try my Strawberry Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting too!
Ingredients In Strawberry Tres Leches Cake
Here’s everything you need to make this strawberry cake from scratch: Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt: Together these make up the “dry ingredients” mentioned in the recipe. Using both baking soda and powder ensures that this cake gets plenty of lift in the oven. Eggs: Four whole eggs give the cake batter structure and also make it light and fluffy. Be sure to let your eggs come to room temperature before mixing them in. Granulated Sugar Butter: Ensure that your butter is ready to mix with the sugar by letting it soften at room temperature for an hour or more. Sour Cream and Milk: These dairy products make the cake extra moist. You can replace sour cream with plain yogurt if you’d like. Vanilla Extract: Vanilla has this magical ability to elevate all the flavors around it! Pink Food Coloring: An optional addition, food coloring will make the cake extra pretty! Strawberries: We are going to puree and cook down fresh strawberries to give this cake it’s sweet berry flavor. You’ll also want fresh strawberries to add to the top of the cake for decoration. In all, you’ll need about two pints of berries. Tres Leches: We need three kinds of milk to make pan tres leches! We’ll be combining sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk to make a creamy, sweet mixture to soak the cake in after it’s baked. Topping: The simple frosting for this cake is made with fresh heavy whipping cream and a bit of powdered sugar.
How To Make Strawberry Tres Leches Cake
There are four main parts to this recipe. The strawberry reduction, the cake, the tres leches, and the whipped cream. Before you get started, be sure to preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C), and grease and flour a 9×13-inch (22×33 cm) baking pan.
Recipe Tips
To poke holes in the cake, you can use a chopstick, a skewer, a straw, or the handle of a spoon—pretty much anything you have will work. In this recipe, smaller holes are better than larger ones. For even more strawberry flavor, top the cake with crushed freeze-dried strawberries instead of or in addition to the fresh berries. You can also use strawberry milk in place of the whole milk in the Tres Leches mixture. Food coloring is optional. Without it, the cake with have a lighter pink color, but it will still taste amazing! Looking for a shortcut? Strawberry Tres Leches cake can be made with a strawberry boxed cake mix instead of this homemade cake recipe. You can also top the cake with a tub of cool whip rather than fresh whipped cream if you prefer.
Storing Tips
It’s important to store tres leches cake in the refrigerator. It needs to be kept chilled because of the amount of dairy in it. If the cake is in an airtight container, it should last up to 3 days this way.
Does Tres Leches Cake Need to be Refrigerated?
Yes, it does! Cover the cake and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
Is Tres Leches Cake Soggy?
This cake is extra moist and a bit wet, but it shouldn’t be overly soggy.
What can I use instead of a food processor?
If you don’t have a food processor, you can make the strawberry puree in a high-powered blender instead. You may need to add a tiny bit of water to get everything moving. This is the BEST Strawberry Tres Leches Cake recipe, and I just know that everyone is going to love it! Pin it for the next time you have the urge to bake with fresh, juicy strawberries. © Little Sunny Kitchen
