Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Hello baker friends! This Chocolate Tres Leches Cake takes the classic dessert and gives it a rich chocolate twist. Instead of a traditional vanilla sponge, this version starts with a chocolate cake that absorbs a trio of chocolate milks. This creates a texture that’s soft, custardy, and deeply flavored without feeling heavy. Every layer—the sponge, the soak, and the topping—works together to highlight the chocolate while keeping the familiar tres leches structure intact.
The entire cake is finished with a smooth chocolate whipped cream that comes together quickly and spreads easily over the chilled surface. The topping is light enough to complement the soaked sponge but stable enough to hold clean swirls when you whip it to medium or stiff peaks. It’s a great make-ahead dessert that slices neatly, transports well, and always delivers that cold, creamy bite tres leches is known for.
Why you will love this recipe
This recipe produces a sponge that absorbs the three-milk-mixture evenly without becoming dense. The cake batter mixes quickly, uses basic pantry ingredients, and bakes in a standard 9×13-inch pan. Once chilled overnight, the entire cake becomes uniformly moist and balanced, and the whipped cream topping spreads cleanly over the surface.
Chocolate Sponge Cake
Start by whisking the dry ingredients—flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt—in a medium bowl until everything looks evenly combined.
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In a separate medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the eggs with the milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla until the mixture is fully blended.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk just until the cake batter no longer shows streaks of flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to make sure everything is incorporated.
Prepare the hot brewed coffee or hot water and pour it slowly into the batter while whisking gently. The heat helps dissolve the cocoa and makes the batter smooth and pourable. Transfer the finished batter to a greased and cocoa-dusted 9×13-inch pan, smooth the top, and bake until the center springs back lightly and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes before soaking.
Chocolate Tres Leches Mixture
To prepare the chocolate three-milk mixture, warm the milk until hot but not boiling. Place the cocoa powder in a medium bowl or large measuring cup and whisk in the hot milk until the cocoa dissolves completely. Add the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk, whisking until the mixture becomes smooth and uniform. Scrape along the sides of the bowl to make sure any remaining cocoa is fully mixed in. A bit of espresso powder is optional but deepens the chocolate flavor.
To Soak
When the cake has cooled slightly and is just warm, poke holes across the entire surface using a skewer or the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour the chocolate three-milk-mixture slowly over the cake in several passes, giving it time to absorb between pours. The sponge will gradually drink in the liquid from the edges toward the center. Cover the pan tightly and refrigerate overnight so the cake can fully absorb the mixture.
Chocolate Whipped Cream
Once the cake is thoroughly chilled, prepare the chocolate whipped cream topping. Add the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder to the bowl of a stand mixer. If you prefer, you can use a medium bowl and a hand mixer instead. Beat on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment until the mixture begins to thicken, then increase the speed slightly until medium to stiff peaks form. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed so the whipped cream stays smooth.
Mix in the vanilla briefly, then spread the whipped cream evenly over the cold cake.
Storage
Keep the cake covered and refrigerated for up to four days. The texture stays soft and moist, and the whipped cream holds its shape well when stored cold.
Tips & Tricks
- Let the cake cool just enough so it doesn’t crumble when poked but is still warm enough to help the mixture soak in evenly.
- Slowly pouring the three-milk-mixture in layers prevents pooling.
- If you choose water instead of coffee, a small amount of espresso powder helps intensify the chocolate version without making it taste like coffee.
- For the whipped cream, start with cold equipment—the stand mixer bowl or medium bowl should be chilled for the best consistency.
More Recipes
If you’re looking for more desserts with rich flavors and creamy textures, try my Dulce de Leche Cake, Olive Oil Chocolate Cake, No-Bake Flan, Chocolate Strawberry Cake, or Chocolate Mousse Cake next time you need something decadent and satisfying.
As always, thank you for reading my blog! It means the world to me! Tag me on instagram if you make one of my desserts! I hope you loved this Chocolate Tres Leches Cake as much as I did! Much love!
Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 127 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder 45 grams
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk 120 ml
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil 80 ml
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee or hot water
Chocolate Tres Leches Mixture
- 1/2 cup milk 120 ml
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 23 grams
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 396 grams
- 1 can evaporate milk 12 oz., 335 ml
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder optional
Whipped Cream topping
- 2 cups heavy cream 480 ml
- 6 tbsp powdered sugar 46 grams
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder 42 grams
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking pan with butter, then sprinkle with cocoa powder.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until everything looks evenly combined and there are no visible streaks of cocoa or flour. If your cocoa is lumpy, sift it first so the batter mixes smoothly.
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the eggs until the yolks and whites are well blended. Add the whole milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and whisk until the mixture is smooth and slightly frothy.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk gently, starting from the center and working outward, just until you no longer see dry pockets of flour. The batter will be quite thick at this point; avoid over mixing so the cake stays tender.
- Prepare the brewed coffee or hot water. It should be very hot, but not boiling. Slowly pour the hot liquid into the batter in a thin stream while whisking constantly. The batter will be very thin. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is evenly combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula so it bakes evenly. Tap the pan gently on the counter a couple of times to release any large air bubbles.
- Bake the cake on the center rack of the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top springs back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 to 20 minutes. While it is cooling, prepare the chocolate tres leches mixture.
Chocolate Tres Leches Mixture
- Heat up the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave. Place the cocoa powder in a measuring cup with a spout. Whisk until fully dissolved, and there are no lumps.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and espresso powder if using. Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and uniform. The cocoa tends to cling to the sides, so scrape down the bowl as needed.
To soak
- Once the cake has cooled slightly but is still warm, use a skewer, chopstick, or the handle of a thin wooden spoon to poke holes all over the surface of the cake, going almost to the bottom of the pan. Space the holes about 1 to 1.5 cm apart so the milk mixture can soak in evenly.
- Slowly pour the chocolate tres leches mixture over the entire surface of the cake. Start from the edges and move toward the center, pouring in several passes rather than all at once. Give the milk time to sink into the holes and the sides of the cake. If some liquid pools on top, let the pan sit for a few minutes; the cake will keep absorbing.
- Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or foil and transfer it to the refrigerator. Chill overnight, so the cake can fully absorb the chocolate milk mixture and become very moist and tender.
Chocolate Whipped Cream
- Once the cake has chilled, prepare the whipped cream topping. Place the heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. If the cocoa looks clumpy, sift it over the cream first to avoid lumps.
- Beat the mixture with an electric mixer on medium speed until it begins to thicken, then increase to medium-high and continue beating until you reach medium to stiff peaks. The whipped cream should hold its shape on the whisk but still look smooth and spreadable. Stop whipping as soon as it reaches this stage so it does not turn grainy.
- Add vanilla and mix briefly to combine.
- Spread the chocolate whipped cream evenly over the top, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to create swirls or a smooth finish, depending on the look you prefer.
- Keep the finished chocolate tres leches cake refrigerated until serving. Slice it cold, wiping the knife between cuts for clean pieces. The cake keeps well in the refrigerator for about 3 days, staying very moist and flavorful as it sits.
Storage
- This cake will store well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Kepp it covered.
Do you use natural or Dutch processed cocoa? Thank you!!
in recipes that take baking soda you always want to use natural cocoa powder instead of dutch processed if possible, because they don’t react well together.
There are many recipes that call for the use of Dutch process cocoa and the use of baking soda together. I was just looking to find out what your specific recipe used to be consistent. Thank you for getting back to me.
El pastel es humedo, por el baño . Se ve una delicia Gracias super recetas
Gracias 🥰
Hi! This looks delish, planning to make it for my daughter’s birthday. Could you please tell
1. What is the baking temperature for this cake?
2. Can brewed coffee be replaced with instant coffee?
Thanks for the help
Hello, by baking temperature for the cake do you mean the cake’s internal temperature or oven temperature?
Oven temperature would be 350F, and the cake will be baked when it’s internal temperature is 200F.
And yes you can totally use instant coffee instead. Id add one teaspoon.
So my friend and I tried making this over Zoom together but we kept having to leave the cake in for longer and longer because the consistency would not harden. I ended up cooking mine for a total of 3 hours and it’s still muddy and gooey. I’m going to pour the milk combo over it and leave it in the fridge overnight to see if any sort of magic happens, though I doubt it will change. Any ideas as to why this happened? My friend bakes almost every day at home and also works at a bakery and she can’t figure out what went wrong especially since it happened to both of us. Oddly enough, both of us used 1 or 2 different ingredients based on what we had so it’s strange for them to both come out the same way. (Nothing major, I used almond milk instead of whole milk, and she used an egg substitute) its possible that these changes caused this but it’s odd that it would give us both the same effect.
Would love some feedback as to why this might have happend so we can try again. Thanks!
I can see why the egg substitute wouldn’t work too well, but with the milk it shouldn’t be too bad. I don’t know what could have happened, I’ve made this cake three times, and it worked fine all three times. Sorry I am not sure how to help you here. But definitely shouldn’t have to bake the cake for 3 hours. I will try to bake this again this week and see what’s going on.
Camila, this cake seriously looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it! And I’m so glad my chocolate curls tutorial was helpful!❤️
Gostei muito desse bolo e achei fácil pra fazer, muito gostoso!!!!!
Obrigada!! 🥰