This high altitude chocolate tres leches cake starts with a moist chocolate cake that’s soaked in three milks, frosted with whipped cream, sprinkled with chopped chocolate and cinnamon, and served cold. It’s so easy to make this classic Latin American dessert, and it makes a refreshing cake to serve in the summer time.
You might also love these high altitude recipes for strawberry chiffon sheet cake, lemon pudding poke cake, and mixed berry shortcake cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Super Moist. Tres leches literally means, “three milks”, and a tres leches cake is usually a fluffy sponge cake that’s soaked in sweet milk, then topped with whipped cream. The generous amount of milk poured on top of the cake keeps it moist for days in the refrigerator. For today’s chocolate tres leches cake, I used my favorite recipe for high altitude chocolate cake, instead of a vanilla sponge cake. You’ll note that I increased the flour slightly, to make it a touch sturdier for the milk soak.
Make Ahead. This is a wonderful recipe to make the day before serving, since it keeps so well in the fridge.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Cocoa Powder. For the best chocolate flavor and a rich dark color, use Dutch processed cocoa powder, not natural cocoa powder.
- Milk. For the three milks, I used a combination of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk. This part isn’t an exact science, and you can certainly change the ratios, or even use cream or coconut milk.
- Chocolate. The crunchy chunks and shards of chopped chocolate on the whipped cream add a wonderful contrast to the soft moist cake and cream.
- Cinnamon. I really wouldn’t skip the sprinkle of cinnamon on top. It adds such a nice bit of spice to complement all the other flavors of this cake.
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for about 40-45 minutes, until a cake tester or sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean, or with moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes before adding the three milks.
Three Milks
- Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and whole milk or cream. If you want your cake to be less sweet, you can adjust the ratios of the evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk, or even replace one of these milks with unsweetened coconut milk.
- Use the end of a chopstick or wooden skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Pour the milk over the cake. It should soak in within a few minutes.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until chilled, or overnight.
Whipped Cream
- With an electric mixer, whip the cold heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until soft, fluffy peaks form that hold their shape.
- Spread the whipped cream over the cake. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate and cinnamon over the whipped cream.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover cake tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
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High Altitude Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Dish
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp instant espresso powder or instant coffee
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Three Milks
- 5 oz evaporated milk
- 14 oz (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
- 8 oz (1 cup) whole milk or cream
Whipped Cream
- 1 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped into chunks and shards
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for about 40-45 minutes, until a cake tester or sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean, or with moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes before adding the three milks.
Three Milks
- Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and whole milk or cream. If you want your cake to be less sweet, you can adjust the ratios of the evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk, or even replace one of these milks with unsweetened coconut milk.
- Use the end of a chopstick or wooden skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Pour the milk over the cake. It should soak in within a few minutes.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until chilled, or overnight.
Whipped Cream
- With an electric mixer, whip the cold heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until soft, fluffy peaks form that hold their shape.
- Spread the whipped cream over the cake. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate and cinnamon over the whipped cream.
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