Make a Chocolate Tres Leches Cake with a boxed cake mix - it's easy and so delicious! Rich chocolate cake soaked in three milks, then topped with chocolate whipped cream and chocolate curls.
What is Tres Leches Cake?
Tres Leches cake is a classic Mexican dessert that's just delightful. If you haven't had it before, you're missing out!
The premise of tres leches cake is simple - make a sheet cake, poke holes all over the cake, soak in different kinds of milk (hence tres leches, or three milks, in Spanish), and top it with fluffy whipped cream. It's a rich, almost pudding-like cake that is just divine in any flavor.
I've made a classic Tres Leches cake recipe before, but today I thought I'd shake it up a little bit! Changing the flavor of your tres leches cake is as simple as changing the flavor of a few ingredients in the recipe.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- I've taken a traditional cake and simplified it down to the easiest preparation method possible. It has store-bought ingredients to take the guesswork out of the recipe. If you can stir cake batter, you can make this cake!
- This one is great to make the night before an event. It's best when refrigerated overnight.
- No kitchen experience is required to make a really yummy, sinfully decadent chocolate dessert that your guests will remember long after they try it.
Ingredients
(See recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact ingredient measurements.)
For The Chocolate Cake Base
- Devil's Food Cake Mix - Use any variety of chocolate cake mix; however, I prefer Devil's Food because it's super rich and chocolatey.
- whole milk - It's best to use whole milk for a really hearty chocolate cake.
- butter - Make sure your butter is at room temperature when you're ready to cook.
- vanilla extract
- eggs
For The Tres Leches Milk Mixture
- heavy cream - You might be tempted to use half and half or even milk instead of heavy cream; don't! The cream makes it rich and velvety.
- evaporated milk - The canned variety is exactly what you need.
- sweetened condensed milk
- chocolate pudding mix - This is what we're going to use to make the tres leches and whipped topping chocolate-flavored. It's a great way to add flavor to ingredients,
For The Whipped Cream Topping
- heavy cream - You're going to be shocked at how quickly the heavy cream and chocolate pudding mix will make a soft, fluffy chocolate icing! I'm talking within a matter of seconds.
- chocolate pudding mix
- whipped topping - Yes, the packaged frozen kind. If you'd like to make your own whipped cream, go for it - just whip together a cup of heavy cream and a cup of powdered sugar. Make sure your whipped topping is thawed when you're ready to "frost" the cake.
- chocolate bar - We'll use this to top the cake with chocolate shavings at the end. You can use semi-sweet for more of a bite, or milk chocolate for more sweetness. I like to use both.
Variations & Additions
- Change the flavor - it's so simple to change the chocolate flavor of this cake; simply change the cake mix and the pudding mix! You could do strawberry tres leches, lemon tres leches, banana tres leches - the possibilities are endless.
- Lighten it up - now, I don't necessarily recommend this, but you can lighten this recipe up a little if needed. Use skim milk in the cake, half and half instead of heavy cream, and light whipped topping.
- Give it a bite - top your cake with a sprinkle of cocoa powder or even espresso powder for an extra chocolatey bite. You could even sprinkle a little bit of cayenne pepper on the top of the cake for an unexpected spicy kick!
Make it a Mexican meal - serve this tres leches cake with my Instant Pot Mexican Rice and copycat restaurant salsa! 💃
How to Make Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Step 1: Make the chocolate cake base.
In a large bowl, blend cake mix, whole milk, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs using a hand mixer. Spread the batter in the bottom of a greased 9x13" glass baking pan.
Bake the cake in the oven according to the package directions. Allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes. Then, poke holes all over the top of the cake with a fork.
Step 2: Add the tres leches milk mixture.
While the cake is cooling, whisk heavy cream, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and half of the chocolate pudding mix in a medium bowl.
Once the cake is cool and holes are poked in the top of the cake, carefully pour the chocolate milk mixture over the top of the sheet cake. Pour roughly a cup at a time, letting the milk soak into the cake before adding more of the mixture.
Place the cake in the fridge and allow it to cool for at least an hour (preferably overnight).
Step 3: Top with chocolate whipped cream & chocolate shavings.
When you're ready to serve the cake, blend the remaining half of the chocolate pudding mix and 8 ounces of the heavy cream with a hand mixer. Add whipped topping and mix with a hand mixer. Don't overmix!
Frost the cake using this chocolate whipped cream mixture. Grate the chocolate bar and sprinkle chocolate shavings over the top of the cake.
Leftovers & Storage
This one definitely needs to go in the fridge. Make sure to store it in an airtight container (placing a lid on your baking dish works perfectly) and enjoy your cake within 3-4 days of making it. This tres leches is best served cold, so no reheating is needed!
Can I freeze this cake?
Yes, you can freeze tres leches cake! Wrap it tightly before adding whipped cream and chocolate shavings at the end. Freeze it for up to 6 months. When you're ready to serve, thaw it in the refrigerator and top with chocolate whipped cream & shavings.
More Expert Tips & Tricks
- If you want to get the three milk mixture into the cake quicker, poke holes in your cake with a wooden skewer or chopstick.
- If you can let it soak overnight, do it! The cake and milk mixture combines into a rich, pudding-like deliciousness the longer it sits.
Chocolate Tres Leches Cake FAQs
🍫 This one's sure to be a hit at your next party! I can't wait to see what you think of it. Let me know how it went with a comment or rating ⭐️ below.
Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
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Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake Base
- 15.25 oz Devil's Food Cake Mix
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 stick butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
For the Tres Leches Milk Mixture
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 3.9 oz chocolate pudding mix
For the Whipped Cream Topping
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 8 oz whipped topping thawed
- 1.5 oz chocolate bar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, blend cake mix, whole milk, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs using a hand mixer. Spread the batter in the bottom of a greased 9x13" glass baking dish.
- Bake cake according to package directions. Allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes. Then, poke holes all over the top of the cake with a fork.
- While the cake is cooling, whisk heavy cream, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and half of the chocolate pudding mix in a medium bowl.
- Once cake is cool and holes are poked in the top of the cake, carefully pour the chocolate milk mixture over the top of the sheet cake. Pour roughly a cup at a time, letting the milk soak into the cake before adding more of the mixture.
- Place the cake in the fridge and allow it to cool for at least an hour (preferably overnight).
- When you're ready to serve the cake, blend the remaining half of the chocolate pudding mix and 8oz heavy cream with a hand mixer. Add whipped topping and mix with a hand mixer. Don't overmix!
- Frost the cake using this chocolate whipped cream mixture. Shave chocolate bar over the top of the cake.
Notes
- If you want to get the three milk mixture into the cake quicker, poke holes in your cake with a wooden skewer or chopstick.
- If you can let it soak overnight, do it! The cake and milk mixture combines into a rich, pudding-like deliciousness the longer it sits.
- This one definitely needs to go in the fridge. Make sure to store it in an airtight container (placing a lid on your baking dish works perfectly) and enjoy your cake within 3-4 days of making it. This tres leches is best served cold, so no reheating is needed!
