Tender Chocolate Tres Leches for Chocolate Lovers

By Elizabeth Waterson // Jun 6, 2023 (Updated Feb 23, 2026) // 3 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

This chocolate tres leches cake takes the beloved Latin American milk-soaked dessert and turns it into a deeply chocolate version that's soft, rich, and totally moist. A tender chocolate sponge bakes up light and then gets drenched in a trio of milks made chocolate-milk style for extra cocoa depth. Finished with a layer of whipped cream and chocolate shavings, this dessert feels indulgent yet elegant - perfect for celebrations, special gatherings, or when you want chocolate in its most luxurious form.

half eaten piece of chocolate tres leches cake on a white plate on a light pink surface — Deep chocolate cake with milky soak — yes, it’s as good as it looks.

My family loves tres leches cake. My sister goes die-hard for this salted caramel tres leches cake recipe and I love my Baileys tres leches cake. I wanted to make a chocolate version. This is somewhat reminiscent of better than sex cake, that's a super easy recipe that starts with a boxed cake mix.

Because chocolate cake is generally a lot less fussy compared to a white or yellow cake I didn't bother with a recipe that included folding whipped egg whites into the batter. I just made a simple, delicious chocolate sponge cake.

To ensure we had ultimate chocolate flavor you'll find the chocolate in all three parts of the cake; a chocolate cake, chocolate milk in the soak, and freshly shaved chocolate on top of the whipped cream.

chocolate tres leches cake in a white dish with a slice missing on a light pink surface

The Ingredients Doing The Heavy Lifting

Chocolate sponge base: A soft, cocoa-rich cake layer that holds up to heavy milk soaking without falling apart. The use of cake flour and Dutch-process cocoa gives it delicate texture and deep flavor.
Three-milk soak (with chocolate milk): The classic tres leches trio - chocolate milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk - is the magic that makes this cake moist and decadent.
Hot coffee: Enhances and intensifies the chocolate flavor in the cake without making it taste like coffee.
Whipped cream topping: Adds lightness and contrast to the rich milk-soaked base and gives a creamy finish that balances the chocolate.
Chocolate shavings/curls: A simple garnish that adds texture and extra chocolate flair without overpowering the cake.

If you love cream and chocolate check out my Ding Dong Cake.

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

recipe ingredients laid out in indivudal bowls on a light pink surface

Featured Review

"This cake is so rich creamy and light, I am obsessed with it and cannot wait to make it again"
Kelsey

Jump to Recipe·5 from 2 reviews

Let's Milk This Cake Right

dry ingredients sifted together in a glass bowl through fine mesh sieve on a light pink surface with a white and blue stripped linen — Sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

wet ingredients mixed together then dry ingredients added on a light pink surface with a white and blue stripped linen — Whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix.

hot coffee added to chocolate cake batter in an glass bowl on a light pink surface with a white and blue stripped linen — Add in the hot coffee to cake batter and mix to combine.

chocolate cake before baking and after baking with a fork poking holes all over on a light pink surface — Pour batter into the pan and bake. Then cool the cake.

chocolate milk soak poured on top of chocolate cake on a light pink surface — Pour chocolate milk mixture all over the cake.

whipped cream added on top of the cake on a light pink surface — Pour chocolate milk mixture all over the cake.

hand shredding chocolate with a microplane zester on top of whipped cream over cake in a white dish on a light pink surface — Garnish cake with chocolate shavings.

Don't Skip These (From My Kitchen to Yours)

In my testing, I found that poking lots of small holes before pouring the milk soak helps the liquid absorb fully and evenly without leaving dry spots.
Skipping the chill time in the fridge will result in a cake that is not as evenly moist as you want. The long chill time helps create an evenly moist and delicious cake!

slice of chocolate tres leches cake on a white plate with a fork on a light pink surface

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

Make sure to join our Newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

Recipe Card

piece of chocolate tres leches cake on a white plate on a light pink surface

Tender Chocolate Tres Leches for Chocolate Lovers

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

Print Recipe

Total Time: 6 Hours 40 Minutes
Yield: 9-12 Slices 1x

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and grease a 9-inch by 9-inch square baking pan.
Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Once fully combined set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour in the hot coffee and mix until combined, the batter will be thin.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for
Bake for 32-37 minutes, or until done. If you stick a toothpick in it comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely.

Milk Soak

Using a fork poke the cake numerous times, the more holes the better! In a large bowl combine the chocolate milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Pour the milk mixture all over the cake. Pour slowly, some liquid will pool but most will be absorbed into the cake. Let sit for 30 minutes covered in the refrigerator.

Topping

Then in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a large bowl with a handheld electric whisk beat heavy cream and sugar until medium-thick stiff peaks are formed. Spread on top of the cake and garnish with chocolate. You can get fancy and make homemade chocolate curls or do like I did and use a Microplane zester to create chocolate shavings. Keep refrigerated for at least 3-4 hours before serving, the more time the milk has to soak in the better. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.