This Salted Caramel Tres Leches Cake is a showstopper, moist cake soaked in a dreamy mixture of condensed milk, evaporated milk, half-and-half, and salty-sweet caramel. Topped with fluffy whipped cream and another drizzle of caramel, it's cool, indulgent, and decadent. Perfect make-ahead dessert for celebrations or casual get-togethers.
Its always been a tough choice for me. Caramel or Chocolate? Luckily most of the time I put them together so I get the best of both worlds. But sometimes there is nothing quite like a spoon full of salted caramel. Pure, creamy, salty but sweet goodness. Really there is nothing like homemade salted caramel. And its so damn easy to make. I always have some in my fridge. For those instant gratification moments. It's been a long Monday and a spoon full of salted caramel always does the trick for me.
It got me thinking about cream and caramel. 9 times out of 10 I always pick caramel ice cream. Then I thought about this Bailey's Tres Leches Cake and my chocolate tres leches cake. You see where this is going hence the title of this post.
Milk Soak + Caramel = Soaked Cake Perfection
This cake is comprised of three components; the cake, the soak, and the topping. The key component in this Salted Caramel Tres Leches Cake is of course the salted caramel, you'll find that in each component.
I personally will prepare a batch of my Homemade Salted Caramel and use it for this recipe but you could also use store-bought.
- Cake Base. Made with cake flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, butter, eggs, and salted caramel, this delicate sponge is sturdy enough to soak up the milk mixture yet tender. Beating the egg whites to stiff peaks ensures a light, airy crumb.
- Milk Soak.A trio of evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and half-and-half-balanced by a splash of salted caramel-perfectly saturates the cake, making every slice moist and rich.
- Whipped Cream Topping. Heavy cream whipped with confectioners sugar creates a light, creamy top that contrasts the dense, milk-soaked cake. A final drizzle of salted caramel ties all the flavors together.
Get Ready for Cake Bliss
Soak, Whip, Drizzle, Chill
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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Over-the-Top Salted Caramel Tres Leches Cake
This Salted Caramel Tres Leches Cake is a showstopper, moist cake soaked in a dreamy mixture of condensed milk, evaporated milk, half-and-half, and salty-sweet caramel. Topped with fluffy whipped cream and another drizzle of caramel, it's cool, indulgent, and decadent. Perfect make-ahead dessert for celebrations or casual get-togethers.
- Total Time: 8 Hours 45 Minutes
- Yield: 12-18 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Cake
- 210 grams (1 ½ Cups) Cake Flour
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 5 Large Eggs, Separated, at room temperature
- 4oz (½ Cup) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 200 grams (1 Cup) Granulated Sugar/ Caster Sugar
- 1.5oz (3 Tablespoons) Homemade Salted Caramel or Store-bought
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Milk Soak
- 12oz Can Evaporated Milk
- 14oz Can Condensed Milk
- 10oz (1 ¼ Cup) Half & Half or Heavy Cream
- 4oz (½ Cup) Salted Caramel
Topping
- 12 oz (1 ½ Cups) Heavy Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Confectioners Sugar
- 5 oz Salted Caramel
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 9X13 pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or large bowl with a handheld electric whisk beat the egg whites on medium speed until slightly foamy then slowly stream in two tablespoons of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer the egg whites to a clean bowl.
- Using the same dirty electric mixer bowl with a paddle attachment add the butter and remaining sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Then add the salted caramel, scrape down the bowl, and mix until fully incorporated. Add in the egg yolks one at a time then the vanilla extract. Again, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- Gently fold in the dry mixture to the wet, mixing until just combined, it will be thick. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 22-26 minutes, until when touched the cake bounces back, or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on wire rack. Once completely cool prepare the milk soak.
Milk Soak
- In a large bowl combine evaporated milk, condensed milk, half & half, and salted caramel.
- Using a skewer or fork poke the cake many times. The more holes the better. Then pour the milk soak evenly over the whole cake, I like to pour half let it sit for a minute then pour the remainder.
Topping
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or large bowl with a handheld electric whisk beat the cream and powdered sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. Then spread on top of the cake. Drizzle salted caramel on top. This cake is best if it sits in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, ideally. Serve cold and store-leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
*Total Time includes Chill Time
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican/ American
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
ooooh girl this is the most tempting tres leches cake I've ever seen!
Elizabeth says
Thanks doll, it really was spectacular!
Christine says
Took it to thanksgiving with the family. Everyone raved! Fabulous!!!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for letting me know Christine, it really does make my day hearing this! I hope you have a beautiful weekend!! XX Liz
Cash Daniell says
I made this recipe and it is now my new favorite!!! I have always loved tres leches cake, but was never really crazy about the fruit toppings that usually go on there. When I saw this recipe I had to try it! Making the caramel was actually pretty easy, however, I ignored the unsalted butter and added salted butter like I always do.... so it came out a little saltier than I think it should have, but it was still amazing. I would suggest going with the unsalted butter or using less salt. Also, everyone who tried this really loved it too. So moist and delicious!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for the detailed review Cash, I am so pleased you enjoyed the recipe! Truth me told I like a salty caramel so will often use salted buter too!! Thanks again. Take care. XX Liz
Alex says
Hello
I would like to make this cake for my fiancé`s birthday; do you think once the cake has been chilled overnight I can unmold it and cut it in rectangle and stack them in 3 layers with the whipped cream in between?
Thank you!
Alex
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Alex, thanks for reaching out. So I personally have never done a layered tres leches cake. Upon doing some research some people stack them as the layers as they are soaking- like place one layer soak it then put whipped cream in the middle place another cake layer and soak that cake layer then cover and chill in the fridge overnight. I did see one recipe calls for soaking then assembling. I would personally lean towards soaking as you layer so that you don't risk the very wet/ already soaked cake to fall apart as you try and assemble it. If it were me I would bake this cake in two 8 inch pans and adjust the baking time, probably done around the 15-minute mark (that's my best guess- watch them closely!!) then soak the layers as you are assembling and place in the fridge to "soak" and then cover in whipped cream and do swirls with the back of the spoon for a rustic look. Then drizzle caramel all over. Goodluck! Let me know if you have any further questions or if you try it please do let me know I would love to see how you get on! Take care. XX Liz
Karla says
Sooooooo good!!!! I can’t get enough of all the caramel recipes! This was one of my favorite that I’ve made so far!! So easy too!! And now I know how to make my own cake batter
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you so much for coming back to rate and review the recipe Karla. You are becoming such a great baker, I am so proud!!! XX Liz
Linda says
I made the cake and eat everything went well except the cake isn't absorbing all the milk.. Wasn't quite done at 26 min. So I added 5 minutes. Did it cook too long? Center still seemed soft.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Linda, I am so sorry you were having issues. You may have over baked it but the cake does take hours to completely absorb the milk, and you need to make sure there are lots of holes. Let me know if I can help with anything else and always feel free to Instagram direct message me I am there and can help you trouble shoot by sending photos back and forth. take care.. XX Liz
Laura says
This looks divine! I’m thinking of making it for a party—do you think it would be omay to make it two days before the party and keep it covered and refrigerated? I could let it come to room temp on the day of the party. I’ve never made tres leches, so I don’t know if I could make it that far in advance. Thanks!
Laura says
This looks divine! I’m thinking of making it for a party—do you think it would be okay to make it two days before the party and keep it covered and refrigerated? I could let it come to room temp on the day of the party. I’ve never made tres leches, so I don’t know if I could make it that far in advance. Thanks!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Laura, yes you could make it two days in advance and keep it covered in the fridge. I would also serve the cake chilled not room temp. It needs to be store in the fridge due to all of the milks and cream. Please let me know if you have any questions, you can also direct message me on Instagram and send any baking questions there too! XX Liz
DONNA says
This cake is delicious! It was easy to make too. I used a little less salt in the caramel sauce, and we loved it. I've never made caramel before so I used low heat and went slowly. It came out great inspite of my insecurities.
Chitra says
Hey Elizabeth, this recipe looks so good! I had one question - instead of salted caramel can I use dulce de leche?
Thank you
Chitra
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Chitra, I have never done that but I am sure you could make it work, I would maybe loosen the dulce de leche like mix it with some milk to thin it out a bit. Please let me know if you try it and how you get on! Take care. XX Liz
Carol Haberman says
Kroger has a new product that is Salted Caramel Milk. I recently purchased a bottle thinking I could add it to a box cake to make a Salted Caramel Cake. It was a total flop. Not sure if the cake mix or the milk was the problem. Do you think it would work in any of your Caramel recipes? It is made from non-fat dry milk, condensed milk, brown sugar, and butter. I'm willing to try and will not hold you accountable. Lol. Thank you.
Elizabeth Waterson says
Gosh I am surprised it didn't work- did you just use it instead of normal milk a recipe called for? I would use it in a tres leches cake for sure since its just a milk soak I think it should easily swap in.Please let me know if you have any questions would love to know if you try a recipe! Take care. XX Liz
Rain says
How many total grams of sugar are in this dessert? Is there a low sugar recipe that is also available?
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Rain, I am so sorry I don't have any low sugar recipes. XX Liz
Amy Spencer says
Hi there, can you use boxed cake?
Elizabeth Waterson says
The texture of the cake is different than a boxed cake mix so it would make the cake a bit different but you can try it ! 🙂 XX Liz
Amy Spencer says
Thank you
Amy Spencer says
I made this for Friendsgiving and it turned out great! First time baking it and everyone loved it!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thank you SO Much for the lovely review Amy!! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the cake! May I ask a huge favor please? Would you be so kind to leave a star rating next time you leave a review- the stars are an easy way for my readers to see others had success and helps my standings in Google! I would be so grateful! XX Liz