Salted Caramel Tres Leches Cake

Published: Jun 1, 2021 · by Elizabeth Waterson · 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!

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Salted Caramel Tres Leches Cake is drenched with Condensed Milk, Evaporated Milk, Half & Half, and Salted Caramel and topped with a thick layer of fresh whipped cream and more caramel. Step-by-step photos teach you how to bake this delicious cake recipe. You will love this recipe, perfect for a special taco Tuesday or even Cinco de mayo!

salted caramel tres leches cake on a white plate with a fork on a light pink surface

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.

The last chocolate cake I made was a spin on this one but I instead of plain whipped cream I added salted caramel to the heavy cream as it whipped. Woah. Life changer.

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. You see where this is going hence the title of this post.

slice of half eaten salted caramel tres leches cake on a white plate with a fork on a light pink surface

Ingredients

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.

For the cake recipe you will need:

Cake Flour. Cake flour has less protein content compared to all-purpose flour which means less gluten is formed in the cake batter resulting in softer, tender cake crumb. I strongly advise to not substitute all-purpose flour.
Salt. Salt enhances the other ingredients flavor profiles, don't skip it!
Baking Powder. This chemical leavening agent helps the cake rise in the oven.
Large Eggs. Separated, at room temperature
Unsalted Butter. Your butter will cream with the sugar so in order for it to cream properly the butter must be softened to room temperature.
Sugar. For this recipe, you'll only need granulated sugar also known as caster sugar.
Salted Caramel. I personally will prepare a batch of my Homemade Salted Caramel and use it for this recipe but you could also use store-bought.
Vanilla Extract. Use the real stuff!

For the soak recipe you will need:

Evaporated Milk. Is a shelf-stable milk product that has had a lot of the water removed.
Sweetened Condensed Milk. Is also a shelf-stable milk product that has had a lot of the water removed but sugar has also been added.
Half & Half or Heavy Cream. I have made this cake with both, use whatever you have on hand.
Salted Caramel. Again you can use homemade or store-bought.

And finally for the topping:

Heavy Cream. You need to make sure you get heavy whipping cream not just whipping cream.
Confectioners Sugar. Also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar this will slightly sweeten and help stabilize the cream a bit.
Salted Caramel. I like to drizzle the cake with caramel to help people quickly understand the caramel flavor profile

Instructions

With any baking recipe one of the most crucial steps is to make sure your oven is properly preheated. Set the oven temperature to 350F/180C and grease a 9X13 pan and set aside.

Now we can start with the dry ingredients. In a large bowl whisk together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder.

dry ingredients whisked together in a metal bowl on a light pink surface

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.

egg whites whisked together until foamy in a metal bowl on a pink surface

Then slowly stream in two tablespoons of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

whisked egg in a metal mixing bowl on a pink surface

Transfer the egg whites to a clean bowl.

Next, we'll cream the butter and sugar.

granulated sugar and butter in a metal mixing bowl on a light pink surface

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.

salted caramel added to creamed butter and sugar mixture in a metal bowl on a light pink surface

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.

wet ingredients for a cake recipe in a metal mixing bowl on a light pink surface

Gently fold in the dry mixture to the wet, mixing until just combined, it will be thick.

dry ingredients mixed into wet ingredients in a metal mixing bowl on a light pink surface

Finally, gently fold in the egg whites.

egg whites added to cake batter and folden in inside a metal mixing bowl on a light pink surface

cake batter in a glass dish bebfore baking sitting on a light pink surface

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.

hand holding a fork poking cake in a glass dish on a light pink surface

Let cool on wire rack. Once completely cool prepare the milk soak.

In a large bowl combine evaporated milk, condensed milk, half & half, and salted caramel.

salted caramel, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream mixed together with a whisk in a metal bowl on a light pink surface

Using a skewer or fork poke the cake many times. The more holes the better.

milk mixutre poured on top of cake in a glass dish on a light pink surface

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.

salted caramel tres leches cake soaking in a glass dish on a light pink surface

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.

metal bowl full of whipped cream sitting on a pink surface

Then spread on top of the cake.

whipped cream added on top of salted caramel tres leches cake in a glass dish on a light pink surface

Drizzle salted caramel on top. There you have it, my salted caramel tres leches cake.

salted caramel drizzled on top of whipped cream on a tres leches cake in a glass dish on a light pink surface

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.

half eaten slice of salted caramel tres leches cake with a fork on a stack of plates on a light pink background with more cake in the background

More cake recipes

This tres leches layer cake looks absolutely beautiful!

You've gotta try my boozy version, Baileys Tres Leches Cake.

And for another salted caramel treat check out my Salted Caramel Creme Brulee!

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

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