"Cinco Leches" Cake

Bake #59 for 2025: Cinco Leches Cake by Zoë François

This absolutely delicious cake comes from Zoë’s cookbook “Zoë Bakes Cakes,” which is available here (or maybe at your local library). While she calls this a “Cinco Leches” cake, technically I think it would be more appropriately called a “Seis Leches” since it also includes butter – just as a personal edit. I’ve made Tres Leches cakes a few times, but this is the best version we’ve tried. If you’ve never tasted or made a Tres Leches before, it is a soaked cake popular in Spanish-speaking countries/regions, and definitely worth a try!

I should've gotten a better picture, but I promise it's great!

Ingredients:

Milk Soak:

• One 14-oz can (396g) sweetened condensed milk
• One 12-oz can (354mL) evaporated milk
• 1 cup (227g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp rum*

Cake:

• 1-3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (227g) whole milk, room temp
• 1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs, at room temp
• 1-3/4 cups (350g) sugar

Topping:

• 1-1/2 cups (340g) heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
• 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• PLUS, ground cinnamon, for dusting

 

Instructions:

1. To make the soak: (SEE NOTE) combine all the ingredients and set aside.
2. To make the cake: preheat oven to 325F and generously grease a 9x13 baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In a microwave-safe bowl or large measuring cup, combine the milk and butter, heat on low until the butter is melted, about 1 min. Let cool completely, then stir in vanilla.
5. In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the eggs on medium-high until foamy, then turn the speed to low and slowly add the granulated sugar. Return the speed to medium-high and whip until thick and glossy, about 7 min.
6. Turn the speed back to low and slowly add the cooled milk mixture. Add the flour in three additions, mixing only until the flour is incorporated after each. Transfer the batter to the baking dish.
7. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 35 min. Let the cake cool for 10 min then, using a skewer or toothpick, poke holes every half-inch all over the surface of the cake. Evenly pour the milk soak over the entire cake. Let sit until it cools to room temp then refrigerate at least 3 hours, but overnight is best. When ready to serve, remove from the fridge and let sit at room temp for 20-30 min.
8. To make the topping: in a stand mixer with a whip attachment or using a handheld mixer, whip the ingredients (except the cinnamon) together on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 2 min. Spread over the cake and dust with cinnamon before serving.

Notes:

• *Her recipe calls for 2 Tbsp of rum, which is just shy of one airplane bottle. Frankly, we couldn’t taste it so if you don’t drink or can’t be bothered to buy/use a “specialty” ingredient, I think it wouldn’t change much to just omit it.
• FOR THE MILK SOAK: Zoe calls for reducing the sweetened condensed milk in the microwave by heating on low power, covered, for ~10 min, stirring every couple min, until it is thick and slightly darker. I tried this and was very unhappy with the results – mine just seemed to curdle. I tried again by doing the same thing on the stove in a small saucepan, stirring constantly over medium-low heat. After 12-15 min of not seeing a substantial difference, I gave up and just let it cool. Feel free to try this step by either method if you like, but be careful not to scorch it. And if you can’t be bothered, it’s perfectly delicious to just combine the soak ingredients as is.
• Finally, a 9x13 of this is great for a party, but if you are making it for a smaller gathering, I did a half batch in an 8x8 pan instead and it worked beautifully. The only downside is ending up with half a can each of unused sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. But you could reserve that and use it elsewhere.