This Chocolate Tres Leches Cake is a dreamy twist on the classic! It features a soft, airy chocolate sponge that’s soaked in a rich chocolate milk, then topped with a light and luscious chocolate whipped cream frosting. Every bite is incredibly moist, chocolatey, and just the right balance of indulgent and refreshing!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This Chocolate Tres Leches Cake is a twist on my 5-star rated original Tres Leches recipe—and trust me, you’re going to love it! Here’s why:
Super light and airy sponge – The chocolate sponge used in this recipe is incredibly light and fluffy (adapted from my light & airy chocolate sponge cake). It’s like eating a chocolate cloud that melts in your mouth—nothing heavy or dense here!
Loads of chocolate flavor – I’ve added chocolate (in the form of dutch process cocoa powder, although natural will work too) to every layer of this dessert: the sponge, the milk soak, and the whipped cream topping. But don’t worry—it’s not overly rich. The balance is just right, so it still tastes light and refreshing while giving you all the chocolatey goodness you crave.
Step-by-step instructions – Recipes involving meringue can sometimes feel intimidating, but I’ve got you covered. The recipe card includes detailed, easy-to-follow instructions as well as a recipe video to help you get it right on the very first try!
How to Make Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
You can find the full list of ingredients for this recipe in the recipe card at the end of the blog post (for easy navigation, hit the ‘jump to recipe’ button at the top of the blog post). Here is a quick visual breakdown of the recipe (recipe video is also provided in the recipe card below).
Chocolate Sponge Cake
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional and lightly grease only the bottom of a 9×13-inch cake pan. Leave the sides of the pan ungreased and do not line them.
Sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, instant coffee powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined and set aside.
In a medium bowl, add in egg whites and using an electric mixer (hand or stand mixer are both fine), whip on a medium-high speed for 30 seconds until foamy. Once foamy, gradually add in ½ cup (100g) of the sugar and then continue mixing until you reach stiff peaks (this should take about 4-6 minutes). Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup (100g) of sugar with the warm water. Stir to coat the sugar. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, then whip on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until the yolks are pale and slightly thickened.
While mixing on medium speed, slowly stream in the vegetable oil. Mix until well combined.
Fold in half of the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture using a rubber spatula, being careful not to overmix. Next, gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients. Finally, fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined. If there are large chunks of egg white, gently break them up by pressing them against the side of the bowl with your spatula—but avoid overmixing and deflating the batter.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Run a toothpick or thin knife through the batter to pop any large air bubbles. Lightly tap the cake tin on the counter twice to release excess air, then bake for 25 minutes. The cake is done when the top springs back slowly after a gentle touch.
Once baked, immediately drop the cake tin from a height of about 10cm onto your counter to help release steam. Then, invert the cake tin (with the cake still inside) onto a wire rack and let it cool for 30 minutes.
Chocolate Milk Mixture
In a jug (or any pour-friendly container), combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk until well combined. If you notice lumps of cocoa sitting on top, let the mixture sit for a few minutes and whisk again. Most lumps should dissolve—don’t worry if a few small ones remain, as long as there are no large clumps of unmixed cocoa.
Once the sponge has cooled for 30 minutes, turn it upright and run a knife along the edges of the tin to release the cake.
Use your fingers to gently rub off the top layer of brown ‘skin’ on the sponge (see video for demonstration). Then, use a fork to poke holes all over the top—about ¾ of the way into the sponge (not all the way to the bottom).
Pour the three-milk mixture evenly over the cake, making sure the top and edges are well soaked.
Cover the cake with cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to allow the milk to soak in adequately.
Chocolate Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
Once the cake is ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream frosting.
In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar, cocoa, and vanilla. Mix on low speed for 5 seconds, then increase to medium-high and beat until well combined. (If using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment.)
Add the heavy cream and mix on low speed for 10 seconds to prevent splattering. Then, increase to medium-high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. Watch carefully to avoid overwhipping.
Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake. Garnish with finely grated semi-sweet chocolate, if desired. Slice and enjoy!
How to Store Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
This chocolate tres leches cake is best stored in the fridge due to the milk soak and whipped cream topping. Cover the cake tightly with cling wrap or store it in an airtight container, and keep it refrigerated for up to 4 days. It’s not freezer-friendly, as the texture of the sponge and cream can change once thawed.
The Best Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- ¾ cup (90 g) all-purpose flour - plain flour in the UK
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder - I use Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1½ tsps baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 large eggs - room temperature, white and yolks separated
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar - separated in half: ½ cup (100g) for the egg whites & ½ cup (100g) for the egg yolk mixture
- 1½ tbsps warm water - not boiling
- 2 tsps vanilla extract/essence
- 2 tbsps (30 g) unflavored vegetable oil - I use canola oil
Chocolate Milk Mixture
- 1¾ cups (425 g) evaporated milk - You will need two 12 oz cans (there will be some left over)
- 1 cup (305 g) sweetened condensed milk - You will need one 14 oz can (there will be a little left over)
- ¾ cup (180 g) heavy cream
- 2 tbsp (14 g) unsweetened cocoa powder - I use Dutch-processed cocoa
Stabilized Chocolate Whipped Cream (or see note 1 for simple whipped cream recipe)
- 1 cup (225 g) mascarpone - cold
- ½ cup (55 g) powdered sugar - also known as icing/confectioners' sugar
- 3 tbsp (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder - I use Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 1½ cups (335 g) heavy cream - cold
Extra for Decorating (Optional)
- semi-sweet chocolate - finely grated, for garnishing if desired
Instructions
Chocolate Sponge Cake
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) conventional (see note 2 if using a convection oven with a fan) and lightly grease only the bottom of a 9x13-inch cake pan. Leave the sides of the pan ungreased and do not line them (see note 3).
- Sift together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, instant coffee powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl add in egg whites and using a hand or stand mixer, whip on a medium-high speed for 30 seconds until foamy (see note 4). Once foamy, gradually add in ½ cup (100g) of the sugar and then continue mixing until you reach stiff peaks (this should take about 4-6 minutes). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup (100g) of sugar with the warm water. Stir to coat the sugar. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, then whip on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until the yolks are pale and slightly thickened.
- While mixing on medium speed, slowly stream in the vegetable oil. Mix until well combined.
- Fold in half of the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture using a spatula, being careful not to overmix. Next, gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients. Finally, fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined. If there are large chunks of egg white, gently break them up by pressing them against the side of the bowl with your spatula—but avoid overmixing and deflating the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread it out evenly. Run a toothpick or thin knife through the batter to pop any large air bubbles. Lightly tap the cake tin on the counter twice to release excess air, then bake for 25 minutes. The cake is done when the top springs back slowly after a gentle touch.
- Once baked, immediately drop the cake tin from a height of about 10cm onto your counter to help release steam. Then, invert the cake tin (with the cake still inside) onto a wire rack and let it cool for 30 minutes (see note 5).
Chocolate Milk Mixture
- In a jug (or any pour-friendly container), combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk until well combined. If you notice lumps of cocoa sitting on top, let the mixture sit for a few minutes and whisk again. Most lumps should dissolve—don’t worry if a few small ones remain, as long as there are no large clumps of unmixed cocoa.
- Once the sponge has cooled for 30 minutes, turn it upright and run a knife along the edges of the tin to release the cake.
- Use your fingers to gently rub off the top layer of brown 'skin' on the sponge (see video for demonstration). Then, use a fork to poke holes all over the top—about ¾ of the way into the sponge (not all the way to the bottom).
- Pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake, making sure the top and edges are well soaked.
- Cover the cake with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the milk to soak in adequately.
Chocolate Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting
- Once the cake is ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream frosting.
- In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar, cocoa, and vanilla. Mix on low speed for 5 seconds, then increase to medium-high and beat until well combined. (If using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment.)
- Add the heavy cream and mix on low speed for 10 seconds to prevent splattering. Then, increase to medium-high speed and whip until stiff peaks form. Watch carefully to avoid overwhipping.
- Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake. Garnish with finely grated semi-sweet chocolate, if desired. Slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- 2 cups (480g) heavy cream
- 2 tbsps white sugar
- 2 tbsps (14g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
10 Comments
Best recipe for chocolate tres leches cake! Made a few tweaks, including adding dark shaved chocolate on top to cut the cloying sweetness and added the melted bittersweet choco to the milk. Thank you for sharing this!
Awesome! So glad you loved it Rita 😀
This recipe is incredible and satisfying
Yay! So glad you loved it Khayrah 😀
Delicious! I made your original version a couple times, so we were excited to try something new and different. This was a big hit and the flavors were awesome! I did not use coffee powder since I did not have any. I also used some heavy cream mixed with a little corn syrup for the topping. I didn’t have enough evaporated milk (just one can), but it still turned out great. I used an immersion blender to mix the milks and cocoa powder, it got rid of the lumps quickly and easily! Thanks for another great recipe!
Aww yay! So happy to hear you loved the recipe Stacy and that it still turned out awesome with the slight tweaks 😀
Ultimate recipe…❤️
Thanks so much Saadia! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
All of your recipes are excellent. I’m so happy to have found you. Thank you so much. Big hug!
Thanks so much Arlene! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes 😀