Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
This easy strawberry tres leches cake starts with a box of strawberry cake mix, soaks in a creamy strawberry milk mixture, and includes whipped cream and fresh strawberries on top. A fun, flavorful twist on a classic Mexican dessert!
Table of Contents
Want more dessert recipes? Try our chocolate bundt cake with cake mix, this 5-ingredient ice cream sandwich cake, a coconut cream poke cake, and this one-bowl buttermilk chocolate cake, too!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy. If you love a baking shortcut, then this recipe is for you! Take advantage of a box of strawberry cake mix and a tub of Cool Whip for a simple dessert that’s fool-proof (even for less experienced or impatient bakers).
- Moist. Like a classic tres leches cake, this dessert is soaked in three milks, giving it an incredibly moist, sweet, and rich texture.
- Full of Strawberry Flavor. We could also call this tres fresas cake, since it includes three types of strawberries: a strawberry cake, a strawberry milk mixture, and fresh strawberries on top. Needless to say, this dessert tastes like a really moist strawberry cake!
- Make Ahead. Especially when hosting a holiday or gathering, it’s nice to have a dessert that you can prepare in advance and not worry about at the last minute. This cake will be waiting in the fridge when you need it!
What is Tres Leches Cake?
Tres leches is Spanish for “three milks,” and describes this popular Latin American dessert that includes a sponge cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture. After baking the cake, you poke holes in it with a fork or skewer and pour three types of milk over the top – evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk – hence the name “tres leches.” The cake is then finished with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
This strawberry tres leches cake is an easy twist on the classic dessert. Instead of a light sponge cake, you’ll use a box of strawberry cake mix for a nice shortcut. The strawberry cake is soaked in three types of milk, and then finished with Cool Whip or whipped cream and fresh strawberries. It’s moist, full of strawberry flavor, and incredibly easy!
Strawberry Tres Leches Cake Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an easy strawberry tres leches cake recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Strawberry cake mix: I use Duncan Hines brand, but any similar variety is fine.
- Oil: I use vegetable oil, but any neutral flavored oil like canola oil will work.
- Milk: replaces the water called for on the box of cake mix for a richer cake.
- Eggs: adding one more egg than called for on the box gives the cake more of a soft, sponge cake texture.
- Vanilla extract: gives the cake mix a little bit more homemade flavor. Use my 2-ingredient homemade vanilla extract for the best taste!
- Strawberry milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk: the “three milks” that give this cake its name. I use strawberry milk for a little bit more sweet strawberry flavor, but you can sub with regular whole milk if you prefer.
- Frozen whipped topping: the frosting for the cake. Use thawed Cool Whip for a shortcut, or make your own homemade whipped cream with a pint of heavy cream (those directions are included below).
- Strawberries: a fresh, tasty, decorative garnish for the top of the cake.
Directions
The hardest part about making this cake is just being patient — it needs plenty of time to chill and soak up that delicious milk! Make it a day in advance for an easy, stress-free treat that will be waiting in the fridge when you’re ready to enjoy.
You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Mix the cake batter.
- Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Bake the cake.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Whisk together the milk mixture while the cake cools.
- Poke holes all over the top of the cake.
- Pour the tres leches mixture over the cake.
- Chill the cake while it soaks up the milks.
- Frost with Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream) and top with sliced fresh strawberries.
- Cut into squares and serve!
Serving Suggestions
This cake is the perfect sweet ending to a spring or summer cookout. Kids and adults all love it! Offer it alongside grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, easy potato salad, classic pasta salad, and pickled shrimp. My son even requested it for his birthday in May!
Strawberry tres leches cake is also a fun way to finish off a Mexican-inspired dinner. Pair it with ground beef tacos, a Dorito taco salad, sheet pan chicken fajitas, homemade nachos with ground beef, and the easiest burrito recipe.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Prepare the cake up to 1-2 days in advance. It gets better as the cake has time to sit and soak up the milk mixture.
- Store the cake covered in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
- How to Freeze: bake the cake, cool completely, and cover tightly. Freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before soaking in the milk mixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is tres leches cake Spanish or Mexican? According to this article, tres leches cake is popular in all Latin American countries. While some say that the cake originated in Nicaragua, the larger consensus seems to be that Mexico holds that claim to fame.
- What does it taste like? A traditional tres leches cake has a light flavor and a texture reminiscent of a vanilla custard or pudding. This strawberry version has a rich strawberry flavor and a light, moist texture.
- Why is my tres leches cake not absorbing milk? If you’ve poked plenty of holes in the top of the cake and then allowed it to sit in the fridge for a few hours but the cake is still not absorbing the milk, it’s likely that your cake is too dense. You need a cake with a light, airy, sponge-like texture to absorb the liquid.
- Why is my cake soggy? A tres leches cake should be very moist and should puddle milk when you pierce it with your fork; however, it should not be soggy and mushy. If the cake disintegrates or becomes too soggy, it’s probably because the cake wasn’t fully baked through or because the cake didn’t cool enough before you poured the milks over top.
Expert Tips
- If you prefer, you can use homemade whipped cream instead of Cool Whip to frost the cake. To do so, beat together 1 pint of heavy whipping cream, 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
- Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes before adding the milk mixture on top. This gives the cake time to firm up and absorb the milk without becoming mushy or soggy.
- Allow plenty of time for the cake to chill in the fridge before serving. It takes at least a few hours for that sweet milk mixture to really soak in. Unlike a batch of cookies, this is not a dessert that you can bake right before you need it.
More Strawberry Dessert Recipes
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Pie Recipe
2 hours hrs 42 minutes mins
Strawberry Cream Cheese Icebox Cake
4 hours hrs 25 minutes mins
Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits
2 hours hrs
Strawberry Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box strawberry cake mix (I use Duncan Hines brand)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE STRAWBERRY MILK MIXTURE
- ½ cup strawberry milk (or sub with regular whole milk)
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
FOR THE TOPPING
- 16 ounces frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
- 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
Instructions
BAKE THE CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to beat together the ingredients on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 30 minutes.
MAKE THE STRAWBERRY MILK
- While the cake is cooling, whisk together the strawberry milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk.
- Using a wooden skewer or fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake (spaced about ½-inch apart from each other).
- Gradually pour the strawberry milk mixture evenly over the top of the cake, allowing the milk to soak in. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 to 3 hours, or ideally overnight.
ADD THE TOPPING
- Just before serving, spread the whipped topping over the top of the cake and garnish with fresh strawberries.
- Slice into squares and serve!
Notes
- If you prefer, you can use homemade whipped cream instead of Cool Whip to frost the cake. To do so, beat together 1 pint of heavy whipping cream, 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
- Let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes before adding the milk mixture on top. This gives the cake time to firm up and absorb the milk without becoming mushy or soggy.
- Allow plenty of time for the cake to chill in the fridge before serving. It takes at least a few hours for that sweet milk mixture to really soak in. Unlike a batch of cookies, this is not a dessert that you can bake right before you need it.
