tres leches cake

noun

tres le·​ches cake ˈtrās-ˈlā-chās- How to pronounce tres leches cake (audio)
variants or tres leches
: a sponge cake soaked in a mixture of condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cream
At its most basic, tres leches cake is just a big, luscious sponge. Once you bake the dense cake, you soak it in a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream.Emily Nunn
The tres leches is as marvelous and moist as ever beneath its soft meringue topping, thanks to enough salt content to balance the sweetness.Alison Cook

Examples of tres leches cake in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
She's been innovative, trying different dishes and bringing in other ethnic cuisine like Horchata or tres leches cake. La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 4 July 2025 Evelyn Valdes had one request for her birthday this year: a tres leches cake from Pinecrest Bakery. Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 21 June 2025 This year, it was elevated with the flavors synonymous with tres leches cake. Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2025 When a dessert of tres leches cake arrived, swimming in frozen cherries, Etta’s contained a candle to mark the start of her teens. David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2025 The menu includes nachos, queso and tacos, but also a fried chicken Diablo sandwich, a chipotle Caesar salad and desserts such as Biscoff tres leches cake or RumChata liqueur cheesecake. Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 June 2025 The dessert highlighted cream puffs and tres leches cake. Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025 Raised partly in the Dominican Republic, Velez’s recipes for treats like tres leches cake and guava and cheese pastelitos are nods to the country’s traditional desserts. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 21 Dec. 2024 As a child, the Thanksgiving meal would have turkey and cranberry sauce, but also white rice and black beans, tres leches cake or arroz con leche pudding, and plenty of festive Spanish-language music. David Plazas, The Tennessean, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish tres leches "three milks," referring to the three milk products used in the cake

Note: The name of the cake in Spanish is pastel de tres leches, torta de tres leches, and other variants.

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tres leches cake was in 1984

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Cite this Entry

“Tres leches cake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tres%20leches%20cake. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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