Tres Leches Cake had always sounded rather intimidating to me. A traditional Mexican recipe that required three different kinds of milk? I figured it must be pretty complicated to make. So you can imagine my surprise when I actually read through a Tres Leches recipe and discovered it’s really quite simple. Let me walk you through the process and I think you’ll agree!

You’ll start things off with a basic vanilla or yellow cake recipe. This homemade version is easy to throw together with kitchen staples and has great texture, but you could use a box mix in a pinch. You’ll bake the cake as usual and then pierce the top with a fork all over. These little holes will help the milk mixture seep in and fully absorb into the cake. At this point, you’re going to want to let the cake fully cool to room temperature.

As it cools, you can start on your tres leches, or mixture of three milks. While it might sound fancy, these are milks you’re likely quite familiar with: whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Standard items at nearly every grocery store. The milks get mixed together and then poured over the cooled cake. It might seem like a lot of liquid at first, but give it time and it will all absorb! Once your cake is fully saturated, you’ll top it all off with a layer of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Easy as that, you’ve made a beloved Mexican treat!