Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

This chocolate tres leches cake is a spin to your favorite authentic Mexican tres leches cake! It's topped off with a homemade chocolate glaze and chocolate whipped cream before serving! This cake is sure to be a family favorite recipe!

5 from 1 vote

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Keyword: chocolate tres leches cake, mexican chocolate tres leches cake, authentic chocolate tres leches cake, easy tres leches

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Chill Time: 4

Total Time: 4 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 451kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients For The Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

8 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
1 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
6 eggs room temperature and separated
1 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ingredients For The Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients For The Homemade Chocolate Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp white granulated sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

How To Make Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

First, start by separating your egg whites from the egg yolks.
Next, in a stand mixer or mixing bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the softened unsalted butter, white granulated sugar and egg yolks until it has a very creamy consistency.
Add in the vanilla extract and continue mixing.
In a separate bowl, add the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk together to break up any lumps from the flour and unsweetened cocoa powder.
Add the flour and cocoa powder mixture and the milk to the butter, sugar and egg yolk mixture. The flour and cocoa powder mixture should be added 1/4 cup at a time while mixing to avoid a cloud of flour dust from messing up your kitchen. Alternate adding the milk little by little as well and continue stirring throughout this process. Stop mixing to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the chocolate chips to the cake batter and fold them in using a spatula.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Transfer the cake batter to a separate bowl because you will need a clean stand mixer or bowl to mix the egg whites. If you were using the stand mixer, thoroughly clean that bowl out and dry it before adding the egg whites.
Add the egg whites to a clean bowl or stand mixer and begin mixing until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter you prepared earlier until all of it is well incorporated. Do not over mix.
Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Pour the cake batter into the baking dish and bake right away in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the chocolate cake from the oven and allow it to cool. Use a fork to poke holes all over the cake.

How To Make The Chocolate Tres Leches Glaze

First, start by adding the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, unsweetened cocoa powder and milk to a bowl.
Whisk the ingredients together well breaking up any lumps from the cocoa powder.
Pour this chocolate Tres Leches glaze over your cake once it has cooled. After the first pour, let it sit and absorb the glaze for about 15 minutes. Then do another round of glaze pouring. There should be about a cup of chocolate glaze left over for serving with the cake.
Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

How To Make Homemade Chocolate Whipped Cream

In a stand mixer or bowl using a hand mixer, add in the heavy cream, white granulated sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder.
Mix on high speed until stiff peaks form and your mixture resembles a thick whipped cream.
Once you’re ready to serve the cake, top it off with this chocolate whipped cream and a little bit of unsweetened cocoa powder to decorate and enjoy!

Notes

If you did not have time to make the cake ahead, that’s okay. You can refrigerate the cake for just 1 hour if you’re in a rush. I do like to let it soak in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours though because that gives the cake enough time to absorb the Tres Leches glaze.
When you’re poking the holes into the cake, make sure not to puncture the bottom. You want the glaze to sit inside the cake and not escape through the bottom for best results.
Serve this chocolate Tres Leches cake with the leftover chocolate glaze on the side just in case anyone wants a little extra glaze on their slice.

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