Strawberries and Cream Tres Leches Cake

Published May 19, 2024 | Updated May 19, 2024 | By Laura

This sweet, luscious and incredibly scrumptious Strawberries and Cream Tres Leches Cake is an excellent make-ahead dessert for celebrations!

A slice of vanilla cake with whipped cream on top and chopped strawberries with a strawberry half on the side

This fresh and springy dessert is one for the books! My first tres leches cake I posted last week, the Chocolate Mocha Tres Leches Cake was so successful with my Dinner in 321 family that I wanted to try another flavor.

One of my favorite candies, when I was little, was Strawberries and Creme Life Saver Creme Savers. They quit making them in 2011, and I've read they made a return in 2021, but I've yet to find them. Nonetheless, this incredible cake gives you those same yummy flavors as the candy but even better!

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Tres Leches cakes are traditionally made from scratch as a spongecake. Mine starts with a cake mix with some added richness with more eggs and sour cream. Saturated with a light and delicious 3 milk strawberry pour over and topped with fresh vanilla whipped cream and strawberries, talk about heaven! It's dressed for spring gatherings and will be perfect for Cinco de Mayo coming up in a few weeks!

Table of Contents

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below

Strawberries and Creme Tres Leches Cake

Vanilla or French Vanilla Cake Mix (or homemade as noted below)
Milk
Oil
Eggs
Sour Cream

A vanilla cake mix and ingredients displayed on a table

Cake Topping

Sweetened Condensed Milk
Fresh Strawberries
Sugar
Evaporated Milk
Half and Half

Ingredients for a 3 milk strawberry topping

Tres Leches Topping

Heavy Whipping Cream
Powdered Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Fresh Strawberries, for garnish

Ingredients for cake topping are displayed

Tools You’ll Need

Mixing Bowls
Hand Mixer
Strawberry Huller
13”x9” Baking Dish

Why You’ll like this Recipe

It’s a perfect cake to make ahead for holidays or celebrations!
The whipped topping combined with the berries and cake is dreamy!
This cake is tender, moist, and the epitome of decadence!

How to Make This Recipe

For the cake, whisk or beat together the cake mix, milk, oil, eggs and sour cream in a large bowl until well combined.

A hand mixer and mixing bowl filled with cake mix and ingredients to make a cake

Pour in a buttered or non-stick sprayed 13”x9” baking dish, spread evenly, then bake for 30-34 minutes at 350℉. While warm, poke holes over the entire cake.
Meanwhile, while the cake is baking, make the tres leches topping. In a medium bowl, mash strawberries and sugar together with a potato masher or fork until there are no large strawberry pieces remaining.

A potato masher mashing together strawberries and sugar in a glass bowl

In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk and the strawberries until smooth. Add evaporated milk and half and half and whisk again until well combined. Once the cake has finished baking and holes have been poked, evenly pour the tres leches topping over the entire cake.

A mixture of 3 milk and mashed strawberries being poured over vanilla cake

For the whipped topping, beat heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl on high speed with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Once the cake has completely cooled, evenly spread the whipped topping on top.

A spoon spreading whipped topping on the top of a vanilla cake

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. It’s optimal to let it refrigerate overnight. Slice and serve garnished as desired.

A vanilla cake topped with whipped topping and chopped strawberries

Tips and Substitutions

Strawberries and Creme Tres Leches Cake tastes best when served chilled, so remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.
If you want to substitute with a homemade cake mix, here are the ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tsp salt
- Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract into the mixed batter.
If you don't like the strawberry pieces laying between the cake and the whipped topping, you can also blend the tres leches portion of the recipe in a blender until smooth.
Greek Yogurt can be substituted for sour cream.
Another delicious make-ahead strawberry dessert is Easy Strawberry Mousse. It’s the perfect balance of wonderful strawberry flavor and smooth creaminess and comes together quickly!

Storage

This Strawberries and Creme Tres Leches cake should be stored in the refrigerator because of the milk content. It can be kept in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to four days.
You can also freeze the cake portion and add the tres leches and whipped topping later. Simply wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and store it in an airtight container or freezer bag. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before adding the tres leches and whipped topping.

Frequently Asked Questions

What goes well with this cake?

Personally, a hot cup of coffee paired with a slice of this cool cake is pure heaven. A tall glass of milk is also amazing with it!

Is this cake gluten-free?

Traditional tres leches cake is made with flour, which contains gluten. However, there are gluten-free versions of tres leches cake that use alternative flours, such as almond flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour.

I don’t like boxed cake mixes. Can I make my own?

Yes! See how to make a homemade chocolate cake mix under “Tips and Substitutions.”

My whipped topping didn't come to a stiff peak. What did I do wrong?

There can be several reasons, but here are some troubleshoots:
Make sure the heavy whipping cream is very chilled and the mixing bowl and beaters are also cold.
Don't use lower-fat cream or old/expired cream.
Don't over or under-beat the cream. It should take almost 2 minutes to come to a stiff peak. Less time will be too thin and more can make it grainy and butter-like.

Can I use a store-bought whipped topping instead of fresh whipped cream?

Absolutely! Fresh whipped cream is pretty incredible with Strawberries and Creme Tres Leches Cake, and easy to make, but you can substitute it with an 8oz or 12oz whipped topping from the freezer section that has been thawed.

How can I reduce calories and fat content?

Greek Yogurt is a fantastic substitute for sour cream. It's lower calorie and lower fat, with an added increase in protein.
You can use sugar substitutes like stevia, Splenda, or similar. Use sugar free whipped topping.

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A close up shot of a cake showing 3 layers: the cake, the milk topping and the whipped topping with chopped strawberries on top

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