Lemon and Lime Tres Leches Cake, a light and airy traybake cake made with a fluffy sponge infused with fresh lemon and lime juice, then soaked in a 3-milk mixture and finished with cream and lemon curd. It's an incredibly delicious twist on the classic Mexican cake recipe, so easy to make, beautifully moist and refreshing and perfect for every occasion throughout the year.
Tres Leches Cake, or Pastel de Tres Leches in Spanish is an widely popular dessert in Latin America. It's signature 3-milk mixture poured over a light sponge gives this cake an incredibly moist texture and a divine taste that is hard to match.
Given the amount of sugar added, it's actually surprisingly refreshing, and the longer you refrigerate it, the better it will taste. It's one of those desserts that actually do taste much better the following say as the sponge has time to soak up all the flavours.
This lemon and lime version adds a bright citrus twist, making it perfect for Spring and Summer. There are no butter nor oil added to the sponge and the beaten eggs whites are gently incorporated make it so light and airy.
The citrus cuts through the sweetness of the cake and adds a refreshing touch to a beautiful cake that looks as good as it tastes. And it's perfect for every party and celebration.
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
The sponge
- eggs - make sure they are at room temperature so that the sponge can rise quickly in the oven. I used large eggs, if you use small ones, you will need to add an extra one
- flour & baking powder - I used plain flour and added baking powder to it, you can swap them for self-raising flour if needed
- sugar - both caster and granulated sugar work in this recipe
- lime and lemon juice - for a bright citrussy touch, I only used half of the juice squeezed from the lemon, as it was quite large
- a pinch of salt - to balance out the sweetness coming from the sugar
The milk mixture
- sweetened condensed milk - make sure it's sweetened, as simple condensed milk will not be sweet enough
- evaporated milk - less rich than the condensed milk, it adds a lovely sweet touch
- double cream - you can also swap it for full-fat milk if you wish to have a less rich taste
- lemon and lime zest - for a fresh touch
To garnish
- cream - I used double cream (heavy cream), but whipping cream is a great substitute too. I did not sweeten the cream, as the rest of the cake is sweet enough
- lemon curd - adds a lovely citrussy touch which balances out the sweetness of the cake
- lemon and lime zest - great for decoration but also taste
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- separate the egg whites from the egg yolks
- add the sugar and egg yolks to a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat them together until you have a smooth mixture with a pale yellow colour
- sift in the flour, add the lemon and lime juice, baking powder and salt and use a spatula to mix everything into a thick batter
- in a separate mixing bowl beat the egg whites until you get soft peaks
- add the sugar gradually and keep beating until you get glossy stiff peaks
- gently incorporate the egg whites into the batter
- transfer the mixture to a rectangle baking tray lined with non-stick paper
- bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes or until golden
- remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool down completely
- to make the milk mixture, mix together the evaporate milk, cream, condensed milk and lemon and lime zest
- use a bamboo stick to poke holes all over the cool sponge
- pour the mixture over slowly to allow the sponge to soak it all up
- cover the sponge with kitchen foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours
- beat the cream, and spread it over the sponge
- decorate with dollops of lemon curd and lemon and lime zest
- refrigerate again for at least 1 hour before slicing
Expert tips
This isn't the quickest cake to make, but it's incredibly easy, and each step is actually pretty quick, but the refrigeration time has to be long in order to get the best possible texture and taste.
Don't skip separating the egg whites from the egg yolks, it's what gives the sponge the lightest texture and allows it to soak up the 3 milk mixture incredibly well.
Pour the milk mixture gradually, otherwise you will just flood the sponge, and it won't have time to soak it all up. Poking holes all over the sponge helps massively.
If the milk mixture is poured over a hot sponge, this will crumble very easily, that's why it's important to allow the sponge to cool down first before adding the milk mixture.
This is a cake that has to be served straight out the fridge for the best possible flavour. It taste even better the following day, we still had some cake 2 days later and it was so good still!
Other traybake sponge cakes you might like
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Lemon and Lime Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 5 large eggs
- 150 g granulated sugar (separated, ¾ cup)
- 120 g plain flour (1 cup)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- â…› teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
For the milk mixture
- 1 tin sweetened condensed milk (397 g, 14 oz)
- 1 tin evaporated milk (410 ml, 12 floz)
- 200 ml double cream ( heavy cream, 7 floz)
- 1 tablespoon lemon and lime zest
To decorate
- 400 ml double cream (heavy cream, 1 ¼ cups)
- 5 tablespoon lemon curd
- 1 tablespoon lemon and lime zest
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Instructions
- Start by making the sponge.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites.
- Add the egg yolks and 100 g sugar to a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat them together until you get a smooth texture with a pale yellow colour.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, add the lemon and lime juice and use a silicone spatula to mix them into a thick batter.
- In a separate mixing bowl beat the egg whites until you get soft peaks.
- Add the remaining sugar (50 g) gradually until you have glossy stiff peaks.
- Add the beaten egg whites to the batter and use the spatula to incorporate them gently.
- Line a rectangle baking tray with non-stick paper ( my tray measures 30 x 22 x 5 cm / 12 x 9 x 2 inches) and spread the batter evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes until golden and well risen, remove it from the oven and alllow it to cool down completely.
- To make the milk mixture, add all the ingredients to a jug and mix well.
- Once the sponge has cooled down, use a bamboo stick to poke holes all over the sponge.
- Pour the milk mixture over gradually to allow the sponge time to soak up all the milk.
- Cover the tray with kitchen foil and refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours.
- Beat the double cream, then spread it over the chilled sponge.
- Decorate with dollops of lemon curd and limon and lime zest.
Video
Notes
- Don't skip separating the egg whites from the egg yolks, it's what gives the sponge the lightest texture and allows it to soak up the 3 milk mixture incredibly well.
- Pour the milk mixture gradually, otherwise you will just flood the sponge, and it won't have time to soak it all up. Poking holes all over the sponge helps massively.
- If the milk mixture is poured over a hot sponge, this will crumble very easily, that's why it's important to allow the sponge to cool down first before adding the milk mixture.
Nutrition
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