Milk and Berries Cake

I am so excited to share this recipe with you! It's one of my favorites and is such a refreshing summer cake! I came up with this Milk and Berries Cake recipe after our baking collab group chose "summer berries" for June's theme. I wanted to create a dessert that's cold & easy for the heat! The obvious choice was ice cream, but that was the theme for last month and I wanted to try something new. Tres Leches Cake is one of my favorite refreshing cake desserts! I love that it's chilled, topped with whipped cream, and has incredible flavors from the three milks. So, I decided to add some summer berries into the mix!

Jump to:

• What You Need to Make This Recipe
• Making the Sponge
• Toppings & Assembly
• Tips & Storage
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

What You Need to Make This Recipe

Ingredients:

Flour, baking powder, salt: AKA the dry ingredients, these are like the cake's foundation!
Sugar: Sweetens the cake! Half will get mixed in with the egg yolks and the other half with the egg whites.
Vanilla extract: Gives the cake a little flavor boost!
Eggs: Help provide structure & texture! However, they will be separated in this recipe. The whites will get whipped into a stiff meringue and then folded into the rest of the cake batter!
Milk: Adds flavor and moisture to the sponge cake!
Berries + sugar: Cook the berries with sugar to create a smooth compote that'll be poured over the cake with the milks. I used strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries but you can use your favorite berries instead!
Sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk: These create the Tres Leches blend (AKA "three milks" in Spanish) that gets poured over the cooled sponge!
Heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract: Whip these ingredients to stiff peaks and spread on top for a refreshing frosting!

Equipment:

8x8" square pan: This one is my favorite! Be sure to grease it well so the cake doesn't stick to the sides.
Hand mixer: I highly recommend using one of these for all the whisking this recipe requires. You could also use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. I don't recommend whisking by hand unless you want a good arm workout and have a few extra minutes to spare.
Small/medium saucepan: Something to cook the berries and sugar in.

Making the Sponge

This is kind of like Porto's Milk'N Berries Cake, but easier, smaller and homemade! The ingredients that go into the sponge are pretty few and basic. Start off by combining the dry ingredients and separating the eggs. The yolks can go into a medium sized bowl as you'll just be adding half of the sugar, the vanilla, and the milk to them. Then that mixture will get mixed into the dry ingredients. The egg whites should go in a clean, dry, large bowl because they're going to get whipped into stiff peaks with the other half of the sugar and then folded into the cake batter. When the cake is baking, it'll puff up in the pan and then it'll shrink back down when it cools. This is typical sponge cake behavior because of the airy meringue, so don't panic when this happens!

Toppings & Assembly

As the cake cools, make your berry compote and milk mixture. (You can use fresh or frozen fruit!) After the berries cool down, mix them in with the three milks! Make sure your cake layer has cooled completely inside & out, then poke holes all around the surface so that the milk & berries can seep into the sponge. I've found that a wooden toothpick works well. Pour the mixture on top and then let it settle in the refrigerator for an hour!

While you're waiting for the cake to absorb the milk and berries, whip up the whipped cream! You could also top it with store-bought whipped topping, but I prefer homemade! After you frost it, it's ready to eat! It can be sliced into 9 equal squares and I like to add fresh berries on top for extra flavor and decor!

Tips & Storage

Did you try this recipe?
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📖 Recipe

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