What's the difference between tres leches and dulce de leche?

Quick Answer

Tres leches and dulce de leche are two different Latin American desserts that are often confused with each other. The main differences are:

Tres leches is a sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk – evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. Dulce de leche is thickened, sweetened milk.

Tres leches has a light, spongy texture from the cake soaking up the milk mixture. Dulce de leche has a thicker, spreadable consistency.
Tres leches is made by baking a cake first, then soaking it in the milk mixture. Dulce de leche is made by slowly simmering sweetened milk.
Tres leches has a multilayered flavor from the cake and different milks. Dulce de leche has a richer, caramelized milk flavor.

In summary, tres leches is a dessert made from milk-soaked cake while dulce de leche is thick, creamy, caramelized milk. Read on for a more in-depth look at how these two treats differ!

What is Tres Leches Cake?

Tres leches cake, meaning “three milks cake” in Spanish, is a popular dessert found in many Latin American countries. As the name suggests, it consists of a sponge cake that is soaked in a mixture of three different milks:

Evaporated milk: Milk that has had about 60% of the water removed to extend its shelf life.

Condensed milk: Milk that has had about 40-45% of the water removed and sugar added as a preservative.
Heavy cream: The high-fat layer that separates and rises to the top of non-homogenized milk.

This combination of milks gives the cake a unique flavor and very moist, tender crumb. While the types of milk can vary, most tres leches cakes use a 1:1:1 ratio of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream.

To make a tres leches cake:

Make a basic white or yellow cake recipe and bake it.
Once cooled, use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.

In a separate bowl, mix together the three milks.
Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake, allowing it time to soak in.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours for the flavors to meld.

Top with whipped cream before serving.

The initial plain cake provides a foundation of flavor and texture. Poking holes allows the milk to penetrate deeply and soak the cake through. Refrigerating firms it back up while also blending the flavors. The result is an incredibly moist, soft, and rich cake.

Tres leches cake likely has its origins in Nicaragua, though versions are popular throughout Latin America with regional variations. It’s often served at celebrations like birthdays and weddings. The tres leches soak gives it an especially indulgent, decadent quality.

Common Additions & Variations

While the essential tres leches cake has just a plain cake and milk soak, there are many delicious additions and spins:

Fruit: Fresh fruit like strawberries or mangoes can be sliced and layered between cake layers or piled on top.
Whipped cream: A light, fluffy topping of whipped cream contrasts nicely with the dense cake.

Dulce de leche: Adding a layer of caramelized dulce de leche sauce takes it to another level.
Cajeta: Similar to dulce de leche, Mexican cajeta sauce makes a tasty accompaniment.
Nuts: Chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts can provide crunch.

Liqueur: Some recipes spike the milk mixture with rum or coffee liqueur.
Fillings: Tres leches can be filled with fruit, flavored whipped creams, or pastry creams.
Frosting: A light dusting of powdered sugar or whipped frosting is a nice final touch.

The soft, moist crumb of the cake also makes it wonderful for soaking up rich sauces and fruits. Feel free to get creative and make your favorite flavor combinations!

What is Dulce de Leche?

Dulce de leche is a popular caramel-like syrup or spread found in Latin American cuisine. It consists of milk that has been slowly simmered and caramelized, resulting in a thick, sweet, creamy treat.

There are a few methods for making dulce de leche:

Simmering milk & sugar: Milk and sugar are simmered together for 1-2 hours, stirring frequently, until thick and caramel in color.
Baking condensed milk: Cans of sweetened condensed milk are baked in a water bath for up to 3 hours.
Pressure cooking: Condensed milk is pressure cooked for about 1 hour to caramelize and thicken.

The most traditional technique is low and slow simmering to gently caramelize the milk and sugar. However, baking or pressure cooking sweetened condensed milk is a shortcut that makes the process much faster.

As the milk cooks down, its natural sugars caramelize and the proteins thicken it into a luscious, spreadable caramel sauce. The end result should be a deep golden brown color with an ultra creamy, smooth consistency.

Dulce de leche has a rich taste similar to caramel but with a subtle milk flavor. It’s slightly salty from the milk proteins. The flavor develops over the long cooking process, with many complex notes.

Once cooled, dulce de leche can be used as a sauce for cakes and desserts, spread on toast, spooned over ice cream, stirred into coffee, and more. Its versatility has made it popular worldwide, but it has origins in Latin America dating back centuries.

Ways to Use Dulce de Leche

Beyond eating it straight off the spoon, dulce de leche enhances both sweet and savory dishes. Here are some of the most popular ways to enjoy it:

Pancake or waffle topping: Drizzle over a short stack for breakfast.

Ice cream: Swirl into ice cream or milkshakes.
Cakes and cookies: Use as a filling for cakes and cookies.
Sauce: Serve as a topping for cakes, brownies, bread pudding.

Spread: Slather on toast, crepes, waffles, or sandwiches.
Coffee: Mix into hot coffee drinks.
Milkshakes: Blend into creamy milkshakes.

Dip: Use for dipping fresh fruit.
Alfajores: Use as a filling for these South American sandwiches.

A little dulce de leche can make so many treats more indulgent. It’s an easy way to instantly make any dessert more delicious.

Key Differences Between Tres Leches and Dulce de Leche

Though their names sound similar, tres leches and dulce de leche are two distinct Latin desserts. Here are the main ways they differ:

Tres Leches	Dulce de Leche
Made from cake soaked in milk mixture	Made from caramelized, thickened milk
Light and spongy texture	Thick and creamy texture
Multi-layered flavor from cake and milks	Richer caramelized milk flavor
Typically a cake dessert	Used as a sauce or filling
Served chilled	Can be served warm or chilled

To summarize:

Tres leches is made by soaking a cake in a milk mixture. Dulce de leche is caramelized and reduced milk.

Tres leches has a porous, moist crumb. Dulce de leche is very thick and viscous.
Tres leches combines flavors from the cake and milks. Dulce de leche is pure caramelized milk flavor.
Tres leches is mainly used as a cake. Dulce de leche is more often used as a sauce or filling.

Tres leches cakes are served chilled. Dulce de leche can be served warm, room temp, or chilled.

So while both desserts highlight milk flavors, they achieve this in very different ways. Read on for more detailed comparisons between the ingredients, textures, flavors and uses of these two delightful treats!

Ingredients

The ingredients in tres leches and dulce de leche differ, resulting in distinct textures:

Tres Leches Ingredients:

Sponge cake
Evaporated milk

Condensed milk
Heavy cream

Dulce de Leche Ingredients:

Milk
Sugar
Baking soda or cream of tartar (optional)

Tres leches starts with an already baked cake, which then gets infused with milks. Dulce de leche only requires milk and sugar to caramelize down. The additional components in tres leches give it a layered depth.

Texture

The textures of these two desserts differ quite a bit:

Tres Leches Texture:

Very moist and soft from being soaked in milk
Light and somewhat airy from the whipped cake crumb
Almost foamy or spongy

Not dense or heavy

Dulce de Leche Texture:

Extremely thick, viscous and creamy

Smooth, not grainy
Slowly pours from a spoon
Dense and rich

The tres leches cake has a soft, moist, almost soggy crumb once it absorbs all that milk. Dulce de leche is ultra creamy but still thick enough to hold its shape. This makes them suited for different uses.

Flavor

While both desserts highlight milk, the specific flavors are noticeably different:

Tres Leches Flavor:

Cake provides vanilla, butter, and/or almond flavors
Evaporated milk has a light cooked milk taste
Condensed milk is very sweet

Heavy cream adds richness
Multilayered flavor

Dulce de Leche Flavor:

Deep caramel notes from the sugar
Richness from milk fat
Toasted, nutty flavors from cooking

Slight saltiness from milk proteins
Very pure milk caramel flavor

Tres leches has a more complex flavor with the interplay of the cake and milks. Dulce de leche provides that pure hit of caramelized milk.

Uses

The uses for tres leches and dulce de leche differ based on their consistency:

Tres Leches Uses:

Eaten as a cake

Flavored with fruits, nuts, liqueurs, etc.
Layered or filled with mousses or creams
Cut into cake pops

Served chilled

Dulce de Leche Uses:

Used as a sauce for cakes, pancakes, desserts

Swirled into ice cream or milkshakes
Used as a filling for cookies, crepes, breads
Stirred into drinks or spreads

Served warm or chilled

The spongy texture of tres leches makes it best as an eaten cake. Dulce de leche works beautifully as a rich, drizzly sauce thanks to its thick texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is one better than the other?

Tres leches and dulce de leche are different enough that it’s hard to say if one is “better.” They have unique flavors and textures suited for different purposes. Which is better comes down to personal taste preferences. Many people love both!

Can you substitute one for the other?

You generally cannot substitute tres leches for dulce de leche or vice versa in recipes. Because the textures are so different, swapping one out would significantly change the final dish. However, you can enjoy both in the same dessert – using dulce de leche as a sauce on tres leches cake.

Where does dulce de leche originate?

Dulce de leche has its origins in Latin America, especially Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and parts of Brazil. However, the exact country it originated in is disputed. Early forms may have been developed in Mexico or Cuba. Its popularity has now spread worldwide.

Where does tres leches cake come from?

While many Latin American countries have versions, tres leches cake likely originated in Nicaragua. It’s sometimes referred to as “Nicaraguan sponge cake.” Both tres leches and dulce de leche are now beloved across Latin America and beyond.

Is dulce de leche just Latin American caramel?

Dulce de leche has some similarities to caramel with its sweet flavor and brown color. However, the milk content gives it a distinct creamy texture and subtle salty flavor. So while related to caramel, it stands on its own.

Do you refrigerate tres leches cake?

Yes, tres leches cake should be refrigerated. The high milk content means it can spoil if left at room temperature too long. Refrigerating also helps the cake soak up the liquid and firms up the texture. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Can you freeze dulce de leche?

Absolutely! Dulce de leche freezes very well for 3-4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using. The consistency may be slightly thinner after thawing but the flavor remains unchanged. Frozen dulce de leche is great to have on hand anytime.

Conclusion

On the surface, tres leches cake and dulce de leche may seem similar since they both boast milky flavored Latin American desserts. However, they use milk in very different ways.

Tres leches relies on cakes soaked in a mixture of three milks for its flavor. Dulce de leche caramelizes milk down into a thick, saucy spread. This results in distinct textures, with a light, spongy cake versus rich, viscous caramel.

Tres leches works best as its own cake dessert, often layered or topped with fruits and creams. Dulce de leche is more of a versatile sauce or filling for pancakes, ice cream, pastries and more. Both are beloved for their warm, comforting milk flavors.

So in summary, while tres leches and dulce de leche both highlight milk, they are unique Latin American desserts with their own delicious identities. There’s no better combo than enjoying dulce de leche drizzled over a tres leches cake!