Strawberry tres leches cupcakes

These strawberry tres leches cupcakes add a fruity twist to a famous Mexican dessert. These are soaked in 3 three milk mixes, just like any other tres leches cake, and then topped with whipped cream and a strawberry.

I made eggless tres leches cake last week to celebrate my brother’s birthday. Everyone in my family loved it so much that they wanted to eat it again and again, but it’s difficult to consume that big size as it was made for a birthday party, and there were a lot of people there to consume it.

So, I decided to make an individual portion and what better alternative than a cupcake 🧁 😊. But this time it was my son who demanded a strawberry version of it since it’s his favorite fruit.

What is tres leches cupcake?

I would say the Tres Leche cupcake is a mini version of the well-known Mexican dessert, Tres Leches cake. These are light, airy, and spongy cupcakes soaked with three kinds of milk – condensed milk, whole milk, and strawberry milk. Traditional tres leches use evaporated milk but I am making a strawberry version of it and hence replacing it with strawberry milk.

You can use store-bought strawberry milk or make your own at home by just mixing strawberry syrup with milk in a mixer jar. I would prefer this over store-bought as it contains no additional sugar.

Why will you love this strawberry tres leches cupcake?

1. Lightly sweetened.
2. Bursting with strawberry flavor.
3. Highly customizable.
4. Simple and make ahead dessert.
5. Tender, rich with 3 types of milk.
6. Individual servings.

How to make strawberry tres leches cupcakes – overview?

Let’s quickly learn how to make these strawberry tres leches cupcakes, which are sponge cupcakes soaked with 3 different milks. Sounds interesting?

Sr. No.	Steps
1.	Make strawberry cupcakes.
2.	Prepare three milk mixture.
3.	Soaked cupcakes
4.	Garnish and serve

This is simply an overview. Follow along for a list of ingredients and step-by-step recipe.

Strawberry tres leches cupcakes ingredients

Sponge cupcake ingredients

All-purpose flour – The base of our recipe, adding structure. Use your favorite brand of all-purpose flour.

Corn starch – This is the secret to our light and airy cupcakes. Skip out entirely if using cake flour.

Baking powder – Gives a lift to our cupcakes.

Salt – A little pinch is enough.

Egg yolks – Base of our sponge. Whipping these will provide a beautiful rise to cupcakes.

Egg whites – Another crucial ingredient, whipped and folded into the rest of the batter.

Sugar – Use caster sugar or granulated sugar, both are fine. This adds sweetness and moisture to our cupcakes.

Milk – Use full-fat whole milk for a rich dairy flavor. I do not recommend replacing it with low-fat or 2% milk.

Vanilla extract – Use pure or imitation, depending on your choice or what is available in the pantry.

Three milk ingredients

Strawberry milk – To achieve the intense strawberry flavor, I used strawberry milk instead of evaporated milk. Strawberry milk is prepared by adding strawberry syrup and milk.

Whole milk – Adds rich dairy flavor. You can use low-fat if that is what is available in the pantry.

Condensed milk – Adds sweetness and creaminess.

Topping ingredients

Whipping cream – Use heavy whipping cream or double cream, anything is fine as long as it is 35%.

Icing sugar – Also known as confectioners sugar or powdered sugar. This is easily available in any grocery store or make your own icing sugar at home.

Strawberries – As the name implies, this is the star of the recipe.

Any substitute?

Sugar-free – Use a sugar-free alternative, either allulose or monk fruit sweetener to make a sugar-free version.

Cool whip – If you are in a hurry or do not get heavy cream, it is ok to use store-bought cool whip topping.

Cake flour – You can replace all-purpose flour with cake flour as It is the best. Do not add additional cornstarch in that case. I have used DIY cake flour which is simply a blend of all-purpose flour and corn starch.

Tools needed

1. Mixing bowls
2. Measuring cups
3. Measuring spoons
4. Weighing scale
5. Sifter
6. Whisk
7. Hand beater
8. Rubber spatula
9. Piping bag and tip
10. Cupcake tin
11. Paper cup liners
12. Silicon liners

Strawberry tres leches cupcakes (step-by-step) recipe

Sponge cupcake recipe

1. As always, start your baking by preheating your oven to 350F (180 C) and line up your cupcake pan with regular cupcake liners.

2. In a medium bowl, sift all-purpose flour, corn starch, baking powder, and salt.

3. In another large bowl, combine the egg yolks and 60 gms of sugar. Beat using a hand mixer at high speed until the yolks are pale yellow. If you lift the beater and draw 8, it should stay on the surface for a few seconds before dissolving automatically. If it is dissolving quickly, beat for an additional few minutes and check again.

4. Now, add the milk and vanilla extract. Gently mix it until just combined.

5. Add the sifted dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) into egg yolk mixture , stirring gently using a rubber or a wooden spatula until just combined. DO NOT USE HAND BEATERS.

6. In another bowl, add egg whites and start beating on high speed until frothy. Now gradually add the remaining 20 gms of sugar and beat until it forms stiff peaks.

7. Now add 1/3rd portion of the egg white mixture to the remaining batter and gently fold until just incorporated. Repeat until it is finished.

8. Add a few drops of red food color and gently fold.

9. Divide the batter into cupcake liners.

10. Bake at 350F (180C) for 12 to 14 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

11. Remove from the oven and let them cool for some time.

Meanwhile, let’s prepare the three milk mixtures.

Prepare three milk mixture

12. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the whole milk and condensed milk. Microwave on high for 30 to 40 seconds.

13. Now add in the strawberry milk and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Soak the cupcakes

14. Poke the warm cupcakes halfway through from the top using a toothpick or thin skewers.

15. Transfer the warm cupcakes to the silicon liner and slowly pour the three milk mixtures over the cupcakes. I used approximately 2 tablespoons for each cupcake. The airy cupcakes will absorb the milk in a few minutes so don’t worry.

16. Place the soaked cupcakes in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to allow them to absorb the milk.

Serve

17. Garnish the cupcake top with a generous amount of whipping cream and a slice of strawberry.

18. Serve them right away. Enjoy!

How to serve?

Strawberry tres leches cupcakes, like any other tres leches cake, should be served chilled. So, give yourself enough time and plan ahead of time to provide enough time for chilling the cupcakes. Here I am topping it up with whipped cream and strawberries.

Watch me making (video)

Storing and freezing instructions for Strawberry tres leches cupcakes

This is the ideal candidate for a make-ahead dessert. So prepare a day in advance and refrigerate without any topping. Garnish it with topping just before serving.

Storing instructions

Just like my eggless tres leches cake, you can refrigerate these tres leches cupcakes. I would highly recommend refrigerating just the soaked cupcakes without topping and then adding topping right before serving. Once soaked, store them in an airtight container. It can last for up to 5 days.

Freezing instructions

To freeze cupcakes, I highly recommend freezing the plain sponge cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool down completely before tightly covering them with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. It stays ok for up to 2 months. Do not forget to mention the date so that you know when you need to finish them.

Thawing instructions

When you want to make the cupcakes, thaw the sponge overnight in the refrigerator first, then, soak it with three milks and garnish with whipped topping and a strawberry right before serving.

Secret tips to make Strawberry tres leches cupcakes recipe

• Use good quality liners – We need good quality liners as we will need something sturdy after pouring all three kinds of milk into the cupcakes.

• Beat egg whites enough – Beat egg whites and sugar until they form stiff peaks. How to know if they have formed stiff peaks? Turn the bowl upside down and check if it is moving. If it is not moving then it is done.

• Choose the correct flour – Use cake flour or all-purpose flour plus corn starch but stay away from whole wheat flour. It contains more gluten than the other two, resulting in dense cupcakes, meaning difficult to soak.

• Room temperature ingredients – As always use room temperature ingredients while making any cake and this is no exception. They emulsify nicely, creating a smooth batter.

• Do not overmix – While mixing the flour, use a rubber or a wooden spatula to fold the flour, rather than a hand beater. Overmixing will form more gluten, making the cake tough and harder to soak in milk.

• Do not poke till the end – Make sure you are just poking the cupcakes halfway, not all the way to the end. Poking all the way down will collect the milk mixture at the bottom, resulting in a soggy bottom.

• Chill the cupcake enough – After soaking the cupcake in three different milks, refrigerate for at least 4 to 5 hours. So, give yourself enough time to prepare.

• Use all three kinds of milk – Do not skip or reduce the quantity of milk. The sponge will absorb it all without becoming soggy.

FAQ’s

Do I need to use three types of milk to make these strawberry tres leches cupcakes? Yes. Tres leches is nothing but three milk so use them all. For a creamier variation, consider replacing whole milk with heavy cream or fresh cream.

Can I freeze this strawberry tres leches cupcake? I would not recommend freezing the soaked or frosted cake. Instead, freeze plain cupcakes.

How to store leftover strawberry tres leches cupcake? In case of any leftovers, refrigerate the remaining cupcakes in an airtight container. It stays ok up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing the frosted cupcakes.

Want to try some other dessert recipes?

If you like this cupcake recipe, you might want to try some of my other favorite desserts.

1. Apple cinnamon muffins
2. Banana oatmeal chocolate chip muffins
3. Best blueberry muffins
4. Delicious chocolate chip muffins

What are you waiting for?

Are you waiting for any special occasion? I would say, do not wait and bake these light, airy, and moist strawberry tres leches cupcakes, and let me know how they turn out in the comments. I really love hearing from you, and your feedback is very much important to me.

If you post the strawberry tres leches cupcakes to Instagram, make sure to tag me. Tag @DessertKatta or use the Hashtag #DessertKatta

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