Credit: Special arrangement
You never know what clicks in new India, thanks to a connected world. If the Labubu dolls can become a rage, food cannot be far behind. Of late, the Tres Leches cake has become immensely popular here. The small towns have been fast to catch up with their own versions. Once a specialty item spotted only on high-end dessert menus in metro cities, the Tres Leches cake (Tres - three, Leches - Milk), a Latin American sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk, has found an enthusiastic fanbase across India, including in its smallest towns.
From birthday parties to Instagram feeds, Tres Leches cake is having a moment. But why?
Right vibes
Indians have loved their sweets always. The ‘tres leches’ give all the right vibes to those who love fat and sugar. “The Tres Leches had a context in Indian cuisine with Shahi Tukda”, says Kedar Pai, a baker trained in Paris. “Discerning Indians who were wary of high-sugar Indian sweets but still wanted to indulge sometimes instantly fell for this”, he adds. Kedar has been creating Tres Leches using fresh fruit purees or frozen fruit for the past two years.
How it’s made
Home chef Anuja Nayak shares her recipe for Tres Leches cake. “This cake is made using high fat milk, condensed milk and pure heavy cream. It’s basically assembling a cake. We use a vanilla flavoured sponge cake without any butter, poke holes in it and soak it in a mixture of the three forms of milk for 24 hours in a refrigerator. Then it is served with some fresh fruit, nuts or optional whipped heavy cream on top. It lends itself like a blank canvas for its Indian versions. And that might just be the first clue to its popularity”, she says.
Anuja has been making Tres Leches using rasgulla, strawberries, blueberries, rabdi, gulkand and coffee cream. It’s relatively simple to make, transport-friendly in individual glass or mason jars, and luxurious enough to charge a premium price.
Insta friendly
Food trends in India have often trickled down from cosmopolitan kitchens to smaller towns via a familiar route - social media, just like the Dalgona coffee. The visually appealing Tres Leches cake, often adorned with fruits, roses, gold foil or exotic flavours like saffron and pistachio, is a natural Instagram darling. Videos of the cake being cut, milk oozing out and that perfect bite being taken have become digital catnip for dessert lovers.
For home bakers to cafe owners, the cake offers the perfect opportunity to experiment while still sticking to a popular base. “Earlier, people would ask for black forest or truffle. Now, every second customer asks for Tres Leches in a new flavour,” says Rhea Kamat, a home baker running a cloud kitchen, who makes it only on orders. “We now make Gulkand Tres Leches, Mango Tres Leches, Paan Tres Leches and even Gulab Jamun Tres Leches”, she says with a smile.
Cake for all seasons
This mildly sweet cake has become a runaway hit even in parties and festivals - whether it’s Holi, Diwali, birthdays, corporate gatherings or just another weekend craving. Unlike rich Indian mithai that feels heavy after a meal, loaded in sugar and fat, this cake manages to feel indulgent, yet airy. The play of textures - soft sponge, creamy milk and cold whipped topping - makes it universally appealing.