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Chocolate Tres Leches Cake has the most AMAZING triple chocolate flavor. A chocolate sponge cake made with a chocolate cake mix is the base, then it’s soaked in a three-milk mixture, topped with homemade chocolate whipped cream, and finished off with milk chocolate shavings – the ultimate chocolate lovers dessert.

For a fresh strawberry version of tres leches cake be sure and also make my Strawberry Tres Leches Cake🍓

A slice of cake on a white plate with a glass of chocolate milk next to it.

Moist Chocolate Tres Leches Cake Recipe

This chocolate version of a classic tres leches cake, also called pastel de tres leches in Spanish, is the chocolate version of a classic tres leches cake.

Tres leches cake is a sponge cake that has been soaked in 3 different kinds of milk; for this chocolate version we use sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and chocolate milk is the real star of the show here. It’s then topped with whipped cream and some sort of garnish – and because we’re making a chocolate version, we of course had to have the chocolate whipped cream and chocolate shavings for this version.

Overhead pic of the cake with chocolate curls on top

Ingredients Needed

Chocolate Cake Mix : You can use Devils Food, Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Fudge, etc. Just make sure you are using the correct sized boxed cake mix; 13.25 ounces.
Water : I always recommend using purified water, filtered water, or bottled water when baking. Sometimes the unfiltered tap water can affect the taste of the cake.
Salted Butter
Large Eggs
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Evaporated Milk
Chocolate Milk
Heavy Whipping Cream : Using really cold heavy cream will help it form the peaks faster, so make sure you use it directly from the fridge.
Powdered Sugar
Cocoa Powder
Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Curls : These are easy to make from a milk chocolate bar, by using a vegetable peeler to carefully ‘shave’ the side of the chocolate bar to create the chocolate curls for the garnish.

How To Make Tres Leches Cake With Chocolate Milk & Chocolate Cake Mix (Printable Recipe Card)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch cake pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the dry cake mix, water, melted butter, and eggs. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until the batter lightens in color and is thoroughly combined.

Pour the chocolate cake batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 35-38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before proceeding.

Using a fork, poke holes all over the chocolate cake.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and chocolate milk. Pour the milk mixture slowly over the cake, allowing it to be absorbed into the small holes as you pour it.

Cover the cake with a lid, plastic wrap, or foil an refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.

Prepare the chocolate whipped cream by beating the heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract in a bowl until stiff peaks form. Start at low speed and increase the speed as needed. Evenly spread the chocolate whipped cream over top of the cake.

Top the whipped cream with milk chocolate shavings/curls. Slice and serve the cake chilled!

How To Store Chocolate Milk Tres Leches Cake

The cake should be stored covered, inside the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. You can also remove individual servings to an airtight container for storage. I don’t recommend freezing a tres leches cake because once frozen and thawed, the dairy and whipped cream topping can separate and have an unpleasant texture.

What Are Some Substitutions I Can Make?

Chocolate Cake Mix : Use your preferred chocolate cake mix – devils food, milk chocolate, chocolate fudge, dark chocolate, triple chocolate, etc.
Salted Butter : If you only have unsalted butter, that is fine; just add a tiny pinch of salt into the chocolate cake batter with the other ingredients.
Chocolate Milk : A full-fat chocolate milk is the best option here, but if needed, a low-fat chocolate milk can be used. Full fat chocolate milk is thicker and tastes way better!

A serving spatula with a slice of the tres leches cake on it.

Recipe FAQ’s

Can The Cake Be Made Ahead Of Time?

The cake can be made ahead of time but I do not recommend making it more than 2 days before you’re planning on serving it. Also, it’s best to make it ahead of time but leave off the chocolate whipped cream and chocolate curls, and add those right before serving. The cake does need refrigeration time so I always make the cake the day before and let it sit in the fridge until the following evening.

Does It Have To Be Refrigerated Overnight, Or Can I Shorten The Time?

At least 8 hours, or overnight, is optimal; but you can shorten the time to a minimum of 4 hours. The reason for the chilling time is to allow the cake to soak up the different types of milk thoroughly, so the longer it has, the better it will be. I would not suggest trying to rush the soak time (like less than the minimum of 4 hours) because you will find that the milks all fall to the bottom of the cake rather than soaking throughout the whole cake.

Are There Different Topping Options Besides Chocolate Shavings?

Yes! You can use any chocolate bar you love to make the chocolate shavings. Like a milk chocolate bar, dark chocolate bar, cookies and cream bar, white chocolate, etc. You could also use chopped nuts like almonds or pecans, or even some mini chocolate chips.

Should I Evenly Space The Holes In The Cake?

You want to poke the fork holes all over the cake so there is lots of spaces for the milks to soak into. it doesn’t matter if they are uniform or evenly spaced. You want the fork holes to cover the entire cake so that when you pour the chocolate milk mixture, it can go down into all the holes and soak into the entire cake without any dry spots.

Chocolate Tres Leches Cake