Tres leches cake is made with three types of milk, with a sweetened cream topping which gives it a sweet and creamy flavor.
The cake leaks because the sponge is too dry and has no moisture. So, the liquid from the tres leches syrup soaks through the cake and leaks out.
If you want to avoid this problem, you must ensure that your sponge is moist enough and has enough moisture. Let your sponge soak for a few hours before baking your cake.
Here are more tips for keeping tres leches cake from leaking:
Use more flour than usual
Add more flour than the recipe calls for to your batter, and use a spatula to spread the batter evenly over the pan before you bake it.
Make sure that the entire surface is covered with batter so that there aren’t any holes for milk to seep through.
Cut off the top layer of the cake
If your tres leches cake still leaks after baking and cooling, cut off the top layer of cake and replace it with frosting or whipped cream.
Place a piece of parchment or waxed paper on top of this layer before adding more frosting so that no milk gets on your hands while you’re spreading it out on top of the cake.
Use a glass pan
Bake your tres leches cake in a glass pan because glass won’t soak up much liquid like other pans.
If you must use metal or ceramic pans, make sure they are non-reactive, like stainless steel or enameled cast iron; otherwise, they may react with acidic ingredients in your recipe, changing the taste and color.
Grease your pan
Before placing the batter, ensure that your pan is greased well with butter or shortening. If you don’t have enough butter, add more; otherwise, your tres leches cake will stick to the bottom of the pan and leak out while baking.
Let the cake cool completely before pouring over the icing mixture – which was only slightly warm (not hot) when poured over the cake.
