The Reason You Should Let Tres Leches Cake Rest After Soaking

You've just baked a beautiful, airy, sweet vanilla and cinnamon sponge cake and plan to transform it into a decadent tres leches cake. But first, an important question arises: Should you let the cake rest once soaked with its signature rich milk mixture, or grab some forks and start digging in?

Even if you're itching to eat it as fast as possible, tres leches cake requires some patience. Both soaking and resting are essential to this treat's signature tenderness and moistness. The sponge cake is the ideal canvas, primed for three types of milk – - usually whole, evaporated, and sweetened condensed – - to work their magic. A subsequent resting period helps achieve the moist cake's famous crumb. 

Resting allows the milk mixture to integrate into every sponge cake pore fully. The milk proteins also interact with the cake's crumb structure, adding to its overall richness and altering its texture in a delicious way. Thoroughly resting your cake after soaking thus transforms a simple and airy sponge cake into a luxurious dessert bursting generously with moisture in every bite. If your impatience gets the best of you and you skip this important resting step, then only the top of the sponge cake will fully absorb the milky soaking liquid. Your cake will be moist on top, and the rest may be on the drier side – - which is not the ideal you want for this legendary dessert.

So how long should you let your tres leches cake rest to get the perfect texture? Ideally, it should be left to sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours, but some even say to rest the cake for a minimum of 8 hours, up to overnight. 

When the resting time is over, it's time to complete your tres leches cake's transformation. The final step is a generous topping of freshly made whipped cream, adding a layer of lightness to contrast with the rich, soaked cake. You can be neat about it, spreading a leveled layer of whipped cream over the cake, pipe whipped cream designs, layer it in dollops, or spoon it directly over the cake with reckless abandon. Garnishing with fresh berries or a sprinkle of cinnamon can also provide a color and flavor pop. When you finally slice into the cake and take a bite, the moist explosion of creamy sweetness will reassure you that every moment spent waiting while it rested was well worth it.