07-05-2025
Trader Joe's Fans Are Absolutely Torn on the Return of This Latin American Cake
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
In case you've never had the pleasure, tres leches is an ultra-rich, superbly moist cake that's popular throughout many Latin American countries. I grew up enjoying the sweet treat myself, being of Nicaraguan and Mexican descent. Now, folks from all over can enjoy the captivating 'three-milks' cake as Trader Joe's brings back their own take on the spongy sweet treat!
Now, if you're a bit of a tres leches snob like myself, you might be wondering, is this worth trying? And the answer is, well, complicated.
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Made with a light sponge cake soaked in evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream, then topped with a layer of whipped cream, the Trader Joe's variation looks promising enough. It's frozen, however, and needs to be thawed to enjoy, which makes me wonder if something might be lost along the way.
Going over the reviews on TikTok makes it even harder to tell just how good (or bad?) this commercialized version of the cake actually is.
TikToker @ruthshantellll, gave it a try recently and said, 'Wow, this is definitely tres leches. I definitely recommend you guys try this!' She gave it a 10/10 and said if you've got a craving and can't find it elsewhere, it's definitely a go-to. But given she said if 'you can't find it anywhere,' it leads me to believe it's not exactly the crowning glory of tres leches.
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Meanwhile, Dominican TikToker @gabylacorte25 had harsh words for the frozen dessert, giving it a -5 out of 10.
'That is terrible! There's absolutely no flavor, no milk. Trader Joe's, take these off the shelves,' she said in her review.
User @boujieboxing was also wholly unimpressed, saying it was 'very bland, not very creamy' and that 'its not giving three milks.'
The reviews really do go back and forth like this. @actuallyashly said she's 'definitely had worse tres leches before,' calling it 'pretty good' and giving a B+ or A-. Her one complaint? At $7.99, it felt a bit overpriced.
So maybe it's the sort of thing you'll need to try for yourself. My guess? It's probably a decent-to-good substitute for when those cravings hit, but if you've got the option to try it fresh from a Latin bakery, do yourself a favor and try it there, too.
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