Cuatro Leches Cake with Plums and Apricots

Name: Cuatro Leches Cake with Plums and Apricots
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 32 min
Ingredients: 8 eggs (separated); 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 1 1/4 cups whole milk (divided); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour (extra to flour pans); 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 cup sugar; 1 can sweetened condensed milk; 1 can evaporated milk; 1 1/2 cups Cajeta or Dulce de Leche; 6 plums (pitted and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)); 6 apricots (pitted and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)); 2 cups heavy whipping cream; 1/4 cup confectioners sugar; Unsalted butter (to butter pans)

Pastel de Cuatro Leches con Ciruelas y Chabacanos

Recipe Yield

10 servings

Cooking time

32 minutes

Rate this recipe

4.13 from 8 votes

Ingredients

8 eggs separated
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups whole milk divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour extra to flour pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups Cajeta or Dulce de Leche
6 plums pitted and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
6 apricots pitted and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Unsalted butter to butter pans

To Prepare

Set oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°Butter and flour two 9x13” baking pans.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until creamy, thickened and intensely yellow. Incorporate the oil, 1/4 cup of the milk, and vanilla and continue beating until well mixed. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another large bowl, with a hand mixer or a whisk, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks, add the sugar and continue beating until they hold stiff peaks. Taking turns, with a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture and the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture until well incorporated. Scrape the mixture onto the two prepared pans.
Bake for 22 to 24 minutes until a toothpick comes out moist but not wet. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool.
Meanwhile, make the milk mixture in a bowl by combining the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and the remaining 1 cup whole milk. Mix well with a whisk.
Once cakes cool to room temperature, poke holes in both cakes with a toothpick or fork. Pour half the milk mixture onto one of the cakes. Let the milks seep in for at least 10 minutes.
Drizzle the cajeta or dulce de leche all over the wet cake and place on all the sliced plums and apricots. Top with the second cake. Pour the rest of the milk mixture on top and let it soak up the sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until ready to eat.
When ready to eat, whip the heavy cream with the confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the cake and serve.

Comments

50comments inCuatro Leches Cake with Plums and Apricots

Paul Jenkins

Jun 24

Pati I prepared your Cuatro (Cinco) Leches Cake for some of our Latin friends and it was delicious. I used blueberries and raspberries as the fruit filling. Topped off the whipped cream with a maraschino cherry and additional fruit for presentation. I have a picture if you have a share area.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jul 04
  
  Sounds yummy! Yes, please share the photo at hola@patijinich.com, thanks so much Paul!
  
Sol

Feb 01

Hoy es el cumpleaños de mi esposo y me pidió que haga esta torta como torta de cumpleaños. Fue un éxito con toda la familia, nos encantó! 😁 Soy argentina y disfruté mucho el toque del dulce de leche en este riquísimo postre mexicano. Muchas gracias Pati por esta deliciosa receta!!!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Feb 01
  
  Me encanta saber que les gusto a todos Sol, que alegria! Mil felicidades y abrazos para tu esposo en su cumple!
  
Carlos Ayala

Jun 28

Pati, I think this dessert has won me over the most out of all the sweets I’ve ever seen you make. Tres leches is a favorite in my family, but CUATRO leches with the extra Dulce de Leche layer…it screams “Yum!” all over, haha. What would you suggest though, if you only have one square pan instead of two, but still want to make the layers with the sliced fruit?

I’m visiting my best friend in El Salvador this year, and he wants to learn to bake. I think he and I will have a lot of fun trying to tackle this one!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jul 03
  
  So happy you like this recipe so much Carlos, my suggestion will be to bake one cake, cool it down, unmold it and then bake the second one, layers are important! Good luck 😉
  
Rosie

Apr 06

Compre los ingredientes hoy !! Pastel de cumple para mi esposo mañana.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Apr 08
  
  Ojala que le haya gustado mucho Rosie, Feliz Cumple a tu esposo 😉
  
Dahlynn

Mar 30

Happy birthday, Patti!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Apr 04
  
  Thanks so much for the birthday wishes!
  
Nora Keough

Mar 30

Thank you so much for your delicious recipes,and for teaching us how to cook truly authentic Mexican food. Hats off to you dear Patti❤️

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Apr 04
  
  You are incredibly kind Nora, thank you!
  
Connie Smoot

Mar 24

Delicioso

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Mar 29
  
  Que bueno que te gusto Connie!
  
Anita L. Voiselle

Nov 08

How deep are the pans you used for this?

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jan 04
  
  These are just traditional pyrex baking pans, I think those are around 3″ deep 🙂
  
El Pajaro Loco (Woody)

Jul 08

Patti,

My wife and I enjoy you and how you share your ‘love’ through your shows. You always make us smile.

Would you recommend equal quantity of very ripe strawberries as substitute for the fruit?

P.S.
I thought about calling this Cinco Leches if you count the heavy whipping cream 😉

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jul 08
  
  Yes! Strawberries would be perfect and you are right, 5 leches it is, enjoy 🙂
  
Mrs. Bonnie Sandy Stollowitz Bernstein

Jul 07

Dear Pati,

I just saw your show for the first time on PBS and absolutely loved it. You cooked so much food with another lady. Johnny cakes, sausage and sauce and vegetables and the big cake. I will probably not taste this cake ever in my lifetime because the chef cooks for me here in Florida. I loved your program. I used to cook a lot for my family but not anymore.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jul 08
  
  Thanks Bonnie, so glad you found me!
  
Patty M

May 29

Wow! Can’t wait to make this for my family beach vacation next month! I’m sure it will be a hit.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jun 12
  
  Awesome, let me know how you guys like it 🙂
  
Brian O

May 08

I watched you make this on your TV show and it looks wonderful. Can’t wait to try it and it looks like the perfect dessert to take to a pot luck or a friend’s dinner.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  May 10
  
  Very happy to read that you liked this recipe and are planning to give it a try Brian, hope you and your friends will enjoy the cake!
  
Kenda Miller

Sep 06

I can’t wait to try this scrumptious looking dessert!!!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Sep 06
  
  Gracias Kenda, enjoy 😉
  
Dan

Sep 05

What size cans for condensed and evaporated milk?

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Sep 06
  
  One regular 14 oz can of condensed milk and one regular 12 oz can of evaporated milk will do Dan 🙂
  
Carolina de California

May 18

Estimada Pati,

Muchas felicitaciones por tu programa. Tu exito es el exito de muchas mujeres y eres un buen ejemplo a seguir. Me encanta el toque personal y de familia que incorporas en tu programa en PBS. He visto crecer a Juju que a veces se me olvida que no lo conozco personalmente. Tus tres hijos, con su personalidad individual, son el producto del esfuerzo que han hecho Uds. como padres.

Este escrito no es una critica, es solo una sugerencia para que la pruebes en tu casa a ver como te gusta.
Como en el invierno no se consiguen ciruelas y albaricoques frescos que valgan la pena, se pueden usar ciruelas pasas y albaricoques secos previamente cortados con tijera en trocitos pequeños. Una vez cortados, se ponen en una taza de medir de vidrio, se le vierte como unas dos cucharadas de jugo de naranja fresco o una cucharada de ron o sino de agua. Ahora, la taza se pone en el microondas por unos 2 minutos (calculo) para que la fruta se ponga suave. Dejarla enfriar y si todavia tiene liquido, escurrirla. A esta fruta se le incorpora parte del “topping” de crema de batir y se coloca entre medio de las dos tortas siguiendo las instrucciones tuyas. Mucha suerte y a ver si te gusta.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  May 20
  
  Hola Carolina, mil gracias por tus palabras, las aprecio mucho. Buenisimo el tip con las frutas secas durante el invierno, que delicia, seguro que lo voy a tomar en cuenta 🙂 Un abrazo!
  
Rosa

May 05

What a delicious cake !
All your recipes are Amazing .

1. Pati Jinich
  
  May 11
  
  Thank you so much Rosa!
  
Gloria Rafanan

May 05

I will bake this for Mother’s Day!
Thank you for the recipe.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  May 11
  
  Thanks to you Gloria! I hope you liked it and that you had a great Mothers day 😉
  
Fred Schweser

May 04

You are the best!!! Fred from Omaha Nebraska USA!!🚀🚀‼️

1. Pati Jinich
  
  May 04
  
  Thanks so much Fred 🙂
  
Jazmin Quiroz

Apr 21

It was a great cake! I made this for my moms and my aunts birthday and they loved it! Thank you for sharing this recipes Pati! Loved it!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Apr 27
  
  Glad to hear this Jazmin. Happy Birthday to both of them 😉
  
Jannett Kushnir-Rivera

Apr 18

Hola Pati
I’m not a cook but this cuatro leches is delicious.
Thank you for teaching me how to make it. I love you show and don’t miss any of them.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Apr 19
  
  Thanks so much Jannett for tuning in 😉 Love to read you enjoyed this cake.
  
Rosita G.

Jan 12

Hi Pati,
Would the cake taste the same if made a day ahead? I want to make it tonight and we will serve tomorrow at lunch time.
Thank you!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Jan 12
  
  Oh for sure. Have a great lunch, Rosita!
  
Quiqui

Dec 14

Hi Pati,
Absolutely love you and your authentic recipes, I make Tres Leches cake often and can’t wait to make your recipe today. What in your opinion would be the tastiest fruits to use besides the plums and apricots?

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Dec 14
  
  Oh really anything you like, Quiqui!
  
Levi Phineas

Dec 02

Hello Pati, I love the idea of having two layers of cake that I do NOT have to slice for this Cuatro Leches Cake recipe.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Dec 04
  
  Enjoy the cake, Levi!
  
Patty B.

Nov 02

Hi Pati, I would love to make this Cuatro Leches Cake. Where can I find the video for this receipe? Thank you!

PS Love your programs!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Nov 05
  
  The video will be up on Amazon the last week of November, Patty! Or you can find a re-run on your local PBS channel: http://www.tracmedia.com/LOL/PatisMexicanTable2/
  
Lety M

Oct 22

Hi Pati!
I’m excited to try this recipe, including making the Cajeta Casera! However, apricots aren’t really in season here anymore and I wondered what you would suggest as a substitute?
Gracias!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Oct 25
  
  Oh any fruit would be delicious, Lety!

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