This cuatro leches cake recipe creates a soft, moist, and sweet cake that’s soaked in four different milk flavors (caramel sauce included).

There’s only one thing better than tres leches cake (three milk cake) and that’s cuatro leches cake (four milk cake). This is because the fourth ingredient is caramel or dulce de leche, and every dessert tastes better with the addition of caramel, right?

So, what other ingredients can you expect in this cuatro leches cake? Well, exactly what you’d find in a tres leches cake! Besides a cake mix, you’ve got heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whipped topping. Together with the caramel sauce, these ingredients combine to make a cake that’s deliciously soft, moist, and sweet with a creamy topping.

Cuatro leches cake is undoubtedly a stand-out dessert and thankfully, it’s easy to make. Once you bake your cake, all you have to do is poke holes all over it, pour the smooth milk mixture on top and add the caramel. Then it goes in the fridge overnight so all that deliciousness can soak through the cake and in the morning, you add the whipped topping before serving.

If you’ve ever wondered about this cake’s origin (and its counterpart tres leches cake), most people say Mexico but nearly every country in Central and South America claims it as its own! Now let’s make a cake… cuatro leches cake (four milk cake) to be exact.

Recipe Ingredients

Heavy cream
Sweetened condensed milk
Evaporated milk
Caramel sauce
Whipped topping
A cake mix

Prepare cake mix according to the package directions.

This butter golden mix is fluffier than regular cake mixes but I promise whatever you use will be just fine so trust me and don’t fret. If you’re going to fret over something there are greater causes than cake mix.

Spray a 9×13 baking pan with baking spray.

Spread the cake batter in the prepared pan and bake according to directions on the box. Make sure the cake is baked completely done before removing it from the oven. The old toothpick-in-the-center trick is the way to go!

We’re gonna put all sorts of good stuff on top of this cake so we don’t want it sinking in the middle.

Now poke holes all in the top of the sponge cake using either a fork or the end of a wooden spoon or whatever you grab out of the drawer first.

Pour your sweetened condensed milk into a medium bowl.

Add your other kinds of milk.

Stir all of that up really well until well blended.

Pour the milk mixture over the warm cake.

Give it a few minutes to soak in good.

Let it cool a bit and then spread your caramel over the cake.

Don’t eat it yet!

I know, this seems like a cruel thing to say.

Cover with plastic wrap or a lid like so and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, ice your cuatro leches cake with whipped topping.

Enjoy your delicious 4 leches cake!

Storage

Because of the whipped topping, you’re going to want to store cake leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. However, they’ll last up to 5 days. The cake just gets better as the milk soaks in!

Recipe Notes

You can use whatever sponge cake mix you like. I like butter golden but you can use yellow, white, or whatever you have. You could even use a chocolate cake mix if you want.
Serve a slice of cake with a maraschino cherry, fresh peach slices, sliced plums, chopped apricots, or blueberries.
You could also serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which perfectly complements the caramel sauce.
Another version of quatro leches cake features coconut milk instead of the dulce de leche (caramel). If you want to try this cake recipe instead, add 1 cup of coconut milk to the milk mixture. You could also decorate the whipped topping with some coconut flakes.
Traditionally, this cake recipe was paired with a meringue topping. You’ll need sugar and egg whites (make sure there is no egg yolks present and you beat them until stiff peaks form). For more details on how to make a meringue topping, head to my homemade banana pudding recipe.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make my cuatro leches cake in advance?

Yes, you can store your cuatro leches cake in the fridge up to three days in advance. I’d add the whipped cream topping just before serving.

You may enjoy these other cake recipes:

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Unbelievably Blissful

Phenomenal Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cheesecake Toppings & An Easy Cheesecake Recipe

Mini Bundt Cakes Using Aunt Sue’s Famous Pound Cake

Caramel Apple Cake from Mama Reed

Texas Turtle Sheet Cake