Coppelia’s Bakery & Restaurant proudly boast that they have been serving the best tres leches cakes and flans in Los Angeles since their beginnings in 1986. That’s 37 years of dessert glory and, as they put it themselves, they fuse Cuban and Peruvian sweetness into something quite special.
The News isn’t the only publication to say so; Coppelia’s has been praised far and wide, with the LA Weekly numbering it among the “6 Best Tres Leches Cakes in L.A.” a few years ago. “The interior of their tres leches cake is nicely drenched,” they said, “and the three layers of the cake are accompanied by an equal proportion of whipped cream filling.”
That said, we had to try their Quatro Leches Cake when we stopped by late on a midweek afternoon. Because what could be better than a tres leches cake than going one better. Quatro – four – one extra leche.
That extra leche, as it turns out, is for lovers of dulce de leche. There’s a caramel drizzle on the top that is every bit as glorious as you might hope. Something already quite magnificent is given that extra shove into dessert perfection.
For the newbie, tres leches is the very best of cakes anyway. A sponge milk soaked in evaporated milk, whole milk and condensed milk, the cake is, at its best, soaking wet with the three milk forms. You can’t eat this one with your hands in a napkin.
It’s popular throughout Latin America, as well as in Albania and Turkey where it’s called trileçe. It’s very sweet and decadent, and due to its texture can feel as much like a pudding as a cake. Make no mistake, when prepared well it is the king of desserts.
It’s certainly prepared well at Coppelia’s. The ratio of cream to cake is absolutely spot on, and the combination of milks is meticulously prepared. It’s so sweet and comforting, and the caramel drizzle is the perfect sign-off.
Coppelia’s also serves savory pastries, and other cakes and cookies. All of it looks good. But when a place is well known for something, a speciality, you really have to try it.
The Quatro Leches Cake isn’t healthy or nutritious. It should be reserved for special occasions or the odd treat. But when you do feel like you deserve a special reward, this is absolutely the place to go.
Coppelia’s Bakery & Restaurant is located at 10825 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles 90034. Contact 310-838-0375 and visit coppeliascakes.com.
