Porto’s Bakery Unveils Winter Menu Featuring Tres Leches Cake and Seasonal Empanadas

Porto’s Bakery & Cafe is turning up the heat this winter with a menu expansion that promises to warm hearts and stomachs across Burbank and beyond. The beloved Cuban-American bakery chain announced Tuesday that it’s rolling out seasonal additions through March, headlined by a tres leches cake that’s been in development for over two years.

“We’ve been perfecting this tres leches recipe since 2022,” said Rosa Porto, third-generation family member and head of product development. “It’s something our customers have been requesting for decades, but we wanted to make sure we got it exactly right before introducing it to our regular lineup.”

The tres leches cake joins Porto’s legendary cheese rolls and potato balls as a new permanent menu item, featuring vanilla sponge cake soaked in three types of milk and topped with house-made whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon. At $24.99 for a whole cake serving 8-10 people, it’s positioned as a family dessert option alongside the bakery’s popular flan and bread pudding.

But the real stars of Porto’s winter menu are the limited-time empanadas that showcase seasonal ingredients and heartier flavors perfect for cooler weather. The butternut squash empanada ($3.49) combines roasted squash with caramelized onions, goat cheese, and fresh sage in Porto’s signature flaky pastry. Meanwhile, the short rib empanada ($4.99) features slow-braised beef with roasted vegetables and a hint of red wine reduction.

“We wanted to create empanadas that feel like comfort food but still maintain that Porto’s quality and flavor profile our customers expect,” explained executive chef Miguel Hernandez, who joined the Porto’s team from nearby NBC Universal’s commissary kitchen last year. “The butternut squash has this natural sweetness that pairs beautifully with our pastry, and the short rib is fall-off-the-bone tender.”

The seasonal menu also includes two new beverage options designed to complement the cooler weather. A horchata latte ($4.25) blends Porto’s house-made horchata with espresso and steamed milk, while a Cuban hot chocolate ($3.75) features dark chocolate melted with cinnamon and a touch of cayenne pepper for warmth.

“The horchata latte has been our most requested drink modification,” said manager Jennifer Chen at the Magnolia Boulevard location. “Customers have been asking our baristas to add espresso shots to the horchata for years. Now we’ve created an official version that’s perfectly balanced.”

For longtime Porto’s devotees, the winter menu represents both innovation and tradition. The bakery, which opened its first location in Echo Park in 1976 before establishing its Burbank flagship on Magnolia Boulevard in 1982, has built its reputation on consistency while carefully introducing new items that complement rather than compete with classics like the guava and cheese strudel.

“Porto’s doesn’t change things just to change them,” said Maria Santos, a Toluca Lake resident who has been visiting the bakery for over 30 years. “When they add something new, you know they’ve tested it thoroughly. I tried the tres leches yesterday and it’s absolutely perfect – not too sweet, great texture, and that classic Porto’s attention to detail.”

The timing of the menu launch coincides with Porto’s busiest season. December through February typically sees the highest sales volume as families order cakes for holidays and celebrations, and office workers from nearby studios stock up on pastries for morning meetings.

“We’re seeing a lot of excitement from our corporate clients,” noted Chen. “The Disney and Warner Bros. folks are already placing advance orders for the seasonal empanadas for their January meetings.”

Porto’s has also introduced family meal packages featuring the new items. The “Winter Warmth” package ($49.99) includes a tres leches cake, a dozen mixed seasonal empanadas, and four beverages – designed to feed a family of four for dinner or serve as an office lunch spread.

Behind the scenes, the menu additions required significant preparation. The tres leches cake demanded new refrigeration protocols to maintain the proper texture of the milk-soaked sponge. The seasonal empanadas required sourcing relationships with local farms for butternut squash and premium beef suppliers for the short rib filling.

“We actually partnered with a farm in Oxnard for the butternut squash,” revealed Rosa Porto. “It’s important to us to source locally when possible, especially for ingredients that are this central to a dish’s success.”

The winter menu will be available at all Porto’s locations through March 31, though the tres leches cake is expected to become a permanent offering based on early customer response. Lines at the Burbank location Tuesday morning were notably longer than usual, with many customers specifically asking about the new items.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, and my kids love it too,” said David Rodriguez, a Media District resident waiting in line with his two daughters. “It’s nice to see them trying new things while keeping everything we love about this place.”

For those planning to sample the new offerings, Chen recommends visiting during off-peak hours – typically weekday afternoons between 2 and 4 PM – to avoid the longest waits. The seasonal empanadas are prepared fresh throughout the day, but the tres leches cakes are made in limited batches and tend to sell out by evening on busy days.

Porto’s winter menu officially launches this Friday, January 12, with special promotional pricing through January 31: customers who purchase any seasonal empanada receive 20% off a tres leches cake with same-day purchase.