A patch for cardiac tissue engineering includes a gel layer supported by an intermediate layer, which is attached to a reinforcement layer. These patches may be implanted in a heart to treat pediatric congenital malformations of the heart as well as adult ischemic myopathies. The gel layer may include cells such as, for example, stem cells; the intermediate layer may be biodegradable porous mesh and the reinforcement layer may be polytetrafluoroethylene. Included are methods for making patches according to the invention and for tissue engineering using patches of the invention.