Hello People, Austin Carter welcomes you all to Beyond the Bayou Blog to satisfy your sweet tooth with this delicious and mouth-watering recipe named Dulce de Leche Cake � a delightful caramel treat that stands out among the best.
Packed with the rich flavor of dulce de leche in every layer, from the cake to the soaking syrup and creamy filling, this dessert is truly a winner. Among my top 5 favorite cake recipes, this one is a true standout with its perfect balance of softness, moisture, and deliciousness.
I tried Dulce De Leche cake various times with different combinations but you know what I am still not over with its combination with French Press Coffee. So just treat yourself to the joy of this heavenly Dulce De Leche sponge Cake, where every slice promises a heavenly blend of caramel sweetness and nutty goodness. If you are like me and love dulce de leche, you must try this Fruit Cake and my favorite Cherry Dump Cake.
What is Dulce de Leche?
Dulce de leche is a thick, creamy caramel sauce made by slowly caramelizing sweetened condensed milk. You can make it yourself on the stove or in the oven, or buy it ready-made. Its flavor resembles caramel but with a thicker, smoother texture like peanut butter, and is absolutely delicious.
If you can’t find Dulce de Leche in stores, making your own dulce de leche from sweetened condensed milk produces the ideal texture. I don’t recommend substituting regular caramel flavor sauce, as it is too thin and would make the Dulce De Leche frosting too soft.
How to Make Dulce De Leche Cake?
Step 1: Prepare the Sponge Cake Batter Separate egg yolks and whites. Whisk the egg whites with powdered sugar and sweetened condensed milk until they’re super fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla, and beat until combined. Sift in cake flour and salt, mixing until just combined. Use a spatula to fold the mixture gently.
Image Source: YouTube (The cooking foodie)
Step 2: Prepare the Whipped Cream In a separate medium bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form.
Image Source: YouTube (The cooking foodie)
Step 3: Combine Batter and Cream Gently fold the whipped cream into the batter until fully blended.
Image Source: YouTube (The cooking foodie)
Step 4: Bake the Caramel Cake Preheat the oven and divide the batter into pans after spreading parchment paper and bake until golden, not wet, and springs back when touched (about 25 minutes). After that let the cake cool completely.
Image Source: YouTube (The cooking foodie)
Step 5: Make the Frosting Mix cream cheese, add dulce de leche, vanilla, and salt until smooth. If too soft, refrigerate to firm it up.
Image Source: YouTube (The cooking foodie)
Step 6: Assemble the Cake Once the cakes are cooled, spread Dulce De Leche frosting on the first cake layer, then stack the second layer on top. If more, spread Dulce De Lecheto all the cake layers one by one. Refrigerate if needed.
Image Source: YouTube (The cooking foodie)
Try More Such Cake Recipes!
How to Frost/decorate This Dulce De Leche Cake?
- Mix It Up: Grab your stand mixer and whisk attachment. Beat 16 oz of cream cheese with 14 oz of dulce de leche at medium speed for 1-2 minutes until they’re buddies
- Smooth Operator: Scrape the bowl, add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/8 tsp salt, powdered sugar if needed then mix until it’s all smooth and silky. If it’s a bit too soft, pop it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes.
- Frosting Fun: Take the cooled caramel cake, spread a generous layer of this creamy goodness on the first layer, slap on the second layer, and cover the other Dulce De Leche cake layers with the rest of the cream cheese frosting.
- Chill Vibes: If things seem a bit too soft, throw the cake in the fridge for 15-30 minutes before serving. Voila! Dulce de Leche heaven is ready to be enjoyed.
Considering These Tips Will Be a Bliss!
- Use a Sifter for Flour: Put your flour through a sifter. This helps break up clumps and makes your cake lighter and airier.
- Prevent Sticking: Make your pans nonstick to avoid the Dulce De Leche cake sticking. You can use a baking mat, grease the pan with unsalted butter and flour, use parchment paper, or line it with foil and spray non-stick spray.
- Avoid Overbaking: Don’t bake Dulce De Leche cake for too long. Overbaking can make it dry instead of moist, as desired in this dulce de leche cake recipe.
- Apply Soaking Syrup Evenly: Use a food-safe squeeze bottle, brush, or spoon to evenly apply the soaking syrup to the cake layers.
- Choose Topping: Cover the cake with chocolate flakes, chocolate sprinkles, or a simple ganache for variation to bring the best out of this great recipe.
Store This Cake for Later!
- Refrigerate Cream Cheese Frosting Cake: Store any cake with cream cheese frosting in the fridge. It’s best to do this for 3-4 days to prevent it from drying out.
- Freezing the Cake: Refrigerate until the Dulce De Leche frosting is firm. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and foil before freezing. Thaw this chilled cake in the fridge overnight before serving.
- Freezing Slices: Individually wrap cake slices in plastic wrap. Place them in a freezer bag, removing excess air, or use an airtight container followed by a freezer bag.
Can I Bake This Cake Ahead of Time?
To prepare the cake ahead of time, you can bake the cakes weeks before. After baking, let them cool completely for half an hour, then wrap each one in plastic wrap. Place them in a freezer bag, removing excess air.
When frosting, either work fast if they’re frozen to avoid the frosting setting too quickly and becoming hard to spread, or thaw them for an hour before frosting.
Can I Make This Into Cupcakes?
Sponge cakes usually don’t play as well as cupcakes, but I haven’t experimented with this great recipe in that direction. Worth a try, but no guarantees on how it’ll turn out!
Can I make this dairy-free?
Unfortunately, going dairy-free might not be the best move here. You’d need alternatives for cream, cream cheese, and dulce de leche. While the cake texture might survive without dairy, the frosting’s flavor could take a different route.
Dulce De Leche Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups
- Cake Pans
- Rubber spatula
- Fork
- Cooling Rack
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 4 large�eggs� (about 55-60g each), room temperature
- 1 Cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 1 Cup Granulated sugar
- 1 Cup Brown sugar, packed
- 2 Cups All-purpose flour (240g)
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup Heavy whipping cream (36-40% fat)
Instructions
- Begin by separating egg yolks and whites. Whisk the egg whites with sugar until super fluffy.
- Add egg yolks and vanilla, beat until combined.
- Sift in flour and salt, mix until just combined. Fold the mixture a bit with a spatula.
- Whip cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold whipped cream into the batter until fully blended.
- Divide batter into pans, bake until golden, not wet, and springs back when touched (about 25 minutes).
- Mix cream cheese, dulce de leche, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Refrigerate if too soft.
- Once cakes cool, spread frosting on the first, stack the second. Refrigerate if needed.
Notes
- Dulce de Leche Caution: Don’t go overboard with dulce de leche in the buttercream � it’s delicious but can make it runny. If that happens, chill the cake a bit in the fridge before continuing.
- Yogurt Swap: Feel free to use whole milk yogurt instead of sour cream � it works well, and you won’t notice much of a difference.
- Perfectly Moist Layers: Achieve flat and moist layers by using cake strips. You can buy them or make your own at home with foil and paper towels. Check the blog for details!
- Sheet Cake Variation: Turn this into a sheet cake and go wild with the dulce de leche in the buttercream � it’s flexible and delicious!
