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Dulce De Leche Cake
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Dulce de leche cake

A decadent cake with brown butter cake layers and rich dulce de leche buttercream! 
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 310kcal
Author John Kanell

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

For the Cake:

  • 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 213g
  • 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar 303g
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda heaping
  • 1 tsp baking powder heaping
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup brown butter 170g, unsalted, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sour cream 120ml, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup whole milk 120ml, room temperature or warm
  • 3 egg whites room temperature
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract nice
  • 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

For the Dulce de Leche Buttercream:

  • 1.5 cans dulce de leche 14 oz can (see instructions to make your own from sweetened condensed milk)
  • 1 lb unsalted butter room temperature
  • 9 cups confectioners sugar sifted
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt heaping

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS

    For the Cake:

    • Preheat oven to 345 degrees F. Butter and three four 6-inch pans. I use damp cake strips on my pans for even baking.
    • In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and stir. Cook until the butter has browned and turns into a golden color. Pour the butter into a bowl and transfer to the fridge to bring it to room temperature. Keep an eye on the consistency while it’s in the fridge and stir frequently. Take it out when it congeals.
    • Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, including sugar.
    • Beat the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.
    • Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined.
    • Divide the mixture evenly into the buttered cake pans. Add damp baking strips.
    • Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch.
    • Let the layers cool in the cake pans for about 4 min, then dump them out onto a wire cooling rack.

    For the Dulce de Leche Buttercream:

    • How to Make Dulce De Leche:
    • To make your own dulce de leche, remove the wrapper from a can of sweetened condensed milk.
    • Place the can upside down in a large pot and submerge with water until about 2 inches above the lid.
    • Watch the water level to make sure it doesn’t drop past the lid. The can must be fully submerged throughout the entire process.
    • Bring it to a boil, then turn down to a very low heat.
    • Simmer for 1 hour.
    • Flip the can in the water and simmer for another hour.
    • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter on low speed until fluffy.
    • Sift the confectioners sugar.
    • Add a few cups of sugar and beat. Add the remaining.
    • Reserve about 1-2 cup of the white buttercream for the piped rope.
    • Add the dulce de leche and mix until you get the right consistency. If it’s softer than you want it to be, add more confectioners sugar. Add salt. 

    For the Assembly:

    • To pipe the rope pattern, transfer the reserved white buttercream to a piping bag fitted with an 869 tip or an open star tip.
    • Transfer the rest of the dulce de leche buttercream to a piping bag.
    • Pipe buttercream and a drizzle of pure dulce de leche between each layer.
    • Pipe a layer to the sides. Smooth with a bench scraper and offset spatula until completely smooth.
    • Chill the cake for about 25-35 minutes or until the buttercream is stiff. Add another layer of buttercream. Smooth with a bench scraper and offset spatula.
    • With the white buttercream, pipe up and pull out diagonally. Repeat the process with a small overlap to create a rope look.

    Video

    Notes

    • You can't add too much of the dulce de leche to the buttercream as it is gooey by nature and will cause your icing to become runny, delicious but unstable. So follow the recipe and if your buttercream begins to run add a skewer through the cake layers and pop it into the fridge to chill. Once it's set continue icing the cake.
    • To get FLAT layers that are moist inside and out try using cake strips! You can buy a set online or make your own from foil and paper towels at home. I made a whole blog post on it so check it out if you’re interested!
    • You can make this recipe as a sheet cake and add as much dulce de leche to the buttercream as you'd like.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 54mg | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 0.4mg