This is a vanilla layer cake filled with gooey dulce de leche and covered in an easy chocolate frosting. If you haven't tried the magic that is a cake filled with dulce de leche, you're in for a treat!
Growing up, all birthday cakes had dulce de leche in the middle.
Though the layers usually came from a box, having this wonderful milk jam so readily available solved the eternal what-should-I-fill-the-cake-with question.
However, it made all cakes pretty much the same.
The thing is that it is such a fantastic combination, both with chocolate and vanilla. If you're new to dulce de leche, you're in for a sweet surprise of the best kind.
It can even be made in stages since the layers can be wrapped up for a few days, and the frosting kept in the fridge.
Dulce de leche filling
Dulce de leche is a sweet milk jam, a cousin to caramel, made with milk, sugar, and baking soda, the latter being accountable for its dark color.
If used as a filling, you need to use what we call pastry dulce de leche.
It's much thicker than the regular kind. Look for the word Repostero on the label.
The best one available online (that we also use here!) is Vacalin Dulce de Leche Repostero. Another good one is Veronica dulce de leche repostero.
Chocolate frosting
Type of chocolate: you can use the two types of chocolate specified in the recipe, or just one.
Cream cheese: it adds richness and smoothness. The frosting is unctuous.
It's the combination of flavors that make the cake.
Tender vanilla buttermilk layers with a hefty dose of dulce de leche and an even heftier dose of double chocolate cream cheese frosting.
I sometimes add hazelnut praline in the filling and decoration, but the cake doesn't need it to shine.
It's a really good cake, for a birthday or just because.
Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
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Dulce de Leche Cream Cake
Ingredients
For the vanilla cake:
- 1 tablespoon shortening, softened, to grease the pans
- 2 tablespoons flour, to flour the pans
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, or cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup whole milk, at room temperature
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cups dulce de leche , the thick one labeled 'repostero', such as dulce de leche Vacalin, the one I use
For the cream frosting:
- 2 cups heavy cream, cold
- 1 cup dulce de leche
- ½ cup dulce de leche, extra, for piping, optional
Instructions
For the vanilla cake:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Grease two 8-inch (22cm) round springform cake pans with 1 tablespoon shortening. Dust with 2 tablespoons flour, shaking off excess. Reserve.
- Sift 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Reserve.
- In a large mixing bowl beat soft ¾ cup unsalted butter until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Gradually add 1 ¼ cups sugar, and beat for 4 minutes, until very light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Add 3 eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth between additions.
- Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with ¾ cup whole milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in 2 additions; you start and end with the flour mixture. Mix *just* until well integrated and smooth. Overbeating will make the cake tough.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the pans cool on wire racks for 15 minutes. Then, remove the cakes and let them cool completely on the wire racks before filling and frosting.
- You can make a 2-layer or a 4-layer cake. Cut the cake in half, trying to cut it as even as possible. To achieve this, start by using a large thin knife, and cut while rotating the cake. With each turn, the knife should go deeper, until you reach the center. At that point the cake will be completely cut in half.
- Spread dulce de leche on top of one half, spreading evenly but without touching half an inch from the edge. That way, when you press the second layer on top, the dulce de leche will reach the edges but not spill.
- Top with the other cake layer, press lightly and frost with chocolate frosting.
- The best way to frost is to take about half the frosting and make one layer covering the whole cake. Then take the rest of the frosting, and even it out as best as you can.
- Sprinkle chopped toffee or praline on top if you want to, or decorate any way you want. Serve.
For the whipped cream:
- In a large bowl whip the cold cream until medium-firm peaks form.
- Fold in the dulce de leche until it's evenly colored. Use a spatula or beat at low speed but be careful not to crudle it.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Notes
Frosting adapted from Cakes, by Maida Heatter
Carole | Toot Sweet 4 Two says
I'm so very sorry for your loss. Hope you are able to move forward soon. This cake looks amazingly delicious!
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks Carole, so sweet of you!
plasterers bristol says
god, this sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing this.
Simon
Odelle says
Beautiful cake, full of my favorites, buttermilk, filled with dulce de leche & topped with praline....
This cake is perfect for me, a must bake, suitable for any occasion...
I know that this is THE Special Cake for me & my family, many thanks for a superb recipe, a great share...
Regards, Odelle.
Tai says
Or maybe a berry topping?
wp_vknotes_admin says
Hi Tai! I would use fresh strawberries instead of the praline. They are such an amazing combination with the dulce de leche!
Tai says
What are your thoughts about using crushed petit buerre biscuits or similar in place of nuts? Or better to just skip the crunch?
Teresa says
Gorgeous cake! I hope that you, your family and friends, and your community are recovering from the flood now.
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking says
I absolutely love chocolate and dulce de leche and this cake sounds amazing Paula!
Cocoa and Lavender says
My all time favorite birthday cake was either a simple yellow cake with chocolate frosting, or an iced jelly roll with lemon curd. I am always in search of a really food yellow cake recipe and this buttermilk cake sounds near perfect! We never had dulce de leche or cajata where I grew up, so the filling was either more frosting or raspberry jam, which wasn't too bad either... I hotel the cleanup is going well. Hugs from the desert, David