Dulce de Leche Cream Cake (vanilla layers)
This is a vanilla layer cake with dulce de leche in the filling and in the whipped cream frosting. If you haven't tried the magic that is a cake with these flavors, you're in for a treat! The components can be made in advance.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the vanilla cake:
- 2 tablespoon shortening softened, to grease the pans
- 2 tablespoons flour to flour the pans
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour or cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 1 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 2 tablespoon shortening. Dust with 2 tablespoons flour, shaking off excess. Reserve.
- Sift 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Reserve.
- In a large mixing bowl beat soft 1 cup unsalted butter until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Gradually add 1 ⅔ cups sugar, and beat for 4 minutes, until very light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Add 4 eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth between additions.
- Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with 1 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 1 ½ cups dulce de leche on top of one half, spreading evenly.
- Top with the other cake layer and press lightly. At this point, you can wrap the cake and refrigerate it for 1 day. I put them back in the cake pan, close the springform ring and wrap the whole pan.
For the whipped cream:
- In a large bowl whip 2 cups heavy cream until medium-firm peaks form.
- Fold in 1 cup dulce de leche until it's evenly colored. Use a spatula or beat at low speed but be careful not to curdle it.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake. An offset spatula is a great tool for this.
Notes
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use an oven thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Make ahead: the cake layers can be frozen for a month or kept at room temperature for up to 2 days, always covered in plastic wrap. Fill it up to a day before, but frost it close to serving as whipped cream is best kept cold.
