Dulce de Leche Recipe (Cake, Frosting, & Syrup)
A simple and gooey single layer brown sugar cake soaked with dulce de leche syrup and topped with a creamy dulce de leche frosting.
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 and ⅔ cups (200g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter melted and allowed to cool
- 1 cup (200g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature1
- ¾ cup (180mL) whole2 milk or cream room temperature1
- ¼ cup (61g) full fat2 yogurt or sour cream room temperature1
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DULCE DE LECHE SYRUP
- ⅓ cup (114g) dulce de leche3
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons (15-30mL) milk or cream
DULCE DE LECHE FROSTING
- ¼ cup (57g) vegetable shortening4 softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup (114g) dulce de leche3
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoons (8mL) milk or cream5
- pinch of salt
Instructions
CAKE
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease and flour (or use homemade cake release) an 8" round cake pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, milk/cream, yogurt, and vanilla extract on medium to high speed until completely smooth.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, then slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just combined. Then, fold gently by hand with a large spatula and press out any large lumps of flour that remain by scraping them against the side of the bowl. Small lumps are ok.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 26-28 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan before decorating.
DULCE DE LECHE FROSTING
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add in the powdered sugar, dulce de leche, and vanilla. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until completely smooth, about 3 minutes. Add milk or cream if frosting seems to need to be thinned out. Add salt to taste.
DULCE DE LECHE SYRUP
- Right before you add the frosting to the top of the cake, prepare the dulce de leche syrup. Add the dulce de leche to a small bowl with a spout or a glass measuring cup.
- Add the cream ½ Tablespoon at a time and mix to combine. This will thin out the dulce de leche syrup. You want the syrup to be pourable but not watery. Stop when your mixture resembles the texture of molasses or caramel.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
- Remove the cake from the pan and place on a plate at least 1" wider than the cake. Your cake top should be mostly flat, but if it isn't trim it with a large serrated knife to even it out.
- Use a skewer to poke holes all the way through the top of the cake and all over the surface.
- Slowly pour the dulce de leche syrup onto the top of the cake (you may not use all of it-- pour to your liking), then gently spread the syrup to the sides of the cake, letting some of it drip over the edge, but keeping the majority of it on the top. Allow it to soak into the cake for about 5 minutes.
- Add the dulce de leche frosting to the top of the cake, taking care not to disturb the dulce de leche syrup layer under it. Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake with an offset spatula, then serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Cake freezes well. Do not soak or frost until cake is thawed and you are ready to serve. Thaw cake at room temperature.
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients: these are always a good idea when using room temperature butter as it makes for easier incorporation into the batter. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Full fat dairy: it is imperative to use full fat dairy in this recipe for moisture, since we’re using melted butter, therefore removing some natural moisture.
- Dulce de leche: you can use homemade or store bought. Textures/viscosities can vary depending on the method you make it or the brand you purchase. Looser dulce de leche will be messier than a thicker texture. Keep this in mind when making or purchasing your sauce.
- Vegetable shortening: I chose vegetable shortening for this dulce de leche buttercream because the sauce I used was very thin. If your sauce is thicker and sturdier, you can use room temperature butter in place of the shortening.
- Milk or cream: depending on the viscosity of your dulce de leche sauce, you may not need any additional liquid to thin out your buttercream. Add liquid with caution.
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Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 378IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg
