dulce de leche cake
Translated from the Spanish, dulce de leche literally means “milk sweet,” and it is, in fact, a caramel made by slowly cooking milk down until it is thick, naturally sweet, and a rich nut brown. Wildly popular throughout Latin America, it has recently taken this country by storm—as a filling, spread, and flavor in cakes, pastries, and ice creams.
MAKES AN 8-INCH TRIPLE-LAYER CAKE; SERVES 12 TO 16
- 8 eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
- Rum Syrup (page 156)
- Dulce de Leche Cream (page 156)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with rounds of parchment or waxed paper but do not grease the pans.
- In a large heatproof bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Gradually whisk in the brown sugar. Set over a pot of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until the brown sugar dissolves and the mixture warms to body temperature. Remove from the heat and with an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until the mixture holds slowly dissolving ribbons when the beaters are lifted.
- Put the flour and cinnamon in a sifter and sift about one-third over the top of the eggs. Gently fold in. Repeat 2 more times with the remaining flour, folding only until mixed with no trace of flour.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the batter and fold in, taking care not to deflate the batter or to leave pockets of butter not folded in. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pans. Run a blunt knife around the edge of each cake to release it from the pan. Turn out onto a wire rack and carefully peel off the paper.
- To assemble cake, place one cake layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Brush one-third of the Rum Syrup over the cake to moisten evenly. Cover the layer with a bit more than 1 cup of the Dulce de Leche Cream, spreading it evenly to the edges. Repeat with the next layer. Top with the third layer. Moisten it with the remaining syrup. Frost the top and sides of the cake completely with the remaining Dulce de Leche Cream. Then, using a cake comb or the cutting edge of a serrated knife, run it around the side of the cake to make a grooved pattern all around.