Dulce De Leche Cake

My friend Lauren and I volunteered to bake a cake for a club at school that was having a BBQ and a cake walk. The club is students for Senegal, its designed to help kids in my chemistry teachers hometown in Senegal. I wanted to make something really special because of the occasion. Lauren really wanted to help, so I let her do most of the cake oriented baking while I did more of the whipped cream/decoration part of it. The cake will be available at the cake walk tomorrow at the high school starting at 6pm.

Dulce de Leche Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces) 


1 cup whole milk, at room temperature 


6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature 


1 teaspoon vanilla extract 


1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces) 


4 teaspoons baking powder 


1 teaspoon table salt 


12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 pint heavy cream

2 cans dulce de leche

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

• Directions

1. Set oven rack in middle position. (If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Pour milk, egg whites, and extract into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.
3. Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.
4. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.
5. Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.
6. Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.
7. To make whipped cream. Beat heavy cream, sugar, ducle de leche, and cinnamon until stiff peaks form, refrigerate.
8. To make caramel spirals, combine 2 cups sugar and ¼ cup of water in a small saucepan. Heat until golden brown (300 degrees). Let cool down until 200 degrees.
9. Using a spoon and the back of a big whisk, make spirals by turning caramel around the back of the whisk. Pour extra caramel onto a silpat and after it cools break it up into medium sized pieces.
10. To assemble the cake, smooth about ½ cup of dulce de leche onto the first layer of cake. Top with second layer of cake. Pour on whipped cream and smooth on.
11. Using a squeeze bottle, make a criss-cross pattern with dulce de leche. Alternately place spirals and broken caramel pieces around the cake. Enjoy!