Dulce de leche cake

We recently celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday. She does not really like chocolate cake she prefers white or caramel flavours as I was looking through my new cookbooks I decided to make this Dulce de Leche Cake from this book Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes.  We were not disappointed.  My kids even ate all of their cake (they usually just eat the icing).  I will be making this for other special occasions.

Dulce de leche cake

Cake:8 eggs
1 1/3 cups (233g) packed light brown sugar
1 2/3 cups (233g) cake flour*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm

Syrup:
¼ cup (50g) vanilla scented sugar (or regular sugar)
½ cup (120ml) water
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Dulce de leche cream:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups of whipping cream


Skor chocolate bars crumbled for garnish
Make the cake: preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF. Line the bottoms of three 20cm (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 1/3 over the top of the eggs. Gently fold in with a large metal spoon. 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, now with a rubber spatula, 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 – mine took 25 minutes. 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.

Now, the syrup: boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture reduces to ½ cup. Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract and allow to cool before using.

Prepare the dulce de leche cream: Submerse the can of sweetened condensed milk in water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 2 hours.  Make sure to keep an eye on it and add more water if needed.  The can has to stay submersed in water or it will explode.  Place the cream in the freezer for 4 minutes.  In a large chilled mixer bowl with chilled beaters, combine the cream with 2/3 cups of the dulce de leche. Beat on low speed to combine and dissolve the dulce de leche. Raise the mixer to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form.

Assemble the cake: place one cake layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Brush it with the rum syrup to moisten evenly. Cover the layer with about 2/3 cup of the dulce de leche cream, spreading it evenly to the edges. Repeat with the next layer, moistening it with the syrup as well.
Top with the third layer. Moisten it with the syrup. Frost the top and sides of the cake completely with the remaining dulce de leche cream (there was about ¼ cup left in the end). 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.  Crumble skor chocolate bars and place them around the top of the cake as garnish.

Serves 12-16