Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Dulce de Leche Strawberry Cake

strawberry-dulcedelechecake

I'm obviously super late to the party, when it comes to Dulce de Leche. Can you believe I had never made it before? Barely tasted it, in fact. And I LOVE caramel. So goodness knows it was about time for me to make it. I guess I was reluctant due to the scares of "be careful or it will explode!" and I wasn't about to make "dulce de bombe" in my kitchen. However, when I got my crock-pot, I quickly learned that that could indeed be used to make a totally safe dulce. So that's what I did!

I removed the label from the can of sweetened condensed milk, and placed it with lots of water in my crock-pot. I put it on "low", and went to bed. Next morning, I fished out the can and let it cool. And when I opened it: luscious, beautiful caramel. Like magic, really.

I made this cake for my dad's birthday party - it was much appriciated.

Dulce de Leche Strawberry Cake
serves 10-12

Basic Cake Layers
4 eggs
375 ml sugar (1 1/2 cup)
400 ml flour (1 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
2,5 tsp baking powder
120 ml boiling water (just under 1/2 cup)

Beat eggs and sugar until very fluffy. Fold together flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add this, along with the water, to the egg mixture. Stir in a little at a time - first flour, then water, more flour and so on until everything is added and folded into a smooth batter.

Butter and flour a 24-cm springform pan. Pour in the batter and bake at 175°C for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool in the pan. When it's completely cool, turn out the cake and divide it lengthwise into three (or even four) cake layers. (It's easy - use a serrated knife and cut while turning the cake, that way it'll come out really even.)

For the filling
1 tin of Dulce de Leche
2 litres of strawberries
500 ml cream, for whipping

Start by removing the best, evenly-sized strawberries for decoration. You need about 300 grams worth.

Slice the remaining berries, and whip the cream into fairly firm peaks.

On the first layer, spread half of the caramel, and top with berries. Repeat with the second cake layer. Place the third one on top, and spread the entire cake with a thin coating of whipped cream.

Slice the berries that you set aside for decorating, and place them in a pretty pattern. Finish by piping cream all around the cake.

Recept på engelska:
Dulce de Leche Strawberry Cake

14 comments:

Pene said...

I had to look up "Dulce de Leche" to find out out it is - condensed milk!
Now I'll have to try this recipe. Thanks.

Sashquatch said...

wowwww, this is a seriously stunning cake that somehow sounds like it tastes even better than it looks (basically its amazing in every way!) Your pa must have been totally elated :) I am loving the sound of the caramelly strawb combo and am wholeheartedly wanting to try out this gorgeous recipe!

Cakelaw said...

This looks super! Your Dad is a lucky guy.

Jess said...

Wow! looks amazing! going to have to make that! luckily in the uk they sell already cooked condensed milk, so it could be make quicker :) love your blog, it's beautiful! xxx

anyasgarden said...

Anne, we can buy dulce de leche off the shelf here in Miami. Many do make it at home they way you did. Know what I do? I take some and flavor it with essential oils! Rose dulce de leche, rose geranium, pink grapefruit, jasmine, ylang ylang, yum yum. My Cuban friends freak out with happiness when they taste the flavored DdL!

There are some sandwich cookies called almaforhes (spelling) That are popular in South America, and there is an iconic Argentinian dessert involving DdL and crepes.

Anne said...

Anya, what a brilliant idea!! Must try, pink grapefruit DDL sounds yummy.

Kate said...

Now you can make banoffi pie...mmmmmmm...very easy:

Graham cracker/cheesecake biscuit crumb base
Throw in some chopped bananas
Cover with Dulce de Leche
cover that with some whipped cream
dust with cocoa

The best, quickest emergency dessert (if you have the tins all boiled and in the cupboard ready to use :)

Kate :)

Linda said...

Anne, would it be too much trouble for you to print a conversion chart for amounts of ingredients as well for oven temperatures? You might have done this before, but I certainly would appreciate it. :) Thanks.
--Linda

Anne said...

Linda, I replied on the other blog, but in short, there are already great conversion sites. I'll try to do a post on it soon!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Wow, that cake looks stunning.

I used to boil condensed milk to make dulce de leche, but now Carnation do it for you, so instead of boiling up the carnation mil, I just buy that. Do you get Carnation condensed milk in Sweden?

Anne said...

Jaqueline, I don't think we do... at least not a ready-boiled kind :)

Fahad Khan said...

Wow,looks gorgeous,the strawberries and whipped cream remind me of a recipe of Banana Split Cake I was looking at a few days back..Will share that recipe soon..:-)

.Sol said...

Hahaha... great you discovered DDL. Here in Argentina we eat it with absolute everything. My mom does the best homemade one, but unfortunatelly have nothing to do with the one made from condensed milk... You should try a real one!
Hugs

Alice said...

I made the cake for my son's second birthday today it was yum. I used my slow cooker to make the ducle de leche but I should have put something under it because it damaged the non stick coating a bit (I should have thought of that). Next time I think I will tie a chux to the bottom of the tin with string.