My inspiration for this cake was a Stroopwafel (if you don’t know what that is, it’s the free treat that’s usually served on an airplane along with the bag of pretzels). It had been a while since I had one. But after eating one again on a recent flight, I realized I actually quite like the mix of toasted waffle, caramel, vanilla and bourbon. So then I thought, why not make a cake with those same flavors?
So I did. And this is how it turned out.
When it actually came time to make this cake, I decided to use dulce de leche instead of traditional caramel, mostly because I wanted to try Christina Tosi’s Dulce de Leche Sponge Cake recipe. I then paired the cake with a bourbon cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans.
And while the overall cake turned out delicious, I do think it could use a little more dulce de leche, either in the cake itself or added as another frosting layer, to really give it a nice caramel flavor.
But in the meantime, this cake is still delicious and I hope you enjoy it!
XO,
Coco
P.S. If you have any ideas or recommendations on how to amp up the dulce de leche flavor, leave a comment below!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30-35 minutes plus ~1 hour for cooling
Total time: 2 hours
Yields: One quarter sheet pan (9-by-13 inches) or two 8-inch round cake pans
Cake Ingredients:
- 115 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
- 150 grams granulated sugar
- 275 grams dulce de leche (La Lechera is a good brand)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 110 grams buttermilk
- 75 grams vegetable oil
- 4 grams vanilla extract
- 185 grams cake flour
- 4 grams baking powder
- 4 grams kosher salt
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2-5 tablespoons bourbon
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F
- Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together on medium-high for 2-3 minutes, just until it all comes together. Add the dulce de leche and beat on high for 1 minute.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. After adding the last egg, mix on high for another 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. The mixture should look homogenous. If there are any streaks of ingredients that aren’t fully incorporated, cream for another 2-3 minutes.
- In a separate bowl or container (I like to use a measuring cup), combine the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Slowly stream the mixture into the bowl while on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for another 2-3 more minutes on medium-high speed. When done, the mixture should double in size and be completely homogenous.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet all at once and mix on the lowest speed for 45 to 60 seconds, just until the batter comes together. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl thoroughly to ensure the batter is fully mixed. If not, use a spatula to mix any pockets of dry ingredients until fully incorporated.
- Spray your pan(s) with baking spray, line the bottom with parchment and spray the top of the parchment and up the sides of your pan. Pour the batter into your pan(s) and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, making sure to rotate the pan(s) at 15 minutes to ensure an even bake. At 30 minutes, use your finger to gently poke around the outside and center of the cake. It should bounce back very slightly and not be jiggly at all.
- When baked through, remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. If using a quarter sheet pan, you can cool the cake in the pan completely. If using round cake pans, I recommend cooling the cakes in the pan for 15-20 minutes and then removing them from the pan to continue to cool.
- Depending on your pan, you can use an offset spatula or bench scraper to cut around the sides of the cake to loosen the edges and invert it onto a plate. Then remove the parchment paper and invert again onto the wire rack to finish cooling.
- While the cake is cooling, make the frosting by adding the butter and cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beating until smooth. Then add the confectioners’ sugar and bourbon and beat until creamy.
- I recommend starting with 2-3 tablespoons of bourbon and adjusting from there depending on how strong you want the bourbon flavor to be.
- For this cake, I did a base layer of cake, then a layer of frosting and a layer of toasted almonds. Then I added the top layer of cake (making sure to invert it so the bottom of this layer becomes the top of the cake) and frosted the top and sides. Lastly, I decorated the top with a circle of toasted almonds, but feel free to decorate however you want!
Home Court Bakes 