Dos Leches Cake Recipes

DULCE DE LECHE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease or spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan.
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat butter over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, just until golden brown. Remove from heat. Cool 15 minutes.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, browned butter, water, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes (brown flecks from butter will appear in batter). Pour into pan.
• Bake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat dulce de leche and cream cheese with electric mixer on high speed about 2 minutes or until blended and smooth. Beat in whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Spread frosting over cooled cake. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

TRES LECHES (MILK CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
• Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
• Cream butter or margarine and the 1 cup sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and the 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat well.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
• Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
• Whip whipping cream, the remaining 1 cup of the sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla together until thick. Spread over the top of cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!

TRES LECHES CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar until light in color and doubled in volume. Stir in milk, vanilla, flour and baking powder.
• In a small bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until firm but not dry. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it; fold in remaining egg whites. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes.
• Loosen edge of cake with knife before removing side of pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack.
• Place cooled cake on a deep serving plate. Use a two-pronged meat fork or a cake tester to pierce the surface of cake.
• Mix together condensed milk, evaporated milk and 1/4 cup of the whipping cream. Set aside 1 cup of the measured milk mixture and refrigerate for another use. Pour remaining milk mixture over cake slowly until absorbed. Whip the remaining whipping cream until it thickens and reaches spreading consistency. Frost cake with whipped cream and garnish with cherries. Store cake in the refrigerator.

TRES LECHES CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar on high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine. With a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter until incorporated. Transfer batter to dish and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together milks. Poke warm cake all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick, then pour milk mixture over top and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Whip cream and 1/4 cup sugar to medium peaks. To serve, spread whipped cream evenly over cooled cake. Top with fruit if desired.

DOS LECHES CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Whip eggs, sugar and salt until tripled in bulk.
• Fold in flour.
• Pour mixture into 9x11-inch, well buttered pan.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes; set aside to cool.
• Poke holes on top of cake. Combine milks and flavoring and pour over cake.
• Allow to soak in at least 2 hours.

DULCE DE LECHE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray; set aside.
• Whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined; set aside.
• Add white sugar and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup dulce de leche and vanilla; beat until well combined, 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition, 45 seconds. Add flour mixture alternately with 3/4 cup milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating on low just until combined after each addition. Evenly divide cake batter between prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes.
• Prepare the glaze: Whisk together 1/4 cup dulce de leche and 2 tablespoons milk until mixture is smooth.
• Invert cakes from pans onto a wire cooling rack; set rack on a baking sheet. Using a wooden skewer or fork, gently poke holes all over flat sides (bottoms) of cakes. Pour dulce de leche glaze mixture over cakes and smooth with an offset spatula to coax mixture into holes. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Prepare frosting: Beat butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. With mixer running on low speed, gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in salt. Increase speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, and beat in 1/2 cup dulce de leche and rum (if using) on low speed until just incorporated, 45 seconds.
• Assemble the cake: Set a cake layer on a plate with the flat side (bottom) facing up. Evenly spread 1 cup of the frosting over the cake to the edge. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of hazelnuts. Top with the second cake layer, rounded (top) side up. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and side of the cake. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of hazelnuts on top.

DOS LECHES STRAWBERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Whip the cream in a bowl using a whisk or hand mixer. Just before soft peaks are formed, add the confectioners' sugar and lime zest. Whip to soft peaks.
• Remove the pound cakes from the freezer and cut each in half vertically with a serrated knife. Then cut each of the halves horizontally. Cut rounds out of each block of cake using a 3-inch cutter. Then cut each round in half horizontally, so you're left with 16 equal-sized rounds.
• For building the cakes: Set a round of pound cake down, pour over some sweetened condensed milk, layer on some diced strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Top with another layer of cake and garnish with a sliced strawberry fanned out on top and some lime zest sprinkled over. Repeat for the remaining cakes.

HOW TO MAKE DULCE DE LECHE

Steps:

• Wash the nail and pound it into the top of can of sweetened condensed milk to make 2 small holes on opposite sides of the top. Remove nail.
• Place the can of condensed milk into a small saucepan and pour in water to reach high up the side of the can. Bring water to a boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer milk in the can for 3 to 4 hours. Milk will slowly turn light to medium brown and become thicker as it cooks. Add more water as it boils down.
• Remove lid from can and pour dulce de leche into a bowl. Whisk to break up any lumps and mix thicker caramel from the bottom into the rest of the syrup.

TRES LECHES CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly oil and line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin.
• Put the egg whites in a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Beat with an electric hand whisk until foamy, about 3 mins. Keep mixing while you add 150g of the sugar, a spoonful at a time, until thick and glossy.
• In another bowl, mix the egg yolks, remaining sugar and vanilla (no need to clean the beaters first) for 2 mins, or until pale and foamy. Add the flour, baking powder and milk to the egg yolks, and use a spatula to fold everything together.
• Add a large spoonful of egg white to the cake mix, beat together to loosen the mixture, then gently fold through the remaining egg whites with a large metal spoon (being careful not to over-stir so you don't knock out too much air), until you have a smooth batter.
• Pour into the tin, smooth the top and bake for 40-45 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Mix together the evaporated milk, condensed milk and 3 tbsp of the cream.
• Leave the cake to cool for 10 mins in the tin, then ease a knife around the sides. Poke holes over the surface with a skewer, then pour over half the milk mixture. After 5 mins or so, most of it should have soaked into the cake. Leave for another 5 mins, then transfer to a plate and pour over some of the remaining milk until it starts to leak a little. (Any leftover milk that won't soak into the cake can be served on the side.) Leave to cool.
• Whip the remaining cream and icing sugar together until holding soft peaks. Spread the cream over the cake and sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Can be made and chilled a day ahead. Serve in squares with any remaining soaking milk.

DOS LECHES FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat the Oven and Prepare a Water Bath
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Place a rectangular cake pan or roasting pan into the oven and pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Leave the pan in the oven while it preheats.
• Mix the Flan Ingredients
• In a mixing bowl, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, water, eggs, salt, and vanilla. Mix until everything is well blended.
• Make the Caramel
• This is actually much easier than you think. Just make sure you have a nonstick skillet and a heat-proof silicone spatula. Place a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, sprinkle the sugar evenly all over it, and cook. After about 5 minutes, you will see the sugar begin to melt. A few minutes after that, parts of the melted sugar will begin to turn a light brown color. If the sugar is melting unevenly, you can use your silicone spatula to stir it around a bit. If you do, the sugar will clump up a bit, and that is okay. The clumps will eventually melt down-just continue stirring.
• Once all of the sugar has melted (and any clumps have disappeared), pour the caramel into a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, preferably a nonstick one. As soon as you pour the caramel into the pan, it will begin to harden, which is okay.
• Pour the Flan Mixture into the Pan and Bake
• Give the flan mixture a quick mix and pour it over the prepared caramel in the pan.
• Place the pan in the center of the water bath. You may hear some crackling, which is the hardened caramel.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester, toothpick, or butter knife inserted in the center of the flan comes out clean. The center will still jiggle a bit.
• Remove the loaf pan from the oven and allow to cool for 1 hour. If you are going to unmold the flan in the next hour, leave the water bath in the oven. (After cooling for 45 minutes, you can cover the flan with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to unmold it.)
• Unmold and Serve
• You need your water bath again. If you discarded the one used for baking, place enough hot water in a rectangular cake pan or roasting pan to come at least a quarter of the way up the sides of the pan.
• Dip the loaf pan into the hot water and let it sit for a few minutes. You will hear cracking again, which is the caramel loosening up. Remove the loaf pan from the hot water and run a thin knife blade between the flan and the sides of the pan.
• Invert a serving platter over the loaf pan and flip both over, dislodging the flan from the pan. The caramel will drip down onto the platter. (A good amount of caramel will have remained in its solid state in the pan, which is expected.)
• Serve and enjoy!
• COOKING NOTES
• TECHNIQUES
• Making Caramel
• Forget about what you have heard, caramel is easy to make and easy to clean up. You just have to have the right tools: a nonstick pan and a heatproof silicone spatula. Using any other material will make for a messy and long clean up.
• Follow the instructions in the recipe and if the sugar clumps up, keep heating it until it melts.
• Creating a Water Bath
• I find the easiest and safest way to create an oven water bath is to place a deep pan in the oven, fill it with water, and allow it to heat up during the oven preheating time.
• Cleaning the Pans
• The nonstick skillet and silicone spatula will clean up quickly after they have been used. A little hot soapy water should be enough to get all the hardened caramel off.
• The loaf pan is a different story. You will most likely end up with a hardened layer of caramel stuck to your pan. Soak the pan in hot soapy water overnight. The next day, pour out the water and pour in clean hot water. Any remaining caramel should just melt right off.
• ADVANCE PREPARATION
• The flan can be baked and left in its pan, unmolded, in the refrigerator for 2 days. After it has been unmolded, it will keep for another 3 days or so.