Dulce de Leche and Vanilla Bean Birthday Cake

For my husband's birthday, I made a Dulce de Leche (Doce de Leite) cake.  I made the cake out of this recipe for yellow, vanilla bean cake, filled the middle with pure Dulce de Leche, and incorporated Dulce de Leche into the frosting for the top and sides.  Needless to say, this cake was super sweet, so a little really goes a long way. 

Dulce de Leche Birthday Cake

by What A Dish!

For the Vanilla Bean Cake:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

8 egg yolks
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped out

To Make the Vanilla Bean Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 8-inch round pans. Line bottoms with waxed paper and butter the wax paper. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat for 3-5 minutes to get a nice, light and fluffy cake. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and vanilla bean seeds. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan on countertop a few times to get rid of air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly tapped, or toothpick comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting/filling.

For the Filling:

1 can (about 14 oz.) Dulce de Leche

For the Dulce de Leche Frosting:

1 cup salted butter, softened

1-1/2 pounds powdered sugar (4-6 cups, or until desired consistency)

1/2 of a 14. oz can of Dulce de Leche

1 teaspoon milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped out

To Make the Dulce de Leche Frosting:

Cream together butter and powdered sugar (starting with a few cups and working up).  Add the Dulce de Leche, milk, vanilla, and vanilla bean seeds.  Cream everything together.  If mixture is too thin, add more powdered sugar.  If mixture is too thick, add more milk or Dulce de Leche.

Assembly:

Spread one full can of Dulce de Leche evenly over one cake layer.  Top with the other cake layer, and use the Dulce de Leche frosting to frost the sides and top of cake.  With extra frosting, pipe a design on your cake border. 

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