My Aunt’s Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche Filling

This is a delicious and simple chocolate cake recipe. My Aunt Consuelo makes this cake often for special occasions and she made it last time I went to visit my family in Colombia. My aunt started to make this cake after I moved to the United States 20 years ago and it’s been a family favorite since. We have a WhatsApp family group and while in quarantine, everyone in the group was asking for this cake recipe and we finally got my Tía Consuelo to give up her “Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche Filling” recipe.

If you like the combination of dulce de leche and chocolate, this cake is for you. In all honesty, I am not a huge chocolate cake fan, but this cake is phenomenal!

Tips:

*If you don’t have buttermilk just make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup, then add enough milk to make 3/4 cup. Stir together, then use as directed in the recipe.

*I used Colombian chocolate tablets, but if you don’t find them, just use any unsweetened chocolate. To melt the chocolate, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

*If you don’t have dulce de leche, I have a recipe here to make it at home using sweet condensed milk.

Buen provecho!

Ingredients:

Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
16 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
4 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups dulce de leche for the filling

Ganache:

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, grease the parchment, then flour the insides of the pans, tapping out excess. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, mix the melted chocolate, eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, water and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for an additional 20 seconds.

Divide the batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate the pans in the oven. Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out almost clean, about 12 more minutes. Cool the cakes (in the pans) on wire racks for about 20 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely.

Place one of the cake layers on a serving platter or cake stand and spread the dulce de leche over the top in an even layer. Place the other cake layer on top of the dulce de leche upside-down.

To make the ganache: Place the heavy cream and chocolate in a small pot over low heat and stir until you have a smooth consistency. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and pour on top of the cake.