I am in love with dulce de leche! This golden, spreadable caramel sauce is made by slowly heating sweetened condensed milk over a long period. Once you have some in your possession you will want to add it to everything you bake – or it straight from the jar. Or both.
Proof of my love of dulce de leche is here: https://thehungrymum.com/2016/03/09/dulce-de-leche-filled-cookies/
And here: https://thehungrymum.com/2015/11/15/boozy-chocolate-bundt-cake-with-dulce-de-leche-from-scratch/
And here: https://thehungrymum.com/2015/02/23/donna-hay-salted-caramel-brownies/
And now I have another recipe to add to this sweetest of collections: dulce de leche chocolate cake. This cake is baked in a loaf tin, making it simple to serve: just slice and eat. As the topping is swirled caramel and chocolate no frosting or topping is needed.
I think this is one of the best cakes I have ever made and I love how easy it is. I also love that every slice reveals a hidden treasure of golden gooeyness, just waiting to be bitten into. Life is sweet!
GATHER:
115 grams room temperature butter
½ cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups self-raising flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup dulce de leche: find the recipe here: https://thehungrymum.com/2015/11/15/boozy-chocolate-bundt-cake-with-dulce-de-leche-from-scratch/
LET’S GET TO IT:
Heat the oven to 180C and line a loaf tin with non-stick paper.
In a small bowl sift the cocoa and flour together, set aside.
In bowl of electric mixer beat butter and sugar until pale, then beat in the eggs one at a time – scrape down the bowl with a spatula after each egg is added.
With beaters on low add the milk and flour mix alternately until all added.
Tip half of the batter into the tin and using half the dulce de leche, place dollops of the caramel in the middle of the batter.
Top with the remaining batter – you may have some batter left over, depending on the size of your tin. Only fill the tin until two thirds full.
Dollop the remaining dulce de leche on top of the cake batter and gently swirl through the batter with a skewer.
Bake for between 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of your loaf pan. It is ready when a skewer inserted comes out with no raw cake batter.
Leave to cool in tin completely before slicing.
the hungry mum 
That looks amazing. Do you think I could mix by hand? I’ve not yet bought an electric mixer on this side of the Atlantic.
I’m sure you could – women were baking for centuries before electric beaters were invented 🙂 Let me know how it goes.
It’s good for the arm muscles. 😀
🙂
I like the surprise centre of DDL!! So gorgeous 😀
How great is it when you bite into a cake and there’s a surprise in the centre? #Best
Not many recipes for making chocolate cake, and this is a wonderful one!
This is a real classic, I think I will bake it again today.
No way, way!! Got to get me some dulche and make this..oh yes….
Ps note how I morphed ‘dulce de leche’ into one lazy word, it was an accident, I just can’t spell today. 😱
No, own it! I love ‘dulche’ 😉
BIG fan of dulce de leche… and chocolate of course, so I know how fabulous this cake must be. A must try!
This looks amazing. I have a jar of salted caramel sauce in the fridge that is just crying out for me to use it. I may now have found my inspiration!
Tania @ http://www.thegammonkitchen.wordpress.com
Now *there’s* a perfect combination: dulce de leche and chocolate! Heaven. 😀
xo
I do love that caramel. I’ve never had it inside a cake before. What a great idea and chocolate and caramel are winning flavours xx
This was such a delish cake! I really want to make it again v soon.
I’m totally loving your blog! Everything looks so rustic AND delicious. Can’t stop scrolling through!
Thanks! Hope I made you hungry 🙂
I’m a huge fan of caramel and this looks like the perfect treat. Can’t go wrong with caramel and chocolate together.
Looks delicious
Thanks so much 😀
I can see how this is a favorite! My gosh, I love dulce de leche and this cake looks incredible!! It’s just like a little tunnell of ooey caramel in the middle!!
Mollie
Oh my….looks oh so delicious! I have been wanting to do a ‘make your own’ dulce de leche. Paired with chocolate….how could I not give it a go?
Indeed, I insist that you MUST give it a try 🙂
What an irresistible combination. Sounds absolutely divine.
Oh, aren’t you sweet?! Thanks 🙂
I’m back to tell you that I made this at the weekend and it was a massive hit with Mr Pict and the Pictlings. It was not as chocolatey as your version, however. I think the cocoa here must be less intense than what we get in the UK and presumably than what you used. I might add chocolate chips next time for the extra chocolate boost.
Hey, thanks for the update Laura. Glad the fam loved it. Hmmm, that’s strange RE the chocolate. I usually use Cadbury’s baking cocoa in the red tin – not sure if that’s available in the US?
Sadly not. The cocoa here tends to be a bit anaemic I have found. I need to add way more than the suggested amount to make decent hot chocolate, for instance. I might get my in-laws to bring me some decent strength cocoa from the UK next time they visit.
Could I send you some from Australia? I couldn’t bear the thought of using sub-par cocoa 😦
Ha ha! It is tragic. I might see if I can get better quality online but failing that my in-laws are back for a visit in August so I don’t have too long to wait for imported Cadbury’s yumminess.
I’m beginning to image Penn as a teeny little village with no alcohol and no decent baking supplies! Really, am happy to send some – I could not wait til Aug!
You are very kind but no. The shipping would be astronomical. America is a weird mixture of freedoms and strictures I’m finding. The alcohol thing is some sort of puritanical throwback. We can buy it incidentally but it’s not sold in supermarkets, only in shops licensed by the state. And you have to go to different stores for beer and wine.
wow, sounds so different to Australia! Having said that, I do believe alcohol is too freely available here – and I’m a drinker. Off the top of my head I can think of six places to buy alcohol within a three minute drive of my house – not including pubs and clubs and bars.