Contents may test willpower. That is what should be on a container of dulce de leche. The thick, sweet caramel with a glossy deep brown color is irresistible. Spoons want to jump in, scoop up a big dollop, and bounce back into my mouth. Strength is mustered and a lid seals it up. It gets pushed to the back of the fridge in hopes of quieting it's calls. Besides, there is dulce de leche bundt cake to eat. Goodbye spoons and hello forks.
Making dulce de leche can be very easy. Yes, there is a long, old-fashioned, from-scratch method using milk and sugar. The super easy way is with a can of sweetened condensed milk slowly heated in a crock pot filled with water. I did a less than super easy method for the topping on my Torticas de Moron (Cuban Sugar Cookies) which I would not do again. The slow cooker one is the best. You can also buy dulce de leche. Look for it by canned milk products or in a Hispanic food section.
Caramel is the theme for July's Bundt-A-Month. The fun of the monthly challenge is figuring out what cake to bake. Each one has its own variations. Seeing all the different cakes is quite exciting. I decided to go with two types of caramel; dulce de leche and toffee. The toffee chips give a subtle extra texture and flavor to the moist cake. They add a slight crunch which is reminiscent of nuts.
What is your favorite type of caramel? Do you like chewy pieces, crunchy toffee, thick sauce, or creamy frosting? Salted or not? There are so many choices and lots of them are used in the cakes baked for July's Bundt-A-Month. Scroll down to see the list and join me in visiting each one to read all about the caramel goodness.
Dulce de Leche Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup dulce de leche
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 cup toffee chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Cream butter and brown sugar in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer on high speed.
- Add the dulce de leche and beat until combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
- Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternatively with the buttermilk in two additions, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Stir in the toffee chips.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and spread batter evenly in the pan. If using a smaller 10-cup bundt pan, only fill pan about ¾ full. You can use the extra batter to make cupcakes.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick when inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Turn out cake on to a wire rack. Cool completely.
- Dust cake with confectioners sugar. Transfer cake to a serving plate. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe adapted from one on the My Opera website.
Ready for more bundts? These 13 gorgeous cakes with caramel in every form will be inspiration enough for you to bake with us this month:
- Brown Butter Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing by Holly from A Baker's House
- Buttermilk Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Icing by Carrie from Poet In The Pantry
- Caramelized Apple Bundt Cake by Lora from Cake Duchess
- Caramel Pound Cake by Veronica from My Catholic Kitchen
- Chocolate Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel by Alice from Hip Foodie Mom
- Double Glazed Caramel Mocha Bundt by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
- Dulce de Leche Bundt Cake by Renee from Magnolia Days
- Dulce de Leche Swirl Pound Cake by Anuradha from Baker Street
- Orange Caramel Bourbon Bundt Cake by Paula from Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Salted Butterscotch Caramel Bundt Cake by Laura from The Spiced Life
- Salted Caramel Mini Apple Cake Bundts by Anita from Hungry Couple
- Snickers Bundt Cake by Karen from In The Kitchen with KP
- Vanilla Bean Salted Caramel Bundt Cake by Kate from Food Babbles
Here's how you can be a part of Bundt-a-Month:
- Simple rule: Bake us a bundt using caramel
- Post it before July 31, 2013
- Use the #BundtaMonth hashtag in your title. (For ex: title could read - #BundtaMonth: Caramel Swirl Bundt)
- Add your entry to the Linky tool below
- Link back to our announcement posts
Even more bundt fun! Follow Bundt-a-Month on Facebook where we feature all our gorgeous bundt cakes. Or head over to our Pinterest board for inspiration and choose from hundreds of Bundt cake recipes.
Happy Baking!
I'm totally with you - Contents absolutely test your will power and more often than not I give in. 😉
Your cake looks absolutely stunning, Renee! I'll be over with my fork for a slice or two. 🙂
Come on over An, I'll save a slice or two for you.
Your cake looks absolutely stunning, Renee! Very good.
Salted and chewy, since you asked. 🙂 A lightly salted Sugar Daddy (do they make those anymore?) would be my ideal.
What a gorgeous cake, Renee! I have never made dulce de leche the old fashioned way but I do enjoy making it in my crockpot. I love that you put it right in the batter! I need to make some dulce and give your cake a try. I can almost taste the caramelly-ness right now.
I have to admit I'm not a fan of salted caramel. I think I might be the only food blogger who doesn't care for it. I think they still make Sugar Daddy but it may be only available during Halloween or another candy season.
Mmm...I love that you put the caramel inside the cake rather than a sauce on top. I can only imagine the deep flavor!
It does have an incredible deep flavor. It's from the combo of caramel and dark brown sugar.
haha, I love your opening sentence. It´s a stunning `simple´ cake Renee! And I love caramel/ddl in every possible way. In fact, two days ago while eating a puff pastry dulce de leche cake with some friends, we realized it´s our favorite sweet thing, not even chocolate trumps it.
I'd like to know more about that puff pastry dulce de leche cake. I hope to see a recipe for it on your blog soon. Hint Hint.
Hi Renee, this cake looks so delicious. I love dulce de leche! My Cuban friend puts sweetened condensed milk in a pressure cook to make it. The mold is beautiful too. Great post and excellent photos! Bill
Thanks Bill! I haven't heard of making it in a pressure cooker. How interesting.
Renee,
as always, gorgeous gorgeous bundt! I love the addition of the toffee chips!! I have also made dulce de leche from scratch. . with the can of sweetened condensed milk . . not sure I will do that again. . or maybe I will. . I used a water bath method in the oven. I need to try the slow cooker! 😛 there's definitely a sense of accomplishment when you have the time. . I love this bundt!
The water bath method in the oven gives it a slightly different consistency than in the crock pot. If you really want the smoothest then use the crock pot method.
I don't know how it took me so long to discover dulce de leche-- I had been missing out for way too many years! Now I try to always have a can of it in the pantry. Thanks for sharing this recipe, now I know where my next can of dulce de leche will be going!
It's the same with me. I didn't discover dulce de leche until a few years ago. Now it's something I use frequently.
This bundt cake looks incredible... so tender and perfect! I'm a caramel FANATIC, as in I seriously do have an obsession, so I basically like it every way it comes, especially salted. I have yet to make or try dulce de leche... recipes like this make me wonder what I'm waiting for!
Thanks Alexandra. You really should try making the dulce de leche. It's easy to do and oh so good.
Beautiful cake Renee! I added toffee chips to mine as well! You ask what our favorite form of caramel is....well I love them all! Though I must admit nothing beats biting into a piece of sweet chewy caramel You've also got me wanting to try your method for making dulce de leche! Another lovely cake by you! : )
Go team toffee chips!! I can't resist buying a bag of them and keeping it in my pantry. They are such a nice addition to baked goods.
What a superb looking Bundt, Renee. I'm pretty partial to caramel...so I'd love a huge slice!
Thanks Liz!
I love Dulce de leche. I add it to my coffee sometimes. This cake looks fantastic!
Adding it to coffee? Now where has that idea been all my life? Must. try. soon.
I love caramel in all its forms! Your cake is gorgeous, Renee, and I love that you used caramel in two ways (because you can't ever have too much of the stuff). I'm too terrified of heating a can of condensed milk so I want to try the oven bake method (pour condensed milk into a container and bake it long and slow...or at least if memory serves me correctly, that's how it's done!)
Thanks Nancy! I was concerned about the can bursting but as long as it is fully covered with water then it is okay.
This looks wonderful! It's funny, I'm not a huge caramel fan, but for some reason caramel cake isn't a part of the 'caramel' category! I think I just don't like it when it sticks to my teeth.
I've made something similar before, it is a caramel fleur de sel cake on my blog! (here's the link if you're interested: http://www.cocoabeanthevegetable.com/2013/03/caramel-fleur-de-sel-cake.html)
Thanks Hilary! I'll check out your cake. I love to look at different recipes and variations of cakes.
Oh my. This just sent me over the edge. I LOVE caramel. I prefer it thick like a sauce, creamy in a frosting and salted on dark chocolate. But this cake...well it make just take the cake. I think I'll make it this weekend!
Thank you so much Karli! I hope you enjoy the cake when you bake it.
Renee, the scent of this bundt cake must have been something special!! Love your photos and styling xx
It really was a wonderful scent when it was baking (and after too). Thanks so much for your kind compliment on my photos and styling.
What a decadent cake for this month's theme! Love how you took the caramel to the next level with dulce de leche AND toffee chips. Nice job!
Thanks Carrie!
I bet this tasted delicious. We can't get toffee chips here in the UK, but I can imagine this gave this cake a sweet surprise in the crumb.
You could always crush up some toffee and make your own chips. I used to do that long ago before they started selling the toffee chips here.
Hello there, I tried your cake y'day and it cake out perfectly fine and very delicious. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Thank you so much Rekha! I'm glad you enjoyed the cake.
Just made it yesterday with dulce de leche from buffalo milk. Yum, yum! Cake devoured in an hour.
Oh fantastic! Thanks for coming back and letting me know. I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake.
Just about to take this cake out of the oven!!! The smell is heavenly. Can't wait to dig into it.......Thanks for sharing recipe Renee.
You are welcome and glad to know you baked the cake. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Hi Renee,
I need to say: this is the best bundt cake I've ever baked, even when I only used half of the sugar and didn't add toffee chips. (I've diabetes, so I need to cut some carbs, but doesn't matter, the cake was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G)
And also, I used an artesanal 'dulce de leche' made in México (we call it 'cajeta').
Thanks for the recipe, and keep posting great recipes like this.
Greetings!
Oh fantastic Mary! I'm so glad you enjoyed the cake. Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Very good recipe, I loved it, thank you very much 🙂
It fills me with happiness to know that people like you love Peruvian food very much. Kisses
I love Dulce de Leche! I'll try making your recipe at home
Very good recipe, I loved it, thank you very much, good blessed 🙂
I love Dulce de Leche! I loved the very good recipe, greetings.