Dulce de Leche Layer Cake by Edd Kimber - Bake from Scratch

      "To commemorate a decade of Bake from Scratch, I believe we should celebrate with a small-batch layer cake featuring brown sugar-buttermilk cake layers filled with a delightful dulce de leche-cream cheese frosting. This cake employs reverse creaming, which is one of my favorite techniques. Instead of blending butter and sugar together initially, the butter is first combined with the dry ingredients. This process coats the flour in fat, which minimizes gluten formation, resulting in a tender cake with a lovely crumb. Additionally, this method generally produces cakes with flat layers that are ideal for stacking." — Edd Kimber

      Yields 1 (6-inch) cake

      **Brown Sugar-Buttermilk Cake Layers:**

      - 1¼ cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour

      - ¾ cup (165 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

      - ¾ teaspoon baking powder

      - ⅛ teaspoon baking soda

      - ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

      - ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

      - 2 large eggs (100 grams)

      - 5 tablespoons (75ml) whole buttermilk

      - 2½ tablespoons (35ml) neutral oil

      **Dulce de Leche-Cream Cheese Frosting:**

      - ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

      - ½ cup (112 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature

      - 2½ cups (300 grams) confectioners’ sugar

      - ¼ cup (80 grams) dulce de leche

      - Large pinch of kosher salt

      **Filling:**

      - 3 tablespoons (60 grams) dulce de leche

      Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease two 6-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

      **For the cake layers:** In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and mix on medium speed with the flat beater until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. While mixing on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the buttermilk and oil. Continue to mix until the batter is smooth. Divide the batter between the two pans (about 1½ cups or 322 grams per pan) and spread it evenly. Bake until the cakes spring back to a light touch and start to pull away from the sides of the pans, approximately 25 minutes. Let them cool in the pans for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

      **For the frosting:** In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese, and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar while mixing on low speed. Once combined, increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then, mix in the dulce de leche and salt until just combined.

      To assemble the cake, pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of one of the cake layers to form a border. Spoon the dulce de leche into the center and spread it evenly. Add a thin layer of frosting over the dulce de leche. Position the second cake layer on top, and cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. The cake can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

      Let us know how it turned out!