Vanilla Bean Cake with Whipped Dulce de Leche Frosting

By RoketJSquerl

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 3 cups cake flour
• 2 cups sugar, scant
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter,
• at room temperature, cut in small pieces
• 1 1/3 cups milk, divided
• 5 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• For the Frosting:
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups dulce de leche, divided
• 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Details

Adapted from ambrosiabaking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Spray 3 8-inch baking pans with nonstick spray, flour, and line with parchment paper.

Place the flour, sugar, baking power, and salt in the bowl of a standard electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, mix the ingredients for a few seconds, just to incorporate. Add the vanilla bean seeds (reserve the pod to make vanilla sugar!) and mix to incorporate. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the butter a few pieces at a time (every 10 seconds or so). Add 1 cup of the milk and mix to incorporate. Raise the speed to medium, and beat until the batter is light and fluffy, about 1 minute.

In a measuring cup, whisk together the remaining milk, egg whites, and vanilla extract. With the mixer running on low speed, add the milk mixture to the bowl in 3 additions, scraping the bowl down every now and then. Mix only until just incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans (use a kitchen scale for accuracy).

Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks. Remove the waxed paper and allow to cool completely.

Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the whipped dulce de leche frosting. In the bowl of a standard electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter on medium speed for 8 minutes (it will be pale and very fluffy). Add 1/2 cup dulce de leche, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Raise the speed and mix for an additional 6 minutes, until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.

To assemble the cake, begin by leveling the cakes. The easiest way to do this is to place one of the cakes in a quarter sheet pan and place a long serrated knife across the rims of the sheet pan. Using a gentle sawing motion, move the knife back and forth, slicing through the cake, while keeping both ends of the knife on the sheet pan. The top of the cake will come right off in one piece, and the best part is that all of your cakes will be the exact same height so you'll have even layers (and lots of cake scraps to snack on!).

Place a small dab of dulce de leche on a cake plate and place one of the leveled cakes on top, cut side down. Spread 1/2 cup of dulce de leche on top. Place another cake over the frosting, cut side down, and spread a layer of the last 1/2 cup of dulce de leche on top. Place the last cake on top. Crumb-coat your cake by covering it in a very thin layer of the whipped dulce de leche frosting to seal the crumbs. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes to firm up the crumb coat. Once firm, add a thicker layer of frosting all around the cake and frost as desired. Refrigerate the cake to firm up the frosting before slicing. Enjoy!