Rich n Moist one pan Chocolate Cake… coated in Chocolate Frosting, Slivered Almonds, with a drizzle of Dulce De Leche…!!!
So that’s how I celebrated my weekend; with friends, family, a birthday, potluck, loads of fun, and this delicious cake! It was our friend’s birthday, a good friend of mine, my hubby’s colleague, and he also happens to be one of my critiques and taster of Pepper Delight recipes. Happy Birthday to you Apoorv!!
I baked this one pan Chocolate Cake for his birthday, which happens to also be one of the most requested recipes from my friends and followers. The cake is coated with a Chocolate Frosting and I topped it with slivered almonds for some crunchiness. And to finish it off, a drizzle of the delicious Dulce De Leche…!!
Dulce de leche is a popular Latin dessert which originated in Argentina and is made by caramelizing milk and sugar through a slow cooking process. It is amber colored, thick and a rich sauce similar in taste and consistency to that of caramel. If you like caramel, then you are definitely gonna love Dulce de leche, it’s a sauce to die for!
You can top it on cakes, cookies, toasts, or even in ice creams. Its preparation is a time consuming process but is surely worth it, you can make it at home or buy readymade from stores.
There are several ways to cook dulce de leche at home. The most common one is the stove top method, but oven cooking is also preferred. After doing some research I did understand that there are risks associated with stove top, especially if you are cooking unopened cans. As this is my first attempt I didn’t want to take any chances and so I chose the safest option which is the oven method. And I am happy that it turned out well.
The cake altogether is the right balance of flavours; the chocolaty from the cake, sweetness of the frosting, smoky caramelized dulce… it’s a Chocolate Lover’s Delight!
Enjoy, Happy Baking!!!
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- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup oil
- ½ cup milk (at room temperature)
- ½ cup boiling water
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk (or more)
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- Slivered almonds
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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Line a 9 inch round baking pan with parchment paper, apply butter to the pan and set aside.
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In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients by sifting flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar, beat until combined.
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Beat in the egg, followed by adding vanilla extract and oil.
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Add the dry ingredients alternating with milk and beat until they combine well.
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Pour the boiling water; beat on low speed for few seconds until it is mixed well.
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Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-37 mins until a toothpick or a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy.
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Add cocoa powder, powdered sugar and vanilla extract; beat until it turns out smooth.
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Add milk as needed for desired consistency. Make sure your frosting is not runny or too thick, it should be spreadable.
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If the frosting seems loose, refrigerate it for some time to thicken.
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Preheat oven to 425 degree F.
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Pour condensed milk into a baking pan. Cover it tightly with foil.
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Pick a roasting pan big enough to water bath the baking pan, and place the baking pan in it. Pour hot water into the roasting pan till it reaches halfway up the baking pan.
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Carefully place the roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for a total of 1½ hrs. Check every 30 minutes to ensure there is enough water in the roasting pan and add more water if necessary. Bake until the milk thickens and gets a deep caramel color.
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Once cooked and removed from the oven, whisk continuously to smoothen and remove any lumps from the sauce. It will start to thicken as it cools down.
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To store, pour it into a closed container and keep refrigerated.
• Grease your pan properly to avoid any cracks or holes in your cake. This helps the cake to slide through the sides of the pan easily.
• Make sure to use butter, eggs and milk which should be brought at room temperature.
• Do not open oven in the middle of baking time. This allows bringing cool air inside oven which eventually affects baking process.
• While cooking the condensed milk, you may vary the cook time depending on how caramelized you want your sauce to be. Usually it takes 1½ hours to get a light brown color. I baked it for an extra 30 minutes to get a darker color.
• To reuse refrigerated/stored Dulce de leche, microwave it to loosen the sauce.