This Dulce de Leche Apple Cake is layered with an apple and dulce de leche mixture, baked in the middle of the cake. Topped with a delicious dulce de leche glaze.
There are several ways to make Dulce de Leche, I will show you how to make it in the oven.
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Open the Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk and pour the milk in an oven proof pan and cover with foil. Place this pan in a larger pan, and fill the larger pan with water to form a water bath. Bake for about 3 hours. Baking time will vary depending on how much condensed milk you are baking at a time. As you bake, stir every 45 minutes or so, making sure the water from the bottom pan isn’t evaporating. If it evaporates, replace with more water so the dulce de leche doesn’t scorch on the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven when the dulce de leche is thick, the color is a deep caramel shade. The dulce de leche will get even thicker as it cools down once you let it rest in the fridge for a few hours before using it.
Apples
Combine the chopped apples with the dulce de leche, the cinnamon, mix well to coat the apples. Set aside.
Cake
Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
Spread butter all over a 10 to 12-cup bundt pan. Then sprinkle with flour to coat. Make sure each crevice of the bundt pan is coated in butter and flour.
Sift together the flour, the cornstarch, the baking powder, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the salt. Set aside.
Place the oil, the eggs, and the sugar in a bowl.
Whisk for one minute until very well incorporated.
Add the sour cream and vanilla and whisk well.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the bowl in 3 additions, to ensure the batter isn’t lumpy.
Mix very little, just enough to incorporate the flour each time.
Once the mixture is smooth, stop mixing.
Pour 1/3 of the batter on the bottom of the bundt pan.
Spread half of dulce de leche coated apples on top, right in the middle of the batter, without touching the edges, so the apples and dulce de leche don’t leak out.
Top with another 1/3 of the batter.
Repeat with the remaining dulce de leche coated apples.
Then top with the remaining batter.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes.
At this point place a piece of foil on top, so the cake doesn’t brown too much.
Continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven.
Let the cake sit in the bundt pan for 10 minutes.
Flip it over onto a plate or cooling rack.
Let the cake cool completely.
Glaze
Place the dulce de leche and milk together in a bowl. Microwave for about 15 seconds, and whisk to incorporate.
Sift the powdered sugar and add it to the milk/dulce de leche mixture and whisk until smooth.
The glaze shouldn’t be too thick, and shouldn’t be too thin. It should have a pouring consistency, so that when you pour it over the cake it drips down to the side, without melting all over the place.
Test by spooning a drop of the glaze on the side of the cake. If it starts to drip and stops at about halfway down the side of the cake, the glaze is good to go, you can pour it.
If the glaze isn’t dripping at all, it needs to be thinner, so add about 1/2 tsp of milk at a time, and whisk until you achieve the perfect consistency. It should be a minimal addition of milk at a time, a little goes a long way.
And if the glaze is too thin, and runny, add more powdered sugar and whisk. Continue to add powdered sugar until the glaze is thick enough.
Storage
Store the cake in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days. The cake will dry out if you don’t cover it.
Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Dulce de Leche: you can find more ways of making Dulce de Leche here. Or you can use store-bought. You will need about 1 1/3 cups of dulce de leche for the whole recipe. If the dulce de leche becomes lumpy (which happens in the oven method, you can place it in a food processor once it comes to room temperature and process until smooth).Oil: you can use canola oil, vegetable oil, or even avocado or grapeseed oil.Apples: I used Macintosh apples, use your favorite apple, as they will all work with this lovely recipe.Glaze: the amount of powdered sugar and milk you will need for the glaze will depend on how thick or thin the dulce de leche is. If using store-bought dulce de leche, several brands can be very different in consistency and texture. Adjust by adding more powdered sugar if the glaze is too thin, and adding more milk if the glaze is too thick.Sour cream: if you are out of sour cream, feel free to use milk or heavy cream instead.