What do you say to Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Cake? Well, this sounds just dreamy and delicious, doesn’t it? The base is a vanilla cake and you have three fluffy cake layers here. In between you”ll find lots of dulce de leche, toasted peanuts and creamy peanut butter frosting.
This cake has so much going on flavor-wise: it’s sweet, but also salty, buttery with a nice hint of vanilla and a slight roasted flavor coming from the peanuts. The texture is a blast too: a fluffy cake base, crunchy peanuts, creamy dulce de leche and peanut butter frosting…absolutely divine!
Besides, this cake is a real showstopper. Great for so many different occasions and for true dulce de leche and peanut butter fans, a must try! Yes, making this cake takes a bit of effort and time, but that effort is totally worth it.
Tools & Equipment
- 2 strips of acetate 50cm / 20-inch
- Cake ring 15 cm / 6-inch
- Curved spoon
- Large baking sheet
- Liquid measuring cup
- Medium bowl
- Parchment paper
- Quarter baking sheet
- Silicone spatula
- Stand mixer, fitted with paddle and whisk attachment
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Plan Ahead: the dulce de leche and the cake need to cool completely before you can use them in this recipe. Wrap the cake in plastic and store in the fridge until ready to use. Let the can of dulce de leche cool completely at room temperature. I like to prepare both 1 day in advance.
Cake Flour: if you can’t get your hands on cake flour, you can easily make it at home. Combine all-purpose flour (550) and cornstarch in a ratio of 87% flour and 13% cornstarch. Sift into a bowl and repeat the process twice.
Frosting: you can prepare the frosting the day before and store it in the fridge until ready to use. Loosen it up before using. Therefore place the frosting in a mixer and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes. I prefer to make the frosting right before assembling the cake because it’s done in no time.
Dulce de Leche: you can use store-bought dulce de leche or check out my recipe here. Making your own dulce de leche is very easy, but a bit time consuming.
Ingredients for Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Cake
Step by Step Guide – How to Make Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Cake
Make the toasted Peanuts
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the peanuts on the parchment and bake for 15-20 minutes until the peanuts are lightly golden. Let cool on a wire rack.
Make the Vanilla Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line a quarter baking sheet with parchment. Mix butter and both sugars and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, for about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 1 minute on medium-high after each addition. Then beat on high, for about 4 minutes.
Whisk together buttermilk, oil and vanilla. With the mixer running on medium speed add the mixture slowly into the batter. This should take about 3 minutes. Increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes until white and twice the size of the initial mixture.
Combine cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients while the mixer is running on very low speed. Mix for 45-60 seconds until the batter comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for 45 seconds on low. Spread the batter into the prepared sheet pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. Gently tap the edge of the cake after 30 minutes of baking. The cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer jiggle. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Make the Peanut Butter Frosting
Sift the powdered sugar. Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, for about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, for about 2 minutes.
Add the peanut butter and vanilla and beat on medium-high until combined, for about 2 minutes. Pour in the powdered sugar and beat on low until the sugar is incorporated, then increase to high and beat until the mixture is very light and fluffy, for about 1 minute.
Assemble the Cake
Put a piece of parchment on your work surface and invert the cake onto the parchment. Peel the parchment off the bottom of the cake. Use the cake ring to cut out 2 circles from the cake. Use the remaining cake, assemble it to make the bottom cake layer.
Clean the cake ring and place it in the center of a quarter baking sheet, lined with parchment. Use the first strip of acetate to line the inside of the cake ring. Place the cake scraps inside the ring and press together with the back of your hand to form an even layer.
Pour half of the milk onto the cake layer. Use the back of the spoon to spread half of the dulce de leche on top of the cake. Spread 1/3 of the roasted peanuts on the dulce de leche layer and press them lightly into the dulce de leche. With the back of a spoon, spread 1/3 of the peanut butter frosting over the nuts as evenly as possible.
Insert the 2nd acetate strip carefully between the cake ring and the top of the first acetate strip. Place 1 cake round on top of the frosting and repeat layering (milk, dulce de leche, peanuts and peanut butter frosting). Place the remaining cake round on top, spread the rest of the frosting over the cake and decorate as desired.
Transfer the baking sheet to the fridge or freezer and chill for at least 12 hours to allow the cake and filling to set. Release the cake from the cake ring. Carefully remove the acetate strips and place the cake on a plate.
Storage: keep the assembled cake, wrapped in plastic, in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze the cake for up to 1 month. Let it thaw in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
You can store the cake base, wrapped in plastic, int the fridge for up to 5 days. You can keep the frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
My Summary for Dulce de Leche Peanut Butter Cake
Difficulty: intermediate-advanced
Taste: the cake is sweet, salty and buttery, with a beautiful caramel and peanut flavor. You can also taste a hint of vanilla.
Texture: 3 fluffy cake layers and in between you have dulce de leche, toasted crunchy peanuts and a creamy peanut butter frosting.
TIME: making this cake is a bit more time consuming, so plan ahead. There are a few steps involved before you can assemble the cake. Making dulce de leche takes about 3 hours. The cans need to cool completely before you can open them. It takes about 1 hour to make the cake base, including baking. You should plan on about 30 minutes for toasting the peanuts and making the frosting. Finally, assembling the cake takes also about 30 minutes.
More Recipes
- Burnt Sugar Cake
- Caramel Banana Cream Pie
- Caramel Vanilla Cake Bars
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- Dulce de Leche Layer Cake
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