The Broke Baker

Category: Cakes

Dulce de Leche Bundt Cake
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I never understood the allure of Costco until I borrowed a membership card from a coworker to help out a friend. My presence there was merely as an escort, but I wound up leaving $60 poorer from just arbitrarily throwing things in my cart that looked good and was priced significantly lower than I could get it in regular stores.

That is how I wound up with a giant jar of dulce de leche. I even mulled over my decision to purchase for a while before I finally went ahead and left it in my shopping cart. The last time that I waited too long to finish a jar of dulce de leche, it dried out and got crusty. Was I really going to be able to use all of it in time? It really kills me to waste food, and I have a few friends that would probably never forgive me if I let perfectly good dulce de leche go to waste.

Enter this dulce de leche bundt cake. I honestly don’t even remember what I was looking for when I came across this cake. I probably Googled “recipes that use dulce de leche” or something along those lines. Before I knew it, I had made this cake 3 times and was asking for someone with a Costco card to pick up another jar of dulce de leche for me. Despite being a dulce de leche-centric cake, it’s not overwhelmingly sweet. The small pocket of dulce de leche is supposed to be closer to the middle of the cake, but it doesn’t matter. It is still a great cake and is not terribly difficult to make. Using all brown sugar adds to the cake’s a subtle caramel flavor.

First, you want to sift your dry ingredients and set them aside.

Next, you make the batter. Cream your butter and brown sugar together, then add some of the dulce de leche. Once the dulce de leche is sufficiently combined, beat in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla extract. Blend in the flour alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour.

Pour about 3/4 of the mixture into a well-greased bundt pan. Gently add the remaining dulce de leche into the center of the batter, then pour the remaining batter into the pan. After that, into the oven it goes!

About an hour later, you’ve got a beautiful bundt cake.

With a surprise little pocket of dulce de leche inside!

Since it’s a bundt cake, it’s great for potlucks and similar events. I bet it would be great with ice cream, but it never lasts long enough for me to find out. Give this cake a try!

Dulce de Leche Bundt Cake

(Adapted from Ambrosia)

Ingredients
- 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups dulce de leche, divided
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, into a bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a standard electric mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar, and cream until light and fluffy. Once creamed , add 1 cup of dulce de leche. Mix well, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with each addition. Add in the vanilla extract.

With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients mixture. Beat until just combined. Do not overbeat!

Add about 3/4 of the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Add the remaining 1/2-3/4 cup dulce de leche in a ring around the center of the pan. Evenly distribute the remaining cake batter in the pan, and gently smooth out the top with a spatula. Don’t press down or tap the pan against the counter to keep your filling from sinking too much.

Bake in the center rack of the oven at 350° for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then remove from pan and allow dulce de leche bundt cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
September 16, 2016
Mango Madness in July – Part 3 (2016 Chapter)

Another year, another Mango Season in South Florida. This is now my third Mango Madness post, as I did this in 2014 and 2015 with great success. But for those of you just tuning in, I will fill you in. During Mango Season, I find myself getting a large quantity of mangoes that I don’t always know what to do with. I mean, mangoes are great to eat just as-is, but there are only so many you can have. Plus, it doesn’t take long for them to go from “just right” to overripe, after which the only thing you can really do is puree it and use it somehow. That was the start of Mango Madness.

As each year goes by, it gets harder for me to think of things to do with mango that I haven’t done the previous year. I spent most of May and June fretting about whether Mango Madness would be as good as previous years, as my brain reserves were running low. But, thanks to Google, feedback from friends and family, and random “Eureka!” moments, I have managed to make the 2016 chapter of Mango Madness just as prolific as the last two!

So, what are some new things that I made with mango this year? Check it out!

Mango Lassi is a accompaniment to spicy food, or just a healthy pick-me-up at any time of the day. Plus, since it’s basically just a mango and yogurt smoothie, it’s super easy to make. Just blend equal parts mango puree and plain yogurt together, then sweeten to taste with honey. I like to bottle it to take to work.

Take the classic Strawberry Cream Cake and make it a Mango Cream Cake! Just replace the strawberries with chopped mango and add a little bit of mango puree to the whipped cream.

Mango Pastelitos already have a dedicated blog post here, and they’re worth trying out!

Mango pastry cream is delicious on its own, but also has many uses. Plus, it’s also a good way to use up a large amount of milk that you may be looking to find a use for. I used this recipe as a guide, but made a few changes. I used fresh mango pulp instead of canned, omitted the cardamom and saffron, and used vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean paste. I also went light on the vanilla so that it didn’t overpower the mango flavor.

With all of that mango pastry cream lying around, I had the idea to make little mango tarts. But, being too lazy to make tart shells, I went ahead and filled store-bought phyllo cups with the cream, and then topped each “tart” with a fresh raspberry. Simple AND delicious.

Mango mousse is delicious, refreshing, and only uses four ingredients. Whip 3/4 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add 1 tbsp piping gel, then continue to whip until stuff peaks form. Fold in 3/4 cup mango puree and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, pour into serving cups, and refrigerate until set. Yummy!

Mango Ice Cream Cake! The name should say it all, but I will elaborate. It’s a batch of mango ice cream sitting on top of a blondie. Top with some fresh raspberry sauce, and you’ve got a winning dessert that can be made in advance!

Mango macaron ice cream sandwiches! Using BraveTart’s macaron recipe, I made mango macaron shells by adding 3/4 oz of freeze dried mango to the macaron batter. Make some mango ice cream (my favorite recipe is this one) and freeze it in a 13″ x 9″ pan. Once frozen, cut circles of ice cream about the size of your macaron shells, and sandwich one round of ice cream between two macaron shells.

Replace the peaches in your favorite peach cobbler recipe (I used this one) with mango, and you’ve got yourself a mango cobbler! Since mango is incredibly sweet, I also reduce the sugar in the fruit filling by half.

I love Mango Madness because it really challenges me to be creative and think outside of the box sometimes. Sometimes, it’s even like a race to see how many things I can make before the mangoes go bad. There are things that I would never have thought to make before that I now wonder how I did without. But, the stakes are raised for next year. Will I be able to conjure up some new, mango-centric recipes for next year’s Mango Madness? I guess I had better start brainstorming now!

A big thank you to everyone that supplied me with mangoes this year. As you can see, they were put to good use. Until next year!

July 24, 2016
Mango Tres Leches
Traditionally, a tres leches cake is a sponge cake that is soaked with a syrup made of three types of milk and then topped with either whipped cream or meringue. I “mango-fied” the recipe by replacing some of the milk with mango juice, adding mango puree to the topping, and then topping it with some fresh mango chunks.

This recipe is a bit of an impromptu recipe post. My boss is in town this entire week and had requested a belated birthday cake. Although she originally had a specific cake in mind, I convinced her to allow me to make something with mango, as I have been getting a generous supply of mangoes this season from my usual sources. After remembering that she loves tres leches, I decided to try making a mango tres leches again this year. If you may recall, it was featured in last year’s Mango Madness post, but there were a few issues with that recipe that I hoped to work through this time around. Thankfully, I think I got the kinks worked out for this version of the mango tres leches, as it was so well-received at the office that I got a few requests for the recipe. So, here it is. Since I didn’t anticipate actually posting this to the blog, I didn’t take pictures of the step-by-step process as I normally do. Hopefully, the directions are clear enough.

Mango Tres Leches

Ingredients

For the Cake
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Milk Syrup
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 cup mango juice (or mango nectar)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can evaporated milk
For the Mango Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
- 2 1/2 tbsp piping gel
- 1/3 cup mango puree
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups chopped mango
Directions

Make the cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 13” x 9” rectangular baking pan

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and increase the speed.

While the eggs are beating, sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, and then add the yolks one by one. Add the vanilla extract.

Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Pour into prepared baking pan

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Combine all of the ingredients for the milk syrup in a blender. Slowly pour mixture over the hot cake, pausing as needed to allow the cake to absorb the liquid. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Make the Mango Whipped Cream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Add the piping gel and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla extract.

Gently fold in the mango puree until no streaks remain, then spread evenly over the top of the cooled cake. Top with mango chunks.

Refrigerate until ready to serve, preferably overnight.

Makes about 24 servings
July 18, 2016
Snickers Cheesecake Cake
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I honestly don’t think that I need to say anything about this cake. The name says it all. But, I’ll say something anyway. You take three things that make the world a better place (chocolate cake, cheesecake, and Snickers bars), put them together, and create magic. This cake is one of a few of the “cheesecake cake” cakes that I have made, and I am sure that it won’t be the last.

I found this recipe for Snickers cheesecake cake when I was looking for things to do with the bags of Halloween candy that I had amassed during the post-holiday clearance sales. I have made it twice since then, and both times it got rave reviews. I did have to tweak the recipe a bit, but I almost always do that anyway.

Start by making your cheesecake. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until it’s smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the sour cream. Add the vanilla extract, then fold in the chopped Snickers pieces. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake until almost set. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then chill. You will want to do this at least a few hours in advance, but preferably a day before. Cheesecake actually freezes very well, so you could even make it a week in advance and freeze it. The more firm the cheesecake is, the easier it will be to handle when assembling your cake.

Bake two chocolate cake layers in pans of the same size as the cheesecake. Let them cool completely, then place one layer on a cake tray or serving dish. Spread a thin layer of chocolate ganache over it, and then place the cheesecake layer on top. Spread some ganache over the cheesecake and then place the second cake layer over it. Pour the remaining chocolate ganache over the cake, letting it run over the sides.

One of the things that sets this cake apart is the Snickers frosting. It’s made by melting Snickers and butter together, and then adding this melted Snickers mixture into powdered sugar with a little bit of milk. This is where I made the biggest change to the original recipe, I think. Following the Snickers frosting recipe exactly gave me a cake that looked like this…

The frosting was just a runny mess. Refrigeration didn’t help much, and neither did the whipped cream that I tried to use to hide the unsightliness of the cake. However, halving the Snickers frosting recipe, and reducing the amount of milk added, let to my second attempt looking like THIS…

What a difference, right?!!

This Snickers cheesecake cake is definitely a lot of work to make, but the end-result is a piece of heaven in every bite. I suggest trying to make it at least once. You won’t be disappointed.

Snickers Cheesecake Cake

(adapted from recipe on IAmBaker.net)

Ingredients

For the Cake
- 1 recipe for 2-layer chocolate cake (recommended recipe here)
For the Cheesecake
- 2 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups chopped Snickers pieces (about 16 Fun Size bars)
For the Ganache
- 4.5oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tbsp coffee liqueur (optional)
For the Snickers Frosting
- 5 Fun Size Snickers bars
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Directions

Make the cheesecake

Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Grease your round baking pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and sour cream, then fold in the chopped Snickers. Pour into the prepared baking pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center is set. Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Make the cake

Bake your chocolate cake according to recipe indications, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the Ganache

Place the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it is just about to boil. Pour the heated cream over the chopped chocolate, then gently stir until all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the coffee liqueur, if using.

Make the Snickers Frosting

Sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. In small saucepan, melt the Snickers and butter over low heat, stirring often. Pour the melted Snickers mixture over the powdered sugar, then stir until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 tbsp of milk and stir. If your frosting is still too thick, add the second tbsp of milk.

Assembly

Place one chocolate cake layer on a cake board or cake platter. Spread a thin layer of chocolate ganache over the top of the cake, then remove the Snickers cheesecake from the milk and place it on top. Spread another thin layer of chocolate ganache over the cheesecake layer, then quickly place the second chocolate cake layer on top (if you don’t work quickly, the ganache might harden before you can place the cake on top, and then the layers won’t stick together as well). Pour the remaining ganache over the top of the cake, allowing it to run over the sides, and then pour the Snickers frosting over that. Garnish with whipped cream and additional Snickers pieces, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve, preferably overnight.
June 6, 2016
Snickers Brownie Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake
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One day, about a year or two ago, a recipe for a Snickers Brownie Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake showed up on my news feed. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I made a mental note to try making it someday. Then, I forgot about it until I happened to get my hands on a bunch of Halloween candy (you remember that, don’t you?) and was looking for things to make with it. Snickers, brownie, and ice cream…what could possibly be wrong with that!? After making this Snickers ice cream cake once, it quickly became one of my most requested desserts. I’ve made it several times since then, and finally decided to share the recipe.

Now, we all know that I can never leave a recipe well enough alone. It’s not that this Snickers ice cream cake recipe isn’t probably great on its own, but there’s always a way to tweak it to suit my style. For one, while the layers look nice, I just don’t have the patience to go through all of that. Since I only have one springform pan, that would make the process take longer. Secondly, the “ice cream” used in the recipe isn’t true ice cream. I decided that this recipe deserved some peanut butter ice cream made from scratch.

The first thing you should do is make the custard for the ice cream. Heat the cream, milk, sugar, and peanut butter until the peanut butter is melted and the mixture starts to simmer. Whisk some egg yolks, and then temper the egg yolks by gradually adding hot liquid to the egg yolks. Once you’ve added about 1/3 of it into the yolks, pour the yolk mixture into the rest of the liquid in the pot and return to the heat. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the mixture into a bowl, and then pour the strained mixture into a bowl with the rest of the cream. Add vanilla extract, then cover and refrigerate. It’s going to need time to chill, so make sure you give yourself enough time. You can also let it refrigerate overnight.

To expedite the chilling time, I usually place the bowl of custard in an ice bath. With this method, the custard is usually sufficiently chilled in about 2 hours.

A half batch of brownie batter makes the proper thickness of brownie for a 9″ round springform pan. Let the brownie layer cool completely, then put it in the freezer until it’s ready to use.

Get your Snickers chopped and ready to go while you wait. Try not to eat all of it before you can assemble your cake.

Pour the chilled peanut butter custard into an ice cream maker and churn. Mine is usually done in 15-20 minutes.

When the ice cream is done, sprinkle some Snickers pieces over the brownie layer, then spread the ice cream over the it. Sometimes, I also drizzle some caramel sauce over this layer. Top with the remaining Snickers pieces, and gently press them down into the ice cream. Freeze for about an hour, and then cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Depending on how well your freezer works, you might need to run a hot knife around the edge of the cake to get it out of the pan.

Drizzle each piece with caramel sauce sauce and hot fudge sauce, then let the compliments roll in.

You can also make the cake in a 13 x 9 pan using 3/4 batch of brownie batter. The ice cream layer will be slightly thinner, but still adequate.

Honestly, can you really say no to this?

Since this is a frozen cake, it’s a great make-ahead dessert for a group.

Snickers Brownie Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

(Adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

For the Ice Cream (adapted from recipe from Brown Eyed Baker)
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- Pinch of salt
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Brownie (adapted from recipe from Allrecipes.com)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, with about 1 tbsp of flour removed
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional ingredients
- 1 11.5 ounce package Snickers miniatures, unwrapped and chopped
- caramel sauce
- hot fudge sauce
Directions

Make the ice cream custard

Warm the milk, sugar, peanut butter, 1 cup of the heavy cream and the salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter has melted. Continue cooking until the mixture comes to a slight simmer, bubbling around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Once you have incorporated about 1/3 of the milk mixture, pour it back into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture.

Place the saucepan back over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, a few minutes.

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl, and then stir it into the cream. Stir in the vanilla extract, cover, and transfer the custard to the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.

Make the brownie

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9″ springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the butter and sugar until combined. Add the cocoa powder and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition. Stir in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Stir in the vanilla.

Pour into prepared springform pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center only has a few fudgy crumbs. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then freeze in the pan until ready to use.

Assembly

Freeze the chilled peanut butter custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Sprinkle about 1/3 of the Snickers pieces over the brownie. You can also pour some caramel sauce over them, but this is optional.

When the ice cream is ready, spoon it over the brownie and Snickers, spreading it evenly. Spinkle with the remaining Snickers pieces, gently pressing them down into the ice cream. Refrigerate for about an hour, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

To serve, remove Snickers ice cream cake from the springform pan and cut into slices with a knife run through hot water. Drizzle each slice with caramel and hot fudge sauce.
March 1, 2016
Red Velvet Rum Cake

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Every now and then, my boss flies into town and pays her subordinates a visit. During her most recent visit, one of my colleagues and I were dealing with an ongoing project, and she was feeling fairly overwhelmed. As a joke, she asked our boss to approve the shipment of a cake just for her (she works out in California) to boost her morale. Unbeknownst to her, my boss thought that this was a good idea, and asked me to make one to ship to her.

Drinking on the job is, for obvious reasons, frowned upon. But, there’s nothing stopping us from sending the booze in the form of a cake. But, my boss reminds me that my colleague’s favorite cake is red velvet. Yes, but red velvet cake needs the cream cheese icing, which would never survive a trip without professional food packaging. A rum cake is much more likely to make it to its destination with little to no deterioration in quality, because of the alcohol content helping to keep it fresh. My boss ponders a bit, then asks “Well, could you make a red velvet rum cake?”

Why didn’t I think of that sooner? (more…)

December 2, 2015
Reese’s Cake

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Let’s face it – it was only a matter of time before it happened. The candy bar bug has bit me again. After the success of my two previous candy bar cakes (Kit Kat Cake and Twix Cake, anyone?), I just KNEW that I had to keep the streak going. Since I’ve been visiting family in Houston, and my chocolate peanut butter chip cookies were such a hit with them during my last visit, making a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup inspired cake seemed like an obvious choice. Plus, when you have a state-of-the-art kitchen at your disposal, it’s a great excuse to be ambitious. While, I am not the biggest fan of peanut butter, even I have to acknowledge that something magical happens when chocolate and peanut butter combine. So, I went to work on making Reese’s cake.

I went through a few ideas in my head for how to go about making this cake. After all, one must find the perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter, if you don’t want to be overwhelmed. I finally decided on making a chocolate cake with peanut butter cheesecake in the middle. And, because this is a Reese’s cake, I added some chopped peanut butter cups in the cheesecake batter. (more…)

November 30, 2014
Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes

It’s that time of the year when pumpkin treats pop up everywhere. And, since my job recently hosted a craft fair, I thought it would be nice to feature an item that was pumpkin-flavored. So, I made mini pumpkin bundt cakes.

You can easily scale this recipe up and make one, large bundt cake. However, mini bundt cakes are great for sharing. They have built-in portion control, too. Just make sure your mini bundt pan is well-greased. Otherwise, you will have a hard time getting the little cakes out of the pan in one piece. Trust me on that one.

You can ice or glaze the cakes with anything you’d like, or leave them as-is. I glazed these with chocolate ganache. I think the bittersweet chocolate makes a good contrast with the sweetness of the pumpkin cake.

(more…)

October 20, 2014
Twix Cake

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So, a good friend of mine broke her foot the other day. To cheer her up, I offered to make her any type of cake she wanted. She initially asked for a Kit Kat cake. But, some subliminal messaging from another friend, as well as an earlier suggestion from one of my coworkers, made her decide instead on a Twix cake.

It was a challenge to try to capture the essence of a Twix bar – shortbread and caramel covered in chocolate – in the form of a cake. Somehow, the chocolate mousse center that I had used for the Kit Kat cake just didn’t seem like it would go as well with Twix. I toyed around with a few ideas, including making a giant shortbread cookie to be the center layer of the cake. I finally settled on the center being a later of chopped Twix bars and caramel. (more…)

August 25, 2014
Kit Kat Cake

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I have a serious problem. I obsess over things. All it takes is for the small seed of an idea to be planted, and the idea grows at an exponential rate and grabs hold of my brain. Then, it won’t let go. It’s this tendency to obsess that will lead me to do things like read a big book or watch an anime series in its entirety in a day or two, or go through dozens of web pages for “research” purposes when there’s a recipe or dish that catches my interest.

This is exactly what happened about a month ago, when a coworker asked me if I could make a cake with Kit Kats (her favorite candy bar). Well, several hours (okay, maybe DAYS) and hoards of web pages later, my mind was made up. The seed was officially planted. Challenge accepted. (more…)

August 18, 2014