Tag Archives: dulce de leche

Tres Leches Cupcakes

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Ruthanne

If you’ve ever had tres leches cake, you already know you will love these little cupcakes! Soaked in a vanilla cream sauce, the dense cupcake is a not-too sweet base for delicious dulce de leche caramel and whipped cream. Add a little fruit and you have perfection!

Ever since the stay-at-home rules have been in place, we are looking for anything (even little things) to celebrate. So Cinco de Mayo was a fiesta- complete with these little cupcakes. I made this recipe as a cake several years ago, but my husband had never tried it, so this was his 1st time trying these, and he declared them his favorite cupcakes I’d ever made.

So… there’s that endorsement for this recipe… 🙂

These are not too fussy to make, they keep for over a week in the fridge. I made half of this recipe, or 12 cupcakes, and it still took us the whole week to eat them all! Is anyone else sad that they can’t bring extra blog baked goods in to work or over to the neighbors?!?! Slowing packing on my quarantine 15…

Here is how to make these sweet treats: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS

Cupcake

9 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour

Vanilla Sauce:

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Topping/filling

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
fresh fruit for garnish
1 (13.4 oz) can of La Lechera Dulce de Leche (or make your own here)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees and place 24 cupcake liners into baking tins.
Divide eggs into 2 bowls. Put the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a medium bowl.
Beat the egg whites on medium-high until they form soft peaks. Add sugar and beat on high until they form stiff peaks (this will take 4-5 minutes, depending on your mixer).
Beat the egg yolks on high for 5 to 6 minutes until they increase in volume and turn a creamy yellow.
Beat the vanilla into the egg yolks until combined.
Add the yolks to the whites and use a spatula or large spoon to gently fold them together.
Add flour and gently mix until completely combined.
Divide batter evenly between the 24 cupcake liners and bake for 15-20 minutes. The tops should be golden and when a toothpick is inserted in the center, it should come out clean.
Remove from tin and cool completely on counter.
Make sauce by combining the 3 milks (condensed, evaporated and cream) together with the vanilla.
Poke (lots!) of holes in the top of each cupcake with a toothpick and use a pastry brush to spread vanilla cream over the top of each cupcake- letting it soak into the cake. I did this twice to use up the sauce and make my cupcakes super soaked and moist.
Spread dulce de leche caramel over the top of each cupcake- spreading all the way to the edges.
Make frosting by beating together the whipping cream and powdered sugar, until stiff peaks form.
Pipe frosting on tops of cupcakes, and serve with fresh fruit. Refrigerate until serving, and store chilled.

My thoughts: If you like a cupcake that isn’t overly sweet, you’ll love this. The firm cake soaks up all that cream, and the dulce de leche caramel soaks into the top as these sit- so yummy! You don’t have to wait until the next Cinco de May to try them either- this is such a refreshing summer dessert! I hope you get a chance to try it!!! Enjoy ~r

Other fun and refreshing desserts for summer:

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged cake, cinco de mayo cake, cinco de mayo recipe, cupcake, dulce de leche, mexican cake, party cake, Tres Leches, tres leches cake. Bookmark the permalink.

Caramel Shortbread Bars

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Ruthanne

I was introduced to the buttery flaky happiness of shortbread cookies last fall, and I promised myself that I would return to them in a new recipe. Instead of baking them in cookie form, I baked these in a pan and then covered them with dulce de leche caramel and a chocolate glaze. They are AMAZINGLY good. Really. That good. Look at the pictures…. they are THAT GOOD.

You can make your own dulce de leche using a can of sweetened condensed milk (here’s my recipe for that)- or you can just buy a couple cans of it. I always find it in the Hispanic food section of my local grocery (they have it at WalMart there too). I bought cans for this creation- easy and sooooooo yummy.

Here’s how we made these! (printable recipe here)

INGREDIENTS:

Cookie base:

1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoons baking powder

Toppings:

2 cans (13.4 oz. each) of dulce de leche I used La Lechera by Nestle
1 cup of dark chocolate chips
6 Tablespoons of butter

DIRECTIONS:

Place 1 cup of unsalted butter and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl and using a mixer, beat until light and fluffy (think buttercream frosting…!)
Add vanilla and mix until well combined.
Add flour and baking powder to butter/sugar mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated well (don’t over-beat this).
Press into a standard 9×13″ cake pan that’s been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake at 350F degrees for 12-15 minutes until slightly browned on top and firm at center.
Cool completely.
Pour cans of caramel over the top and smooth.
Melt chocolate chips with 6 Tablespoons of butter. Stir to mix well and pour over top of caramel layer. Smooth top.
Before top hardens, if desired, drizzle with white chocolate and pull lines back and forth with a toothpick to make design shown.
Chill for at least an hour before cutting.
Enjoy!!

My thoughts: YUM!!! I love shortbread, I love caramel, and I love chocolate! These are fabulous cookie bars! 🙂 Be sure to use dark chocolate chips to keep the “sweet” factor down. If you want just a touch of caramel, use one can of La Lechera instead of two. I wanted a big layer of caramel in my cookies- but you might want more cookie and less topping. I hope you get a chance to try these!!! ~Enjoy!!!

Other caramel deliciousness here: (click on a photo to see the recipe)

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Posted in Bar cookies and tagged best cookie bars, caramel, caramel cookie bars, caramel shortbread, chocolate shortbread, cookie bars, dessert, dulce de leche, shortbread, shortbread bars, shortbread cookies. Bookmark the permalink.

Tres Leches Layer Cake

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Ruthanne

This traditional sponge cake is soaked in a vanilla 3-milk sauce and layered with dulce de leche. Topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit, it is a light and refreshing dessert.

It’s nearly Cinco de Mayo time! I first tried Tres Leches cake in Mexico. I had taken a group from our church down to a tiny village in Sinaloa. We had spent the week building, painting, doing electrical work and laying cement. It was my birthday while I was there, and some of the ladies from the church made me a HUGE tres leches cake. It was DELICIOUS! When I asked for the recipe, they all looked at me funny and said- it’s tres leches cake..? (like everyone knows how to make that!!!)

Since then, I’ve tried this cake at other places in Mexico and in the states. I’ve noticed that there are two kinds: The firm, sweet and moist kind, and the dripping with milk kind. I really don’t like the dripping with milk kind…that consistency is really gross to me- and cake should never be gross!

I researched lots of recipes, and discovered that there are two varieties: a butter based sponge cake and an egg based sponge cake. The egg based one is the one I liked. It soaks up all that yummy sauce and stays firm, while the other just sits in a puddle of sauce…YUCK!

All of that said, this is an egg based recipe that I found on a lovely blog called Pati’s Mexican Table. My research paid off- this was a FABULOUS cake! Here’s the recipe: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS

Cake

9 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour

Vanilla Sauce:

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk (I used La Lechera brand)
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Topping/filling

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
fresh fruit for garnish
1 (13.4 oz) can of La Lechera Dulce de Leche (or make your own here)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 360F degrees and spray two 8 or 9 inch cake pans with non-stick spray. Cut a circle out of parchment paper to place in the bottom of each pan to help these cakes come out of the pan cleanly.
Divide eggs into 2 bowls. Put the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a medium bowl.
Beat the egg whites on medium-high until they form soft peaks. Add sugar and beat on high until they form stiff peaks (this will take 4-5 minutes, depending on your mixer).
Beat the egg yolks on high for 5 to 6 minutes until they increase in volume and turn a creamy yellow.
Beat the vanilla into the egg yolks until combined.
Add the yolks to the whites and use a spatula or large spoon to gently fold them together.
Add flour and gently mix until completely combined.
Divide batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. The tops should be golden and when a toothpick is inserted in the center, it should come out clean.
Cool completely, run a small knife around the edges and tip cakes over on a plate. Remove parchment paper.
Make sauce by combining the 3 milks (condensed, evaporated and cream) together with the vanilla.
Poke (lots!) of holes in the top of each cake with a fork and carefully pour sauce over the top, dividing it evenly between the 2 cakes.
Place one cake on a serving plate, spread dulce de leche caramel over the top, stack second cake on top.
Make frosting by beating together the whipping cream and powdered sugar, until stiff peaks form.
Frost cake and serve with fresh fruit. Refrigerate until serving.

My thoughts: I was so pleased with how yummy this cake was. The sponge cake is very firm and easy to work with, even when it’s soaked with sauce. You can make this in a 9×13 inch pan too- I just wanted the tall layer cake look~ and that caramel in the middle? Oh my… take a look at my pictures- it partially soaks in to that bottom layer and gives it a rich caramel flavor. I think you all are going to love this cake!! I hope you get a chance to try it!!! Enjoy!!!! ~r

Other cinco de Mayo recipe ideas:

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Posted in Cakes and tagged baking, best, cake, caramel, cinco de mayo, dessert, dulce de leche, easter, evaporated milk, fruit, layer cake, mothers day, refreshing desserts, sponge cake, spring desserts, summer desserts, sweetened condensed milk, Tres Leches, whipped cream, whipping cream. Bookmark the permalink.

Salty Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Ruthanne

Creamy caramel cheesecake over a pretzel crust is topped with a layer of dulce de leche and dark chocolate. Sweet and salty perfection!

I’ve been craving caramel lately. Maybe because it’s fall now and caramel seems to be a fall treat. Whatever the reason, I went on a hunt for caramel cheesecake and found this one at Bon Appetite. I wanted to add salty to the recipe, so I used a pretzel crust instead of grahams and added dark chocolate. It is really good. A subtle caramel flavor with just a hint of salt from the crust.

Want to know how these are made? Here you go: (Printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes 24 cheesecake squares)

Crust:

3 cups of crushed pretzels
2 Tablespoons of sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter

Cheesecake:

3 packages of cream cheese (8 oz.), softened to room temperature.
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 can (13.4 oz) of Nestle La Lechera Dulce de Leche (or 1 cup of your own- find recipe here)

Topping:

1 bag (10 oz.) Nestle Dark Chocolate Morsels.
12 Tablespoons of butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
Make crust by combining crushed pretzels, butter and sugar together and pressing into a greased 9×13 pan.
Bake at 325F for about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar with cream cheese.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed between each one.
Add vanilla and 1/2 of the can (about 1/2 cup) of Dulce de Leche.
Beat on medium until completely combined.
Pour cheesecake over cooled crust and bake at 325F for 45 minutes. (Until center is set)
Cool at room temperature.
Carefully spread remaining Dulce de Leche over the top of the cooled cheesecake.
Melt 12 Tablespoons of butter with dark chocolate chips until smooth.
Pour over top, carefully spreading chocolate to cover entire cheesecake.
Carefully set pretzels on top of chocolate. Each one will be in the center of one piece when it is cut, so place them according to how big you want your pieces.
Lightly sprinkle with coarse salt.
Refrigerate overnight.
Before serving, allow cheesecake to warm a little and then using a sharp knife, cut into squares with a pretzel centered in each.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These are really so yummy. My only problem? The crust was a little crumbly (you can see in the pictures). I’m almost positive I didn’t get my pretzels chopped fine enough. Make sure you chop/food process them into FINE bits- not coarse.

If you don’t want a salty crust just use graham crackers– or Oreos…oh my, caramel cheesecake over Oreos? Yes, please! The cheesecake is delicious. It would be good over any crust. I hope you enjoy trying it!!! ~r

Other caramel desserts you might enjoy:

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Posted in Bar cookies, Cheesecakes and tagged baking, caramel, caramel cheesecake, cheesecake, cheesecake bars, chocolate, Cream Cheese, crust, dessert, dulce de leche, nestle la lechera, pretzels, recipe, salt. Bookmark the permalink.

Alfajores (Peruvian Caramel Cookies)

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Ruthanne

These shortbread-like cookies are sandwiched around caramel and topped with chocolate and sugar…yum!

Machu Picchu!

I’m back! For those of you who follow the comings and goings of Easybaked you know that I spent about 10 days in Peru. It was a wonderful trip. I visited my childhood friend Deb in Lima and then the two of us toured Machu Picchu and spent a few days in the Amazon jungle. The foods were incredible, especially the fresh fruits! I will add some pictures of our trip at the end….

One of the treats we had in Peru was a cookie called an Alfajore. The cookie is very subtle- not too sweet- and very dense. It is served with a caramel filling called Manjarblanco. I had this filling in a variety of desserts and kept thinking that it tasted like Dulce de Leche. When I returned home and looked it up I found that it is Dulce de Leche- in a convenient little pouch and ready to eat.

Here is my version of this yummy cookie. If you like things that aren’t overwhelmingly sweet, this is your dessert!

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies (makes about 24 sandwich cookies)

1/2stick (2 oz) butter (softened)
1/4c. sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
a few drops of rum (optional)
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Dulce de Leche:

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (or Manjarblanco if you live in an area that offers this!)

DIRECTIONS:

{If you can’t purchase ready-made manjarblanco (dulce de leche), you will need to make your own. Do this before making your cookies as it takes some time and will need to cool. My favorite method of making dulce de leche involves boiling cans of sweetened condensed milk, and I have detailed instructions if you click here.}

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
Cream together sugar and butter.
Add eggs, corn syrup, vanilla and rum.
Add flour and baking soda last, and knead dough together with clean hands. (The dough will be dry- a little like play-dough in consistency. You can add a little water to soften it up if necessary.)
Roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thick and cut using a 1 1/2 inch or 2 inch cookie cutter.
Place on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until just turning brown on top.
Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a rack.
Spread cookies with cooled caramel and sprinkle with powdered sugar/ drizzle with a little chocolate if you like.

My thoughts: I love international recipes. One of my favorite parts of travel is trying new foods and hearing stories about how those foods fit in with the lives of the people I meet. These cookies are really good, and available all over in Peru. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!!!

A few glimpses at Peru…such a beautiful country full of kind and beautiful people!

Sunrise at Machu Picchu

Stairs up Wayana Picchu

Beautiful Machu Picchu!!!

Amazon Village

Piranha fishing!!

Jungle hike…baby ferns

Fresh watermelon in the market at Iquitos

Sloth cuddles 🙂

Anaconda!

Amazon sampler: Jungle pig, Cayman and Paiche (Arapayma)

Deb and I – we’ve been friends since we were two! Fun trip!!

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Posted in Cookies, Travel Recipes and tagged alfajores, amazon, baking, caramel, caramel cookies, chocolate, dessert, dulce de leche, machu picchu, peru, peruvian cookies, shortbread cookies. Bookmark the permalink.

Dulce de Leche Caramel Sauce

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Ruthanne

This creamy sweet caramel sauce couldn’t be easier to make. Ingredients? One can of Sweetened Condensed Milk and a very brave spirit…..

I had heard from several people about the “boil a can of condensed milk to make caramel” idea, and I knew someday I would try it. That “someday” arrived when I was asked to bring a birthday cheesecake for my brother this weekend. He likes PLAIN cheesecake. For those of you who have followed easybaked for awhile, you know I don’t do “plain” anything. I take plain and add peanut butter, chocolate, glazes, ganache, frosting, candy….nothing plain. But for my wonderful brother John….I present: a plain white cheesecake…..

so…..plain. In case you are wondering, this recipe is the basis for almost all of my cheesecakes, and you can click on one of the following pictures to get the recipe using white chocolate (plus fun toppings!!!!) Using other chip flavors gives you chocolate, peanut butter, cinnamon or even butterscotch cheesecakes.

In any case, I made the plain cheesecake, but I wanted a fun topping sauce to serve with it. Dulce de Leche. Now, I don’t know about you, but in my mind boiling a can of any sort sounds like a disaster….so I looked up the technique- just to be sure I did it right and didn’t explode anything.

I found a cute blog called Not Without Salt that gave instructions….scary instructions….and I quote:

“In a large pan, completely submerge the can of sweetened condensed milk in water. Make sure it is covered by at least one inch of water and remains covered throughout the entire process – this is VERY important otherwise it could explode. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for three hours. Continually check to make sure the can is completely covered with water.”

Yes, it could explode. Needless to say, I obsessively checked my water level for 3 hours. I never needed to add any…but I imagined lovely dulce de leche covering my ceiling and walls and I obsessed.

After 3 hours of fear, I took the pan off the stove and had a debate with my friend Danielle about if I should leave it in the hot water to cool…or take it out…? I took it out. And I set it outside on my sunporch to cool- or explode.

It cooled beautifully and when I opened the can….oh my.

I love it. I would do this again in a heartbeat— it is SO good. I’m so excited to serve it with my cheesecake in a few hours. It would be good over ice cream or apples…so many possibilities. ENJOY!!! (and be very careful that your water doesn’t evaporate!!) ~r