The ultimate combo of chocolate and caramel come together in this delicious Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake.

This post has been sponsored by Fat Daddio’s. Thank you for supporting the brands I love – they help make Liv for Cake possible! All opinions expressed here are my own.
First off, sorry for the lack of a post last week. I have no excuse other than I’m having a hard time getting back into the swing of things after being away for 3 weeks, and the weather here has been cloudy and rainy so I haven’t been able to take pictures. I guess that’s kind of an excuse? Never mind the fact that we literally came back to SNOW. From a sunny Sydney summer, to snow. In Vancouver. In MARCH.
It literally almost never snows here, but this winter has been crazy. It’s officially spring now, and my winter coat should be put away and I should be staring out at a garden full of flowers. Unfortunately, neither of those is a reality, so it’s a good thing I have copious amounts of this Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake in my fridge right now.

I’m so excited to bring you this post today because it’s in collaboration with one of my favorite brands in the baking world — Fat Daddio’s.
Fat Daddio’s is renowned for manufacturing high quality, professional bakeware. They have a seemingly endless variety of cake pans and baking tools. Literally anything you could ever need or want. This family owned company has been around for decades and they are the go-to brand for professional pastry chefs and bakeries.
I’ve been using Fat Daddio’s products for as long as I can remember and they are my favorite brand when it comes to bakeware. I specifically love their cake pans over any others I’ve tried, as they are sturdier and bake more evenly. Just look at those perfect, even layers!

Cleanup is a breeze too! The most used Fat Daddio’s products in my kitchen are the 6″ cake pans (shown below) and the cake lifter (which makes transferring cakes from the turntable to a cake stand a much less stressful endeavor).

Fat Daddio’s doesn’t sell directly to consumers, but you can easily find their products online on Amazon or Golda’s Kitchen. If you happen to live in Vancouver, my favorite place to get them is at the Gourmet Warehouse.

This Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake is a new fave. I used my standard chocolate cake recipe (why mess with a good thing, right?) and paired it with a silky Dulce de Leche brown sugar buttercream. I used dark brown sugar instead of regular granulated sugar in the buttercream, because I wanted to enhance both the color and flavor.
I wanted a rich caramel color to the buttercream, and I knew that 1/4 cup of Dulce de Leche wouldn’t be enough to do that. The brown sugar also adds to the caramel flavor. It’s truly delicious.

Now, I went the easy route and used store-bought Dulce de Leche sauce. Partly because I had some in my fridge from this Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart, and partly because I’m lazy. It’s actually really easy to make Dulce de Leche at home. All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk, a pot, some water, and time. I went with the leftover stuff I had, but you can make your own if you prefer!
The rich chocolate cake and silky caramel buttercream go so well together. Who doesn’t love a good chocolate and caramel combo, right?? I amped up the flavor even more by drizzling Dulce de Leche over each slice. Pure heaven right there!

Looking for more Caramel recipes?
- Caramel Gingerbread Cake
- Caramel Cake (Salted Caramel Cake)
- Caramel Apple Cake
- Maple Caramel Carrot Cake
- Caramel Cookie Cups
Notes & tips for this Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake:
- You can make your own Dulce de Leche at home rather than using store-bought if you prefer.
- To enhance the chocolate flavor of the cake, you can use strong hot coffee instead of hot water.
- For the ganache, I let mine set overnight (with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface). It will be too thick at this point, so I microwave it for 10 secs and stir it until it’s the right consistency.
- The drip technique works best on a chilled cake so that the drips set quickly.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.

Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
Dulce de Leche Buttercream:
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup dark brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Dulce de Leche storebought or homemade
Ganache:
- 2 oz dark chocolate finely chopped
- 2 oz heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6″ round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour water in slowly as not to cook the eggs if very hot).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. A total of 30-35mins.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pans then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Dulce de Leche Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and dark brown sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a pot with 1-2" of simmering water and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (approx. 3mins)
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.**
- Add dulce de leche and whip until smooth.
Ganache:
- Place chopped chocolate and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Stir to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir. Microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until ganache is smooth and silky. Set aside to cool completely and thicken slightly before using on cake.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving dish. Top with about 2/3 cup buttercream. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost and smooth the outside with a thin crumb coat. Chill for 20mins.
- Using a small spoon, place dollops of ganache around the top edges of the cooled cake, allowing some to drip down. Fill in the top of the cake with more ganache and spread evenly with an offset spatula.***
- Top with decorative dollops of frosting (I used Ateco tip 825). Drizzle slices with dulce de leche if desired.
Notes
** The buttercream may look like it’s curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
*** You may have some ganache left over.
Jackie says
Hi, in your recipe you give option of u.s. customary or metric, along with 1x, 2x and 3x. Are the numbers a choice of cake layers or total 3 tiered cakes as shown in your pictures?
Thank you,
Jackie
Olivia says
Hi Jackie! The cake as shown (three layer 6″) uses the 1x amounts in the recipe.
Marti Snyder says
I absolutely loved this recipe. The cake came out perfectly and was so moist. The frosting came out beautiful too. I didn’t change a thing. My favorite sz of cake to make is a 3 tier 6” cake so of course this was a must cake to make . I love decorating and I’m all about presentation. This is a so pretty. Thank-you so much.
Marti
Olivia says
Thanks so much Marti! I’m so happy you loved it.
Rachel says
Served this cake for a New Year’s Eve party and it was a huge hit! I’ve made the Bailey’s and Guinness cake about six times, so I accidentally cut the cake layers in half out of habit. I didn’t want thin layers of buttercream between the cake layers, so I did a thin layer of the Dulce de Leche (homemade – super easy) in between the layers that didn’t have the buttercream. Otherwise, followed the recipe as written. There was more than enough buttercream for the cake and piped rosettes for the top. Spectacular! Thanks again Liv!!
Olivia says
Hi Rachel! I love your modification for 6 layers! I bet that was so delicious. So happy you loved it and branched away from the Baileys Guinness 😉
Sandhy says
Made this twice in as many weeks. The cake is moist and the icing is delicious.
Olivia says
Hi Sandhy! Thanks for the feedback, I’m so glad you love it 🙂
Laura says
Absolutely amazing. I used mostly string brewed dark roast coffee instead of water and used extra dulce de leche (thinned with a bit of milk) for the drip. SO FREAKING GOOD.
Olivia says
Hi Laura! So happy you loved it. Thanks for the feedback and tips!
Yang says
Im planning to try this since most of the ingredients are already in my pantry. Lucky!!! I dont have a heavy whipping cream but will I still get the same result if i use a regular whipping cream? Will there be any adjustments needed for the chocolate or different method to do it? Im thinking of adding butter to make up for the fat content. So excited to try this thanks!!!
Oh PS. Can I use coffee instead of water for the batter? 👀
Olivia says
Hi Yang! Regular whipping cream should work fine. I wouldn’t add butter as it will change the texture and possibly cause it to split. And yes for coffee vs water. Let me know how you like it! 🙂
Debra Lumley says
Hi Liv,
I need to make two cakes one chocolate and one lemon cake two tier sizes 10 and 8 inch round. The larger being the chocolate.
Can you please tell me how I can use your recipes and adapt them to the tin sizes I require ?
Thank you
Debbie
Olivia says
Hi Debra! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
How many layers in each cake?
Angela says
Hi, can you tell me how I would modify this recipe for 4” round cake pans?
Thank you in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Angela! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. I’ve never sized down myself but I think you’d probably want to cut the recipe in half.
Sarah says
Ive used three 6×2” pans itself. But they didn’t rise till the top.
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! That is very strange. The batter should double in size. Are you at high elevation by chance? And did you make any substitutions to the recipe at all?
Sarah says
Hi Olivia.
I really needed a cake that has a nice height so i gave your recipe a shot.
In the photographs above, each of your cake layers are about 2 inches tall.
However when i tried it, my cakes turned out flat. About an inch tall.
I even checked and tested out my baking powder and soda to see if its expired but they were just fine.
Can you help me out as to what could’ve gone wrong.
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! What size cake pans did you use? The cakes should bake right to the top of three 6×2″ tall pans.
Jacqui Lim says
Hi Liv for Cake,
I just received 2 x 6inch (4inch deep)Fat Daddios pans and am excited to try your recipe.
In your recipe you used 3- 6 inch pans.
Can I split the batter into 2 pans and bake them a little longer? (how long?)
What temperature would you suggest?
Anxiously waiting your reply.
Thanks
Jacqui
Olivia says
Hi Jacqui! Yes, you can use two 6″ pans that are 3″ or taller. Baking temperature would stay the same but baking time is hard to say. It would be longer for sure but every oven is different. I recommend checking on the cakes as they are baking. Here’s what I do:
1. Peek through the oven window. To see if the cakes are a nice golden brown (doesn’t really work for chocolate cakes).
2. Nudge the oven. Gently nudge your oven (assuming it’s free-standing and not built-in). If there is any jiggle in the center of the cakes, leave the oven door closed and bake for a few minutes longer.
3. Nudge the pans. Open the oven and gently nudge the pans. If there is any jiggle in the center of the cakes, close the oven door and bake for a few minutes longer.
4. Poke the cake. Gently poke the top of the cake with your finger. If the cake is firm and springs back, it’s ready for the next step.
5. Toothpick test. Insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake. When there are a few crumbs on the toothpick, the cake is ready. You want crumbs on there because the cake keeps cooking when you take it out of the oven.
Jacqui says
Thank you so much.
Will give my new Fat Daddios a go.
Fingers crossed.
Allyson says
Another delicious recipe, Liv! Your brown sugar Swiss Meringue buttercream is outstanding – the right amount of sweetness and it perfectly complements the chocolate cake. As I write this, my family is literally inhaling it.
Olivia says
Yay! So happy you guys all love it 🙂 <3
Ryan says
I am planning to make this cake for my daughter’s birthday. I really prefer to eat colder cake that has been stored in the refrigerator (like a chocolate cake with chocolate whipped cream frosting). However, I was wondering if you would recommend serving this one at room temperature instead because of the SMBC. I have never made SMBC before but I have made Italian MBC (which is very similar) and I quickly learned the taste and texture for that particular frosting recipe was MUCH better at room temperature than straight out of the fridge. What is your recommendation for serving temperature for this cake with your SMBC?
Olivia says
Hi Ryan! I definitely recommend serving meringue-based buttercreams at room temp. They get quite firm in the fridge and I find it to be more like eating a stick of butter then. It’s a matter of preference but I always recommend serving it at room temperature 🙂
Kara says
Does this cake need to be refrigerated?
Olivia says
Hi Kara! It will be fine at room temperature for a day or two but otherwise I would refrigerate.
Toni says
Hi Olivia. Could this recipe be doubled or tripled to make a 9″ cake?
Olivia says
Hi Toni! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
I would 2.25-2.5x the recipe for three 9″ pans. You can adjust the Servings to get the numbers.