My Friday Treat: Dulce De Leche

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Imagine my outrage: I walk into my habitual Friday afternoon café here in Toledo (i.e. the one with the best cakes) looking forward to delicious torrijas. And…no torrijas!

The last two have just been sold. I turn around and give those two cackling bitches customers, who are gobbling up MY PRECIOUS, seemingly without a care in the world(!), the most evilest glare I can summon from the acrid depths of my displeasure.

Scanning through the cake display, I settle for a dulce de leche cake, which I have had before and quite liked.

“Dulce de leche” (doce de leite in Portuguese) is what you get when you boil sweetened/condensed milk for long enough for it to caramelise. It’s a really popular component of all manner of sweets and desserts across Latin America.

Dulce de leche

Ironically, the actual dulce de leche part of this cake is the glossy top layer, which I don’t like, and I just peel it off. It’s not the flavour that I find disagreeable, but the fact that it’s like a rubbery film that instantly fuses with the roof of your mouth.
What lies beneath, though, is glorious – a caramel-infused mousse followed by a creamy vanilla custard layer and a slightly chocolatey biscuit base… heaven 🙂

As much as I enjoyed it this with my cup of Earl Grey, I do hope there’ll be torrijas again next week. The torrijas season is short, and I’ve not had my fill of them yet. Here they are again, if you missed that post.

67 thoughts on “My Friday Treat: Dulce De Leche”

    1. ladyofthecakes Post author

      It’s a mystery to me. I dragged myself out of bed yesterday, just in time for luncheon (steamy cocido) with some lovely Aussie neighbours, and then I had to rush all the way over to the cake place for my next appointment. The stress is doing me in.

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      1. Expat Eye

        Ha ha! I can’t talk I guess – got up at around 1, had breakfast and tea waiting for me 🙂 I love sitting 🙂 Arsing around on the internet now instead of cleaning my flat – listening to my dad on the radio is important too though… 😉

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      8. ladyofthecakes Post author

        You always feel so much better afterwards. Though it may not actually do much good in terms of changing behaviour. Especially if it’s your own that needs changing 😉

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  7. Anna

    That mousse actually looks like ice cream, which is making me miss the little Haagen Daaz (sp?) cups of it I used to buy at my corner bodega in NYC… 😦

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    1. ladyofthecakes Post author

      ¡Ay, los antojos… esos me matan! Una vez, una amiga me trajo unas galletas rellena de dulce de leche de Argentina. Sigo pensando en estas… probablemente para siempre!

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      1. narami

        Mi maestro de aikido era de Argentina y al parecer allá le ponen dulce de leche a todo. Una vez me llevó a una tienda donde lo vendían cómo una crema aparte para esparcirlo dónde uno quisiera. Todo un problema. 😉

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  11. Heyjude

    Oh, that mousse filling looks delish! An Argentinian colleague of my OH gave him a jar of dulce de leche to bring home. It is verrrry sweet! I know my ex-mother-in-law used to make lovely ice cream using a can of condensed milk that she boiled to caramelise. You do have to be careful that it doesn’t explode!

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  14. Lynda

    Oooh… I could feel my blood sugar spike just looking at that loveliness… sigh…
    I’m with you on the topper. I don’t like sweetened condensed milk for anything!
    Gaack!

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  16. TBM

    rubbery film that instantly fuses with the roof of your mouth–I think I would skip on this part as well. The rest looks yummy and good luck next time. I wish I could have seen you glaring at the women.

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