Creamy Dulce de Leche Cake or My Tribute to Peggy Porschen, with a Personal Touch….

En Español, en color!

In the past people used to go to London to see castles, palaces…museums…musicals… Now, most people go to London to have tea at Peggy Porschen’s Parlour (well, the Olympic Games too) And I’m no exception, of course! My girls neither..We had to have tea, and eat!! cakes & cupcakes…AND you know me, I had to do something to be able to see Peggy and have a photograph with her! Yes, I am very “cholula” (Argentinean slang for those people who always want to have photos with all the VIPs!) I adore Peggy’s work in general and her wedding cakes leave me in a kind of “admiration comma!

Antes la gente iba a Londres para ver los castillos, palacios…museos..musicales…Ahora, la mayoria va a Londres a tomar el té en lo de Peggy Porschen ! (bueno, las Olimpiadas también). Y yo no soy excepcion, por supuesto! Y mis hijas tampoco….Teniamos que tomar té, y comer cupcakes y torta..Y ademas, ya me conocen, yo tenia que hacer algo para verla a Peggy “en vivo y en directo” y sacarme una foto con ella!! Si, soy re-cholula (para las Argentinas, algo asi como “Figuretti”) Si bien me encanta todo el trabajo de Peggy, sus tortas de casamiento me dejan “en coma de admiracion”! 

So, even though it’s summer time here (Is it summmer-time here in Paris??!??) and we crave for fresh, fruity desserts…thanks God (really, really thank you God!!) I have a lot of readers in the southern hemisphere..not only in Argentina, but in Australia, Brazil, Chile, and over there it is winter-time, so a cup of tea with this cake….it’s sheer indulgence! So for my southern readers AND northern readers in need to be pampered…this cake!

In fact, Peggy calls this cake “Creamy Caramel Cake”, but then when I looked at the ingredient list in her latest book, Boutique Baking, she writes “dulce de leche“. Actually, I noticed there are several recipes in her book with dulce de leche ! and this made my Argentinean ego big! (or should I say even bigger, to be more precise…yes! I know…Argentineans are infamous for our obnoxious chauvinism!

Aunque aqui es verano (o eso se supone ?!?), y uno tiene ganas de comer postres con frutas y frescos…gracias a Dios (realmente, muuuchas gracias, Dios!) tengo muchos lectores en el hemisferio sur..no solo en Argentina, sino en Australia, Chile, Brasil..y ahi es invierno, asi que qué mejor que una taza de té con un pedazo de esta torta? QUE pla-cer!! Asi que para la muchachada del sur, y para los nordicos en necesidad de un “mimo”…la torta dedicada! 

En realidad, Peggy llama esta torta “Torta de Caramelo Cremosa“, pero cuando lei los ingredientes, en su ultimo libro, Boutique Baking, vi que puso la palabra “dulce de leche“. En realidad vi que hay varias recetas con dulce de leche! y esto hizo que mi ego argentino se agrande! (o que se agrande aun mas!!! para ser mas precisa..Si! ya sé..Los argentinos somos “famosos” por nuestro INSOPORTABLE nacionalismo!

Peggy chose what she calls the classic Victoria Sponge, paired with a dulce de leche buttercream !!! for the filling and decoration. But, since I don’t have Anglo-saxon origins (as you must have noticed ;D ), I’m not a fan of buttercream in excess, so with all my respect and admiration for Peggy I adapted her recipe to my taste, and I believe this is “the game” exactly! To find inspiration in a great recipe, but then, make it yours!

So, I used plain dulce de leche for one layer, and then a ganache de Valrhona Grand Cru Manjari (66% cocoa) fresh and tangy. For the syrup to imbibe the cake, I added a little bit of Bailey’s (that IS Anglo-saxon but whisky unites the world (?!)

And now that you have a well-rounded and terrible idea about my habits, I leave you with Peggy’s recipe to enjoy!

Peggy eligio lo que ella llama bizcochuelo Classic Victoria, junto con buttercream de dulce de leche!! para el relleno y decoracion. Yo, como no tengo origenes anglo-sajones (como habran notado!), no soy muy fan del buttercream en exceso, asi que con todo mi respeto por Peggy, adapté su receta a mi gusto, y creo que éste es el “juego”. Encontrar una receta que nos inspire, pero después, hacerla propia! 

Yo usé dulce de leche solo, en una capa, y luego, para la otra, una ganache de Valrhona Grand Cru Manjari (66% cacao) fresco y ligeramente acido! Y al almibar le agregué Bailey’s (eso si es anglo-sajon, pero el whisky une al mundo !?!?

Y ahora que ya tienen una idea terrible sobre mis habitos y reputacion, los dejo con la receta de Peggy. Que la disfruten! 

 

For the sponge

200g unsalted butter, softened

200g caster sugar

Pinch of salt
Seeds of one vanilla pod
4 medium eggs
200g self-raising flour
For the sugar syrup

150ml water              Brandy, 1tbsp
150g caster sugar                 vanilla seeds, 1 pod
For the buttercream filling

100g unsalted butter
100g icing sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
50gr dulce de leche

Preheat the oven to 175°C.Prepare the sandwich tins by greasing and lining them with greaseproof paper. (Peggy uses 3 15cm molds, and divides the batter in 3. I use only one and bake longer!)

To make the sponge

Place the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla seeds into a mixing bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy. Beat the eggs lightly in another bowl and slowly add to the butter mixture while whisking quickly. If the mixture starts to separate or curdle, stop adding the egg and beat in 2–3 tablespoons of the flour. This will rebind the batter. Once all the egg has been added and combined with the butter mixture, sift in the flour and stir until the batter is just combined. This will ensure the sponges stay light and fluffy.

Divide the batter evenly between the sandwich tins. If you find it difficult to measure by eye, use your kitchen scales to weigh out the amount of sponge mixture for each tin.

Bake for 15–20 minutes, depending on your oven. If you are using deeper cake tins, the sponges will take longer to cook. (I took me 65′) The sponges are cooked when the sides are beginning to shrink away from the edges of the tins and the tops are golden brown and spring back to the touch. If in doubt, insert a clean knife or wooden skewer into the centre of each sponge; it should come out clean.

To make the sugar syrup

While the sponges are baking, prepare the sugar syrup for soaking. Place the  caster sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer until all the sugar crystals have dissolved. Set aside to cool down slightly and then add the brandy.

Once the sponges are baked, let them rest for about 10 minutes outside of the oven. Using a pastry brush, soak the tops of the sponges with syrup while they are still warm; this 
allows the syrup to be absorbed faster.

Once just warm, run a knife all the way round the sides of the tins, remove the sponges from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire cooling rack. Once cool, wrap the sponges in cling film and then rest them overnight at room temperature. This will ensure that all the moisture is sealed in and the sponges firm up to the perfect texture for trimming and layering. When trimmed too soon after baking, the sponges tend to crumble and may even break into pieces.

To make the buttercream filling

Place the butter, icing sugar, salt and dulce de leche into a mixing bowl and cream together until very pale and fluffy.

To assemble the cake

Trim and sandwich together the three sponge layers using one-third of the buttercream filling and the syrup for soaking. With the remaining buttercream filling, cover or mask the top and sides of the cake.

Serve the cake at room temperature. This cake is best enjoyed within 3 days of baking, but it can last for up to 1 week

Tip

Decorations made from sugar can attract moisture and may collapse when exposed to 
humid conditions. Therefore, do not store the cake in the fridge once decorate if it is not being eaten on the same day.

Para la masa:

• 200g manteca a temperatura ambiente
• 200g azúcar
• 200g harina leudante
• 4 huevos
• las semillitas de una chaucha de vainilla

Para el almíbar

• 150ml agua
• 150ml azúcar
• 1 cda sopera de cognac

Precalentar el horno a 175º
Enmantecar 3 moldes para layer cake de 15 cm ( yo lo hago en uno, y triplico el tiempo)

Batir manteca y azúcar hasta que la mezcla se integre. Incorporamos los huevos y la vainilla. Tamizamos la harina  y la añadimos a la mezcla anterior. Batimos hasta que la mezcla sea homogénea. Repartimos la masa entre los tres moldes y horneamos durante 20-25 minutos (60/65 minutos si es un sólo molde) o hasta que un palito salga limpio.

Mientras se hornea, preparamos el almíbar: ponemos a hervir el agua con el azúcar en una cacerolita. Cuando rompe el hervor y se disolvi el azucar, ya esta. Retiramos del fuego y dejamos templar. Añadimos el cognac.

Sacamos los bizcochuelos del horno y los dejamos templar unos 10 minutos. A continuación embeber con el almíbar. Finalmente dejamos que se enfríen por completo sobre una rejilla.

Para preparar la crema, batimos manteca y el azucar impalpable a velocidad media-alta hasta que la mezcla se integre y se aclare. Incorporamos el dulce de leche y seguimos batiendo hasta que se incorpore.(o ponemos todo junto, da igual)

Montamos la torta: Igualar los bizcochos (o cortar el grande en tres), empezamos colocando el primer bizcocho, encima una capa de buttercrema . Ponemos el siguiente bizcocho y otra capa de crema. Finalmente, cerramos con el tercer bizcocho. Aplicamos una primera capa de crema encima de los lados y la cara superior (una capa fina, para sujetar las migas). Dejamos en el freezer 30′ minimo y luego ya cubrir con más crema