Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake with Hazelnuts

With layers of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, dulce de leche soaked ladyfingers, and a hazelnut and chocolate topping, this dairy-free Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake with Hazelnuts is a decadent treat. This layered cake is inspired by The Milly Cake by Melenzane.

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As I write this post, I am sitting here with a hot coffee and the last slice of this Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake with Hazelnuts, trying to savor each bite of it as slowly as I possibly can, so I can make this cake last as long as possible. 

This cake is decadently delicious. To date, it is one of my favorite cakes. It is a delightful blend of chocolate, dulce de leche, and hazelnut flavors.

The Layers

There’s a dairy-free cake at the base.
Then a tasty dairy-free chocolate mousse.
On top of that is a layer of dairy-free dulce de leche soaked ladyfingers.
These are topped with more of that chocolate mousse.
The whole cake is topped with some roasted hazelnuts and chocolate pieces and chilled overnight.

The next day, this cake is sliced and each slice is served drenched with a dairy-free chocolate sauce and some dairy-free dulce de leche. I did mention this cake is delicious, right?!

Inspiration for this Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake

This Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake with Hazelnuts is inspired by The Milly Cake by Melenzane, which I came across on Instagram. 

Earlier, it was versions of Dubai Chocolate filling up my IG and TikTok. And, now it’s The Milly Cake! There are so many posts about this luscious cake. And, most of those posts show this cake being savored. Gloriously savored. There are a handful of posts that briefly mention the different layers. But, I have not come across one post that is a copycat recipe of The Milly Cake. 

So, I decided I would try my best to create my dairy-free spin on The Milly Cake in this Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake with Hazelnuts. 

What is The Milly Cake?

From the posts I saw, The Milly Cake seems to consist of a dense chocolate cake-like base. This seems to be topped with a chocolate mascarpone mousse. Then, there seem to be dulce de leche-soaked ladyfingers. Another layer of that chocolate mascarpone mousse.

And, finally, a crunchy chocolate hazelnut topping which seems to be made with chocolate crumbles and toasted hazelnuts or a hazelnut brittle. The Milly Cake is served with a luscious-looking chocolate anglaise or chocolate ganache sauce.

Ingredients:

For the chocolate cake

• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• Large eggs
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Chocolate bar (can be Semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate)
• Vanilla extract
• Salt

For the chocolate mousse

• Cashews 
• Cocoa
• Maple syrup or honey
• Cinnamon
• Kosher salt
• Vanilla extract
• Almond milk

For the dulce de leche ladyfingers

• Coconut condensed milk
• Ladyfingers (I used store-bought ones)

For the topping

• Hazelnuts
• Your favorite chocolate bar

For the chocolate sauce

• Your favorite chocolate bar melted
• Coconut milk (if you are not trying to keep this recipe dairy-free, then feel free to use heavy cream)
• Optional: a couple of teaspoons vanilla extract

My Adaptations

For the chocolate cake layer:

Or the base layer, I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe. I halved the recipe, and the resulting batter was perfect to bake one cake layer.

This is an easy, dairy-free, and gluten-free cake. It is made without all purpose flour, baking soda, or baking powder. It can be made in one medium bowl, an electric mixer (or whisk), and a cake pan. Once out of the oven, make sure to let the cake cool so that even the center of the cake is at room temperature before adding the chocolate mousse/pudding over it.

For the chocolate mousse:

I used my vegan chocolate pudding recipe. This vegan chocolate pudding was one my daughter and her classmates recreated for a school assignment when they were in 11th grade, and they loved it.

It is a recipe that involves soaking cashews and blending them into a cream-like consistency. However, if you prefer, this 3-ingredient chocolate mousse could also be used instead of the vegan pudding. 

For the dulce de leche ladyfingers layer:

I found a recipe for vegan dulce de leche on Walking Through Lavender Fields and used that. She boils coconut condensed milk for 6-10 hours in a pot kept full of water.

Using her recipe, I simmered a can of coconut condensed milk in a small saucepan for 5 hours. I kept adding more water as the water level fell. After 5 hours, the result was a decadent-looking and tasting dairy-free dulce de leche. Yes, it takes some time. But, it is so worth it. However, if you have a pressure cooker, Nina shares another recipe with a significantly quicker cook time. 

The reason I spent so much time making this dulce de leche is that I could not find a vegan dulce de leche anywhere.

Once I had the dulce de leche ready, I made a mixture with some almond milk, the dulce de leche, and a tsp of vanilla extract to make a soak for the ladyfingers. This layer could belong in a dulce de leche tiramisu.

The dulce de leche soaked ladyfingers were topped with another layer of the chocolate mousse/chocolate pudding.

For the topping:

I opted to make a very simple topping of roasted hazelnuts and chocolate bits. When the cake was assembled, I let it sit overnight in the fridge.

For the chocolate sauce

When this cake was ready to enjoy, I drizzled it (or smothered it) with a simple dairy-free chocolate sauce and more of that vegan dulce de leche.

This layered Chocolate Dulce de Leche Cake with Hazelnuts requires quite a few ingredients and time.

However, if you happen to enjoy baking and assembling a dessert to enjoy by yourself or with friends and family, this cake is well worth the effort and time.

Storage

Leftovers of this cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. The slice I just finished had been in the fridge for about 10 days and tasted as delicious as when it was first made. I must add, though, as the dulce de leche is made with coconut milk, when this cake is chilled, any dulce de leche that might be poured on top will harden. If you want to avoid this from happening, I would only pour on extra dulce de leche when enjoying a slice right away, instead of on the whole cake.

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin. For more fusion, spice-filled, recipe ideas, please subscribe and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest!