Peruvian Desserts: Layered dairy-free dos leches (two milks) cake with caramel dulce de leche and coconut whipped cream

Cake:
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1 1/2 cups amaranth flour (or tapioca flour or chestnut flour, or a mix of whatever gluten-free flours you want, except buckwheat or teff. Amaranth is naturally sweeter so I like to use it for baked goods)
1/4 tsp guar gum (or xanthan)
1 tbsp teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup earth balance, at room temperature, or other vegan margarine (not oil unless you’re desperate. It will change the consistency)
2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature (you can use egg replacer equivalent to two eggs, but they won’t rise as much)
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups almond milk
1 tsp lemon juice

Coconut whipped cream:
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp honey or agave
1 tsp rum

Sweet Milk Glaze:
1/4 cup coconut milk (reserved from one of the cans from the cake)
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon honey or agave

First, make the dulce de leche. Put the can of coconut milk from the dulce de leche and the can for the whipped cream in the fridge for at least an hour. This solidifies the cream on top and the milk/water stays liquid below.

1. Remove one of the cans of coconut milk from the fridge, open can and scrape off 1/2 of the cream. Place in fridge. Pour the rest of the can contents (coconut milk and water), almond milk, and agave nectar, cinnamon stick, baking soda, and pinch of salt in a heavy-bottomed pot. The salt isn’t traditional, but it brings out the flavour. I found it was overwhelmingly coconut-y so the salt really helps balance that too.
2. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for about 45 minutes. The water will begin to evaporate as it cooks, thickening the milk (this is how you make “evaporated milk” – it’s just milk that has some of the liquid evaporated out of it). Stir steadily so that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Adjust the temperature so that the mixture stays just barely at a simmer and doesn’t boil over. The mixture will darken as it thickens and the cinnamon infuses the cream.
3. After about 45 minutes the mixture should be making big slow bubbles and be very thick. If not, keep reducing. Lift the spoon out of the pot and let it drizzle back into the pot. If it forms a ribbon that doesn’t disappear after 10 seconds, it’s ready. You can also check by dragging the spoon along the bottom of the pot. If you see the bottom of the pot for a few seconds before the thickened mixture closes in on itself and covers the bottom again it’s done.
4. Remove the pot from the stove, transfer to a heat-proof dish, and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick, and stir in the vanilla (note: you can also use a vanilla bean and simmer it with the cinnamon stick. Take it out at the same time as the cinnamon). Add the lemon juice if desired (taste and see if it needs it. It will add a little acidity and balance the sweetness of the custard). Or add a pinch more salt.

Now make the cake.

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line muffin tins with papers (you can just grease them, but the liners are better for these cupcakes since they keep any renegade caramel filling firmly inside. Sieve flours, guar gum, baking powder and salt in a small bowl (also sieve in egg replacer powder – not water – if using instead of eggs). In a medium bowl cream earth balance and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.
2. Beat in eggs one at a time (or water to go with egg replacer). Add vanilla or vanilla bean seeds. Combine almond milk and lemon juice is a small bowl. On low speed beat 1/3 of the flour mixture into the brown sugar/egg mixture. Then beat in half the almond milk and lemon juice. Then half the remaining flour. Then the remaining almond milk/lemon juice. Then the remaining flour. Beat until just combined after each addition. You can also use a whisk for this if you think the batter will start to fly everywhere. It shouldn’t, but some people are messier than others…
3. Pour batter into two 8-inch cake pans lined with circles of parchment paper on the bottom and greased on the sides and paper.  Bake for 20-26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in middle of the largest cupcake comes out clean without any crumbs. When cool enough to handle, remove from pans and let cool completely on wire rack. Theoretically you should place the pans on the wire rack for the first ten minutes when it’s too hot to remove the cakes, but it’s not the end of the world. When completely cool slice cakes in half horizontally to make four layers.

1. Remove the remaining can of coconut milk and the reserved coconut cream from the fridge. Open can and scrape off cream, reserving milk/water for the sweet milk glaze. Add the honey or agave nectar and beat until it’s something resembling whipped cream.
   Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
2. Combine the ingredients for the sweet milk glaze and brush the tops of the cakes with it. Just use whatever coconut milk you have left and top it up to 3/4 cups with almond milk (or drink more of the coconut milk as a snack because you’re starving and use more almond for the glaze). Pour any additional liquid over the cakes after brushing, letting it flow over the sides. Let the cakes absorb the excess liquid.

1. Choose a bottom layer and place it on a serving dish.

2. Spread with 1/4 of the dulce de leche, followed by 1/4 of the coconut whipped cream.

3. Place another cake layer on top and repeat procedure with more of the dulce de leche and whipped cream. Repeat. Repeat, finishing with a mound    of whipped cream and a drizzle of the remaining dulce de leche. You can swirl the last little bit of dulce de leche into the whipped cream with the back of a knife and make pretty designs, or not. Don’t worry about coating the sides of the cake. It’s nice to see the layering.

Wow, that was a lot of work, wasn’t it? Good thing you have cake to relax. Good thing. Very. Good. Thing.