Carmelita cake recipe, based off gooey oatmeal carmelitas bars, has a moist oatmeal layer cake filled with dulce de leche caramel filling, and covered with whipped ganache frosting.
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Love Carmelitas? This Cake Is A Must Try Recipe!
What’s not to love about wholesome oats, gooey caramel dulce de leche filling, and loads of gooey chocolate chips? Nothing! That is why this homemade carmelita cake has been one of my family’s most requested desserts in my homemade cake collection.
To make a cake based off of carmelitas bars, it has to have three essential components – chocolate, oatmeal, and caramel. The moist oatmeal layer cake recipe gives the rustic, whole grain texture of oatmeal, but with a sweet, light crumb. The oats are first softened in boiling water and then added to the cake batter to homogeneously blend with the other ingredients.
Making the caramel dulce de leche cake filling is as simple as opening a can of dulce de leche. Dulce de leche, is sweetened condensed milk that has been cooked down to the color and consistency of caramel. Since it’s popular in South America, it can typically be found in the ethnic section of your local grocery store.
I love using it because it has a thicker consistency then caramel, which holds up to the carmelita cake layers so it they don’t slide around. I’ve also used it for stuffed churros and in another caramel lovers confection – homemade banoffee cake.
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(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Oatmeal layer cake
First the oats are mixed with boiling water and cooled to room temperature. While that’s cooling, cream the butter with the brown sugar and white sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla and beat again.
Dry ingredients and gluten free option
Now it’s time to add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. This cake may be made with regular all-purpose flour or substitute gluten free flour. My preferred gluten free flour blend is Cup4Cup.
Finish with cooled oatmeal and chocolate chips
Now it’s time to beat in the cooled oatmeal until well combined. Stir in mini chocolate chips for an added boost of chocolate. Miniature chocolate chips evenly distribute throughout the cake layers, without sinking down during baking.
Bake and assemble with caramel filling
Pour the cake batter into three 9-inch cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes.
Assemble the cake by spreading on half the caramel between the oatmeal cake layers. Cover the top and sides with whipped ganache and decorate with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
Whipped ganache frosting
Since the layer cake and caramel give plenty of sweetness, I wanted to balance it out with a frosting that wasn’t overly sweet.
Chocolate ganache, a simple mixture of semisweet chocolate and heavy cream has a rich, dark flavor. After the ganache cools, whipping air into it lightens the consistency, giving it a fluffy chocolate buttercream texture.
First the ganache is made combining hot heavy cream and more chocolate chips. Once cooled, it is beaten to a lovely fluffy texture.
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Moist Carmelita Cake with Dulce De Leche Filling
Ingredients
Oatmeal Layer Cake:
- 1 ½ cups (121.5 g) rolled oats
- 2 ¼ cups (532.32 g) boiling water
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 (3) large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons (1 ½ teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour or gluten free all-purpose flour, Cup4Cup gluten-free flour, recommended
- 1 ½ teaspoon (1 ½ teaspoon) baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon (¾ teaspoon) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (180 g) mini chocolate chips
- 13.4 ounce (379.88 g) can dulce de leche
Whipped Ganache Frosting:
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy cream
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) salt
Instructions
Oatmeal Layer Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease three 9" cake pans with cooking spray, line with cut-to-size wax or parchment paper on bottom, spray paper, and set aside.
- Place the oats in a small bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Stir and set aside to cool to room temperature, about 20-30 minutes.1 ½ cups rolled oats, 2 ¼ cups boiling water
- In a large mixing bowl cream the butter with the white and brown sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla and beat thoroughly.1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, ¾ cup unsalted butter, 3 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the butter mixture. Mix until well combined.2 cups all-purpose flour or gluten free all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Beat in the cooled oatmeal, then stir in, or mix on low speed, the mini chocolate chips. Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.1 cup mini chocolate chips
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, rotating halfway, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Turn cakes on to wire racks to cool completely. TIP: While the cakes are baking begin the frosting so it has time to cool.
Whipped Ganache Frosting:
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan or in the microwave until it just starts to simmer around the edges, but not boil.1 cup heavy cream, 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Place the chocolate chips and salt in a small bowl and then pour the hot cream over them. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.
- Refrigerate the ganache for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until it is cool and slightly firm.
- Pour the cooled chocolate into a mixing bowl and beat on high for 2 minutes, or until spreadable frosting consistency.
- To assemble the cake, place one layer on a cake platter. Spread half the dulce de leche evenly over the top. Top with another cake layer and repeat with the remaining caramel. Place the third cake layer on top and cover top and sides with the frosting. Serve at room temperature, but refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
Storing and Freezing
For best results, serve the cake at room temperature. The only cake component that may need to be refrigerated is the ganache, but it can be kept at room temperature up to 2 days. The cake may be frozen up to 3 months. Wrap up leftover slices in plastic wrap and place in a gallon freezer ziploc bag. To freeze the whole cake, place it in the freezer to harden, then wrap securely with plastic wrap. Remove the plastic wrap to thaw at room temperature.This post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Oh, coco powder sounds like a good tip to remember. I’ve used the condensed milk/ choc chip frosting before in other stuff and once it cooled it was spreadable. I’m not giving up! I will try again:) thanks for the responses!!
Mine was an EPIC FAIL! Lol .. The frosting was completely runny. Did you let it cool for a while before frosting? If so, maybe add that to the instructions? Tasted good, but had to toss it..
Oh no, Shannon! As you can see, been there myself, but never gets less disappointing. I had to double check the instructions, but I do have to cool the cakes first…If you didn’t cool them completely I guess that would be the culprit. I am so sorry 🙁 Hope you ate your fair share before tossing it.
Cakes were baked lastnight. It was the icing. Melted the chocolate, mixed in the condensed milk and about 10 min later spooned it over the layers. What did I do wrong?
Hmmm…maybe the frosting needs to set for a bit before spreading on so the chocolate cools down. That’s what you were referring to about missing in the instructions? I will definitely add that because it would make it runnier if it wasn’t completely cooled. If anyone else has problems with the consistency of the frosting you can always add a little unsweetened cocoa powder and/or powdered sugar to it depending on how bittersweet you like your frosting. With the richness of the caramel I would try the unsweetened cocoa powder first and adjust taste with powdered sugar if needed.
I would like to know if you can actully still feel the oatmeal consistency…in which case would be a o no for my kids who dislike oatmeal!
Hi Francesca, You can feel the oatmeal consistency. I went with the whole oats so it would mimic carmelitas more. However, you can sub in quick oats and your kids would never know! For my Honey Oatmeal Bread I use quick oats soaked in boiling water and you can’t feel the oats at all.
Thank you! I’m glad I took one for the team, and had to eat it again 😉