[Recipe + Video] Bizcocho Dominicano (Dominican Cake)

What makes Bizcocho Dominicano Recipe (Dominican Cake so special? You're about to find out. Make this recipe for a ½ lb cake, or double for a 1 lb cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dominican

Keyword bizcocho recipe, dominican birthday cake, dominican wedding cake, how to make dominican cake, what is dominican cake

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings portions (½ lb total)

Calories 492kcal

Author Clara Gonzalez

Equipment

Well-calibrated oven, or oven and oven thermometer
Stand mixer with 4. 5 quarts [4.2 l] bowl or bigger
Scale
Two 8" inch [20 cm] round cake pans

Ingredients

To prepare the pans

2 tablespoon butter (salted) at room temperature
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For the cake

½ pound all-purpose flour (225 grams)
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder (see notes)
½ pound butter (salted) (225 grams), at room temperature
½ pound sugar (white, granulated) (225 grams)
6 egg yolk plus enough egg white to weigh ½ lb (225 grams) in total, at room temperature
1 teaspoon lime zest freshly grated
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup orange juice at room temperature

Instructions

2 hours before you start

Prepping: Measure and weigh all the ingredients. Leave outside the fridge so they are all at room temperature when it's time to start baking.
Have filling ready (see above the recipe for links to several choices for the filling).

Start baking

Before starting: Preheat oven to 350 °F [175 °C], or 325 ºF [163 ºC] for convection ovens (see notes).
Mix the flour and baking powder and sift together. Divide into thirds and set aside.
Grease the baking pans, and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
Beating butter: Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, beat together butter and sugar at medium speed until the butter is light and fluffy and has a very light yellow color (about 4 mins).
Adding eggs: Add the eggs a third at a time, and continue beating until each third is well incorporated into the mixture (about 2 mins) before adding the next third.
Once eggs are added, with the mixer still running at mid-speed, add in vanilla and lime zest.
Adding juice + flour: Increase speed to mid-high, and pour in a third of the juice, when it is well combined (about two mins) add a third of the flour and mix for another 2 mins.
Pour in another third of the juice and mix for another 2 mins or until it is very well combined. Follow by adding another third of the flour, and mix for another 2 mins or until it is very well combined.
Pour in the last third of the juice and mix for another 2 mins or until it is very well combined. Follow by adding the last third of the flour, and mix for another 2 mins or until it is very well combined.
Filling the pans: As soon as you've stopped mixing the last batch of flour turn off the mixer, you should have obtained a fluffy batter with a smooth and even consistency. If necessary, scrape the sides and run for another minute to combine any unmixed batter that was stuck to the sides.
Pour in half the batter in each baking pan, making sure not to disturb the butter/flour cover.
Baking: Bake 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (don't open the oven until after at least 30 mins). Cool to room temperature before removing from the pan.

To assemble

Filling: Cut the cake crust, making them even.
Make an outer circle with the icing, and fill with the filling of your choice, spreading evenly. Place the other cake on top.
Decorating: To decorate the cake spread the meringue (list above the recipe) on top and around the cake, add decoration according to your taste and skills.

Serving and storing

This cake is best served at room temperature, in the fridge the butter will harden and the cake won't have the proper consistency. You can refrigerate for a couple of days, but put it outside the fridge until it reaches room temperature before serving.

Video

Notes

Please carefully read the whole recipe and the introduction to it before starting.

Use fresh ingredients, and of good quality. The baking powder must also be fresh to make sure it works. All ingredients should be at room temperature when starting.

Your oven is probably not calibrated, regardless of its quality (source: Cook's Illustrated - The Science of Good Cooking, pag. 5). If there is a big difference in temperature between what the dial says and the actual heated temperature this will affect your cake. I suggest you invest in an oven thermometer to check. Otherwise, you'll be just guessing.

A convection oven has a fan, and it cooks faster and maintains better temperature control. You should check if you have one.

Preheat the oven starting half an hour before you start.

You can use no-sugar-added orange juice from a carton or, best, freshly-squeezed at home.

You can see the Dominican cake (bottom) compared to the same pre-baking volume of other types of cake in the picture below. This is the consistency you should obtain.

Nutrition