Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 quart Homemade Dulce de Leche Ice Cream, recipe follows, slightly softened
• Chocolate sauce, optional topping

Directions

Homemade Dulce de Leche Ice Cream:

Homemade Dulce de Leche, recipe follows

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

6 large egg yolks

In a medium heavy saucepan, combine 3/4 cup of the dulce de leche, the cream, milk, and sugar. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks. Gradually add the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream, to the hot cream. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours.

Remove from the refrigerator and pour into the bowl of an ice cream machine. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is nearly completely thickened, pour in the remaining 1/4 cup dulce de leche to create a swirl in the ice cream. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Yield: about 1 quart

Homemade Dulce de Leche:

1 quart milk

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons water

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the milk begins to get foamy on top, stir to incorporate the foam.

In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the water, and add to the milk mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer. Let cook, stirring occasionally without working the foam into the milk. After 1 hour remove the vanilla bean. Continue cooking, skimming occasionally, until tan, very thick, and reduced to about 1 cup, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (The milk will continue to darken as it cooks.)

Strain into a clean container and let cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (The dulce de leche will thicken as it cools, and will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.)

Yield: about 1 cup