Sour cream dulce de leche swirl cake + "Midnight Cowboy"

I watched many wonderful movies when I was younger – that was when I started paying attention to the directors, and not only to the cast – and many of the movies I saw back then have become classics; however, there are still many to be watched, and a couple of days ago I gladly crossed another name off my list – the fantastic and brilliant “Midnight Cowboy”. Up to this moment I’m amazed by Jon Voight’s and Dustin Hoffman’s performances – there are no words to describe what these two do in this movie, it is fine acting at its best, the kind I’d love to see more often in the movies released nowadays.
I adore opening sequences – my friend Bianca knows that – and “Midnight Cowboy” has one of the best I’ve seen: it’s beautiful, kind of poetic, and “Everybody’s Talkin’” gets stuck on your head indefinitely. And aside all the greatness of this movie, one thing really stood out to me: how much Angelina Jolie looks like her father when he was younger – the resemblance is really impressive.

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Cakes made with sour cream have become favorites of mine – the texture is always really tender. This cake is no exception and as a bonus there are little pockets of dulce de leche hidden in the middle of the slices. Yum! :)

Sour cream dulce de leche swirl cake
slightly adapted from the always mouthwatering Delicious - Australia

225g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
180g unsalted butter, room temperature
230g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup sour cream*
½ cup dulce de leche
2/3 cup (73g) pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a round 20cm (8in) springform pan, line base with a circle of baking paper and butter the paper as well (I used a pan with a removable bottom).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream. Fold in flour mixture.
Spread half the butter mixture into the pan. Top the butter mixture with spoonfuls of dulce de leche. Use a knife to create a swirled effect. Repeat with remaining butter mixture and dulce de leche. Top with the pecans. Bake for about 1 hour or until golden and a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 25 minutes, then carefully remove the sides of the pan. Cool completely.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 8