I am making a chocolate cake with Dulce de Leche (premade from can) as the filing. I have never used it before.
Will it be too sweet by itself? Or do I need to mix it with buttercream to get a better filing? Can I mix it with buttercream to use as the icing? I am thinking it may taste ok, but it wont crust very good and be hard to decorate with..
Do I need to refrigerate this cake?

Thank you guys so much for all of your help.. I feel like I am always asking questions

I haven't tried mixing anything with my BC but I would think it would really change the consistency.

It might be a little sweet, but that depends on what each person likes (example, I love BC, my DH thinks it's too sweet and doesn't like it). I would make sure that you use a dam of stiff BC around the outside of the layers so that you don't have your filling trying to escape and causing problems with you exterior frosting, also put a thin layer of BC on the top of the layer then the filling, then a thin layer on the bottom of the next layer. That way it would really be a filling, and it wouldn't soak into the cake.

I use the premade in the can all the time. Chocolate cake with the dulce de leche is my most requested. I do not put a layer of buttercream on the cake, as this is a thick filling and I haven't noticed it seeping into the cake at all. I do use a damn but never a super stiff one. Don't put a super thick coat of it though.

I have never mixed it with buttercream. My guess is that it would work with buttercream as an icing around the cake, but it would probably change the consitancy and may effect the crusting.

I don't think it is too sweet and can eat it off a spoon by its self. It's that yummy!!

oops, sorry, skimmed right over that "pre-made" part. Read dulce de leche and could only think home made and how good it sounded.

Where do you find pre- made dulce de leche, I can't find it anywhere. Thanks

Nestle's makes it. I have found it at Walmart in the spanish aisle. It is in a can the same size as sweetened condensed milk.

This is what the can looks like: http://www.mexgrocer.com/4599.html

It's also sold in glass jars with the ice cream toppings. I've mixed it w/ BC before (IMBC to be exact) and used as a topping on brownies. It would be fine for icing the cake, but most likely won't crust, so as long as the "homeade" icing look is ok for this cake (where you do the swirls and stuff instead of smoothing it) then it would be fine to use as the icing.

Now I want to go buy some and eat the whole jar!

Me too! Not only do I want to try this as a filling, since I can easily get it where I am, I seriously want to eat some on ice cream now, or just cut out the middle man and grab a spoon.

Either that or I want to make a Tres Leches Cake.

I cant add anything to your answers here, but I will mention that...

Dulce de Leche is GLORIOUS!

What does it taste like?

it's similar to caramel. It's made with sweet milk, not just sugar.