Chocotorta

Chocotorta is a classic Argentinian chocolate cake. It's a common homemade recipe often made for celebrations and birthday parties. It features homemade chocolate wafer cookies soaked in coffee and layered with a rich, smooth caramel cream made from dulce de leche and cream cheese. It's topped with a layer of smooth dark chocolate ganache and a decorative border of dulce de leche.

The chocotorta is a classic no-bake Argentine dessert, strongly influenced by Italian tiramisu. This South American chocolate cake is a casual recipe made popular thanks to the simplicity of ingredients and assembly (along with its fabulous taste.)

I came across chocotorta recipes when I was testing homemade methods for how to make dulce de leche (milk caramel) from sweetened condensed milk. I was thrilled to discover it. I've made other Argentine desserts like alfajores de maicena (dulce de leche sandwich cookies) and pasta frola (quince jam tart). This icebox cake recipe is a great addition to the collection.

The cake is made by alternating layers of thin chocolate cookies soaked in coffee with a smooth dulce de leche and cream cheese mixture. It does require about 4 hours of hands-off chilling time in the fridge (allowing the flavors to meld and the cookies to soften). Plan ahead now so you can eat this delight soon!

You'll love how easy it is to put together this simple no bake icebox cake - and bonus, the flavor and texture of the cake only gets better with time! This recipe uses two homemade components: chocolate wafer cookies and dulce de leche.

In order to make the most authentic version possible, I ended up developing the chocolate wafer cookie recipe in order to most closely approximate Chocolinas, the Argentine chocolate cookies used in this traditional dessert.

Don't be put off by the amount of dulce de leche and cream cheese. When first researching the ingredients, I was wary of this dessert being far too rich.

Surprise! When combined, the tang of the cream cheese mixes with the sweet caramel flavor of the dulce de leche to form a taste and texture reminiscent of caramel cheesecake.

The bitter edge of the strongly brewed coffee and dark bite from the Dutch cocoa in the cookies offset the creamy sweetness perfectly. After their brief coffee bath and a blanket of dulce de leche cream, the cookies magically transform into moist layers of chocolate cake.

Keep this recipe on hand whenever you need a simple no bake dessert that tastes divine.

Ingredients

* See recipe card for detailed ingredients list and quantities.

Chocolate wafer cookies - I developed a chocolate wafer cookie recipe since it can be difficult to find them at the grocery store. (Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, the closest US version, were discontinued.)

Thin, crispy, and full of cocoa flavor, chocolate wafer cookies are often used for cheesecake and pie crusts, and layered in icebox cakes. The classic Argentine chocotorta recipe uses Chocolinas, sweet rectangular chocolate cookies.

Use my wafer cookie shortcut to make cut-to-fit slabs that will fit your chocotorta pan perfectly, saving you loads of time and energy.

You will need a triple batch of chocolate wafer cookies for this recipe. Click on the 3x button on the recipe card to make them all at once (using a mixer) or in quick single batches in a food processor.

Dulce de leche - Dulce de leche goes by many names, including candied or sweet milk, boiled condensed milk, condensed milk caramel, caramelized milk, and even milk jam.

It's a rich, creamy, golden brown confection made by slowly heating cow milk and sugar (or sweetened condensed milk, in this case) for several hours until it has the color and consistency of a very thick caramel.

You can buy it in cans (Nestle La Lechera is one brand), or make homemade dulce de leche as I do in the Instant Pot. Stovetop and slow cooker methods are also provided.

You'll need one full can of dulce de leche. If you'd like to pipe additional dulce de leche on the top of the cake as decoration (as seen in the photos), you'll need part of a second can.

Cream cheese - I use full fat cream cheese for the rich texture and flavor it provides. Feel free to use American Neufchatel cheese if you'd like a lighter version.

Coffee - The wafer cookies are dipped into strongly brewed (cold) coffee to add dark flavor and additional moisture to this layered icebox dessert. If you prefer to avoid caffeine, use your favorite decaffeinated coffee.

Dark chocolate - I use a 72% dark chocolate bar, which is on the darker end.

I try to avoid using chocolate chips, as they often contain fillers intended to prevent them from melting and losing shape, and may impact the texture and consistency.

Heavy cream - For the ganache, use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. Don't substitute with milk, half and half, or other similar consistency non-dairy milks. They don't have the fat content required to create a thick ganache.

Instructions

Step by step instructions and visual tips below. Detailed instructions in recipe card.

* Note that these photos show individual cookies, but my updated chocolate wafer cookie recipe provides a time-saving slab cookie option.

Before assembling the cake, I recommend dry fitting the chocolate wafer cookie slabs into the square pan to trim edges as needed so that you get a good fit. A sharp serrated knife works well to trim the cookie edges.

Beat the cream cheese at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the dulce de leche and mix for 30 seconds. Set aside.

Dip cookie slabs into coffee. Flip the slab so both sides are wet. Place into the pan, lining the base of the pan with a full layer of cookie.

Dip chocolate wafer cookie slab just long enough to absorb a bit of the coffee liquid, but not so much that it's wet, spongy and falling apart. You want it to continue soaking up moisture from the dulce de leche cream cheese mixture once arranged in layers.

Scoop ⅕ of the dulce de leche mixture onto the cookie layer.

Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the dulce de leche cream in an even layer, fully extending it to the edges of the pan.

Cover the dulce de leche cream layer with another layer of coffee dipped cookie, pressing gently into the cream layer.

Repeat layering process, alternating until you've used all ingredients. You should have 6 cookie layers and 5 cream layers. Place into refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 30 minutes before making chocolate ganache.

Make ganache. Pour onto top of cake and use a small offset spatula to smooth ganache flat. Cover pan with aluminum foil and chill in refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.

Using the parchment paper, lift the cake out of the pan and place on a serving platter. Cut away the excess parchment paper prior to serving.

If desired, pipe room temperature dulce de leche in a decorative border around the cake. Add chocolate pearls along the edge as additional decoration.

History

This layered dessert was first created in 1982, when a young Argentine advertising director, Marité Mabragaña, was responsible for managing two key brands: Bagley Chocolinas cookies, and Mendicrim, a dairy brand that produced a soft, spreadable cream cheese.

To promote the two brands, she created an approachable recipe using one of the most famous ingredients in Argentina, dulce de leche, together with the chocolate cookies and cream cheese.

It was so simple to make (and so delicious) that it quickly became a very popular informal homemade dessert. Watch one of the original TV advertisements.

Substitutions

Chocolate Wafer Cookies - I recommend using a 4x batch of my chocolate wafer cookies. They're the perfect flavor, texture and thickness for this recipe. A single recipe yield is quite small; please don't be scared by the idea of a quadruple batch! They're very easy to make.

They have none of the processed ingredients that packaged cookies contain. You can also choose the shape - I've developed a slab baking method that comes out just as crisp and delicious as individual cookies and saves lots of time for layered desserts.

If you prefer to purchase chocolate cookies, Argentine galletas Chocolinas (Bagley brand) are used in the original recipe. If you have access to an international grocery store, you might also try British (Kedem brand) chocolate flavor tea biscuits, or Turkish (Ülker brand) cocoa tea biscuits. You can also use Goya Chocolate Maria Cookies, which are somewhat thicker.

Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers are now discontinued.

Some recipes use Oreo cookies as a Chocolinas substitute, either with the filling, or with the middle scraped off. I personally think either would be much too sweet. I prefer the dark chocolate flavor in the chocolate wafer cookie recipe. Also, if using whole Oreos, you would need a taller pan to accommodate the additional height.

Cream Cheese - You can substitute part or all of the cream cheese with mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone has a similar creamy texture and consistency and a higher fat content.

Alternatively, you can make a lighter recipe by substituting American Neufchatel cheese in place of full fat cream cheese. Neufchatel cheese has about 10% less fat than cream cheese.

Coffee - You can replace the coffee with decaffeinated coffee if you prefer to avoid caffeine. You can also replace the coffee with milk or chocolate milk. (I enjoy the coffee flavor as it helps to balance the sweetness of the dulce de leche cream layer.)

Variations

If you want to try variations on this classic Argentine dessert, consider the following:

• Spiked - Add a few tablespoons of coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua), rum, bourbon or port to the coffee. Or try port wine - the original recipe for chocotorta used port!
• Crunchy - Sprinkle finely chopped toasted nuts onto each dulce de leche cream layer for added texture and nutty flavor. Consider toasted pecans, hazelnuts or peanuts.
• Kid friendly - Use milk or chocolate milk in place of the coffee soak.
• Cocoa dusted - Rather than finishing with a layer of ganache, reserve a bit of the dulce de leche cream to thinly coat the top layer of cookies. Dust the top with cocoa powder as a nod to Italian tiramisu.

Equipment

8 inch square pan - I use an 8 inch (20 cm) square metal pan from USA Bakeware for this recipe. The pan is 2¼ inches (5.7 cm) tall. By the time the layers are stacked, it's filled almost to the top.

A small offset spatula makes spreading the dulce de leche cream layer easier. I also use it to smooth out the chocolate ganache topping. It's an indispensable tool for frosting cakes as well.

To pipe the dulce de leche border, I use a 16 inch piping bag with a Wilton 4B open star tip.

Storage

Store: Keep the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Can you really freeze this? Yes! I placed a wrapped slice in the freezer for several days as a test. I defrosted it in the refrigerator. It was equally delicious.

I don't recommend making the entire cake in advance and freezing for a later date. However, freezing leftovers is fine.

Small batch tips

Don't need 12 servings? You can make a small batch. Simply reduce all the ingredients by half and make the recipe in a small loaf pan. Use the convenient ½x button on the recipe card.

You will only need 2 batches of chocolate wafer cookies. One can of dulce de leche will be enough for both the filling and the decoration.

Double batch tips

Do you need a larger version for a crowd? Double all the ingredients and make the recipe in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Use the convenient 2x button on the recipe card.

You will need 8 batches of chocolate wafer cookies (sounds like a lot, but it's a small recipe to start), 2 cans of dulce de leche, and an additional can for optional decoration.

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