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A side view of a rectangular piece of chocotorta icebox cake showing the alternating chocolate cookie layers and the dulce de leche cream cheese layers. The cake rests on a beige ceramic plate on a tan stone surface. Another slice and a bowl of dulce de leche are out of focus in the background.
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Chocotorta

Chocotorta is a classic no bake Argentinian cake recipe that layers coffee-dipped chocolate cookies with a smooth dulce de leche cream cheese mixture. This recipe uses homemade chocolate wafer cookies and homemade dulce de leche for a delicious and easy Argentinian dessert. It's an icebox cake inspired by Italian tiramisu - and the flavors only get better with time!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Argentine
Prep Time 45 minutes
Chill Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 45 minutes
Servings 12 slices (8 inch | 20 cm square pan)
Author Kathleen Culver

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 452 grams (16 ounces) cream cheese room temperature
  • 396 grams (14 ounces) dulce de leche room temperature (click for recipe)
  • 375 mL (1½ cups) coffee strongly brewed, room temperature
  • 4 batches (900 grams, 32 ounces) chocolate wafer cookies use cut-to-fit slab method (click for recipe)
  • 108 mL (¼ cup + 3 Tablespoons) heavy cream
  • 57 grams (2 ounces, ⅓ cup) dark chocolate finely chopped (I used a 72% chocolate bar)

Optional decoration

  • 132 grams (4.7 ounces) dulce de leche (optional) for piped decorations, room temperature (about ⅓ of a can)
  • chocolate pearls (optional)

Instructions

  • Line an 8 inch square (20 cm) metal baking pan with two crosswise pieces of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides to lift out the cake.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl. Add the dulce de leche and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated and no lumps remain. Turn mixer to high and beat for 30 seconds. Set aside.
    452 grams (16 ounces) cream cheese, 396 grams (14 ounces) dulce de leche
  • Place the cooled coffee into a shallow container (larger than the cookie slabs) with a flat base. Dip one wafer cookie slab into coffee, carefully flipping to make sure both sides are wet. Place into bottom of pan.
    375 mL (1½ cups) coffee, 4 batches (900 grams, 32 ounces) chocolate wafer cookies
  • Scoop ⅕ of the dulce de leche mixture (approximately 170 grams, if using a digital scale) 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 this process, alternating layers of coffee dipped cookie with additional ⅕ portions of the dulce de leche cream until both are gone, ending with a layer of cookie on top.
    You should have 6 layers of wafer cookie and 5 layers of dulce de leche cream.
  • Place into the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 30 minutes before making chocolate ganache.
  • In a two quart saucepan, heat cream until almost simmering. Remove from heat and add finely chopped dark chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute, and then gently and slowly whisk until all chocolate has melted and no lumps remain.
    108 mL (¼ cup + 3 Tablespoons) heavy cream, 57 grams (2 ounces, ⅓ cup) dark chocolate
  • Pour ganache onto top of cake and use a small offset spatula to smooth ganache flat.
  • Cover the pan with aluminum foil, making sure not to let foil touch ganache layer. Place in refrigerator to chill 4 hours or overnight.
  • Using the parchment paper, lift the cake out of the pan and place on a serving platter. Cut away the excess parchment paper.

Optional decoration

  • If desired, use a 16 inch piping bag fitted with an open star tip (I used a Wilton 4B) to pipe room temperature dulce de leche in a decorative border around the cake.
    132 grams (4.7 ounces) dulce de leche
  • To make the shell shapes as pictured, hold piping bag at a 45 degree angle. Place tip near cake border, squeeze firmly to make a star, and then stop squeezing and lower tip while pulling towards center of cake to form a point.
  • Optional - add chocolate pearls along the edge as additional decoration.
    chocolate pearls

Notes

  • I use an 8 inch square metal pan for this recipe - and for most of my bar cookies.
  • My pan is 2.25 inches tall. By the time the layers are stacked, it's filled almost to the top. Make sure your pan is tall enough to accommodate all the layers.
  • This recipe uses an updated version of my chocolate wafer cookie recipe, which has a time saving slab-baking method for large, quick layers.
  • The chocolate wafer cookie recipe has a small yield, so you will need 4 batches of the cookies for 6 full layers of 8 inch square wafer slabs. It seems like a lot, but it's really not! You can make several batches at a time for ease. I promise it's worth it.
  • Have your cream cheese and dulce de leche at room temperature in order to mix them together easily without lumps.
  • Don't soak the chocolate wafer slabs for so long that they get soft. Dip just long enough to absorb a bit of the coffee liquid, but not enough that they're spongy and falling apart.
  • The wafer layers will continue to soak up moisture from the dulce de leche cream cheese mixture once stacked.
  • Once assembled, the chocotorta needs to chill for 4 hours in order to let the cookies soften and meld the flavors. I've included this in the total recipe time.