AI-generated image
Torta de bolacha
Torta de bolacha: Rio Grande do Sul's no-bake cake of milk-dipped biscuits layered with vanilla and chocolate cream
Gaúcho birthday tables almost always carry a torta de bolacha, the fridge cake that grandmothers in Porto Alegre and the Serra Gaúcha towns put together the night before. Plain Maria biscuits are dipped in sweet milk and stacked with two stovetop creams, one pale vanilla custard and one chocolate, until the biscuits soften into something close to sponge. It is cool, soft and very sweet, and slices best after a night in the fridge; serve it with coffee or as the birthday cake itself, with candles on top. It contains egg yolks and wheat biscuits. Most failures come from soaking the biscuits too long: they should be dipped for a second, not left to swim, or the layers collapse into mush. Chef's tip: let both creams cool until just warm before layering, so they stay thick enough to hold the next row of biscuits.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the vanilla cream
For the chocolate cream
For the layers
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (7)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Vanilla cream: in a saucepan off the heat, whisk 2 cups whole milk, 7 oz sweetened condensed milk, 3 egg yolks and 1 oz cornflour until smooth, with no lumps of cornflour.
Step 2: Cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until it bubbles and thickens to a soft custard that holds a trail, about 6 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract, scrape into a bowl and press cling film onto the surface.
6 minStep 3: Chocolate cream: whisk 2 cups whole milk, 7 oz sweetened condensed milk, 1 oz cornflour and 1 oz cocoa powder in a clean pan until smooth.
1 minStep 4: Cook over a medium heat, whisking, until thick and glossy, about 6 minutes. Take off the heat, beat in ⅔ oz butter and cover the surface with cling film. Leave both creams for about 15 minutes until just warm.
6 minStep 5: Stir 1 tbsp sugar into 1 ¼ cups whole milk in a shallow dish. Dip each of 14 oz Maria biscuits for one second on each side and lay them snugly in a 20 × 30 cm dish to cover the base.
Step 6: Spread half the vanilla cream over the biscuits, add another layer of dipped biscuits, then half the chocolate cream. Repeat, finishing with chocolate cream.
Step 7: Scatter over 2 tbsp chocolate sprinkles if using. Cover and chill for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until firm enough to cut clean squares.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does torta de bolacha take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sweetened condensed milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Baklava
The famous layered pastry: crisp sheets of buttered fillo sandwich a filling of almonds, pistachios and cashews spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and saffron. After baking, the hot baklava is soaked in a syrup of sugar, honey, lemon, rose and cardamom and decorated with almond and pistachio flakes. Cut into 40 diamonds; serve with fresh cream or ice cream.
Custard sauce
Proper pouring custard made the easy way with custard powder. It's thick, smooth and lightly sweet, just right with apple pie, crumbles, fruit salad and trifle. Serve it warm, or chill it for trifles.
British
Chocolate sauce
A thick, glossy chocolate sauce made from store-cupboard cocoa and milk, ready in under 10 minutes. Pour it hot over vanilla ice cream, or let it cool and spread it on cakes and puddings.