AI-generated image
Torta de bolacha
No-bake biscuit and custard cake
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
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 oz cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 oz cornflour
- 1 oz cocoa powder
- ⅔ oz butter
For the layers
- 14 oz Maria biscuitsor other plain round tea biscuits
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp chocolate sprinkles (optional)to decorate
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (4)
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
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
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.