One of the best desserts of the world: Chocotorta

We don’t know about you, but to try the best desserts of the world is one of the most important things in our bucket list. That is why today, we are going to explore the Chocotorta worldwide phenomenon.

Chocotorta is a sweet, classic, Argentine no-bake cake, super easy to make, and ideal for cooking beginners. It is made with just three main ingredients, and only one of them is typical and %100 original from Argentina. But before discussing how simple and delicious it is, we are going to dive a little into its history.

The history of Chocotorta

About 40 years ago, a publicist named Marité Mabragaña was an employee for a famous Argentine agency, one that worked with the most important brands in the country. She was an editor and a creative director for Bagley, the owners and manufacturers of the chocolate cookies “Chocolinas”, and also for Mendizábal, the owners and manufacturers of the cream-cheese “Mendicream”.

She remembers improvising the cake for a birthday celebration at the office with the sole intention of treating her work partners with something sweet. She came to the idea by putting two of her favorite things together: the chocolate cookies “Chocolinas”, soaked in coffee and the mix of equal parts of Cream Cheese “Mendicream” and Dulce de Leche. The body and shape of the cake were inspired by the Italian classic Tiramisú. Everyone loved it so much she had to make two more the same day!

That is when in order to make something out of it; she decided to take the idea to her clients from Bagley and Mendizabal. Of course, she did it by presenting her creation in every meeting she had.

Both companies were fascinated with the compelling idea, but the commercial that made the cake widely popular couldn’t see the light for a year. It was hard because at the moment, Co-Branding didn’t exist as we know it today, which made reaching an equal agreement between each of the companies a very difficult task.

Once the commercial was out, Chocotorta was an immediate success. An easy to make cake that didn’t involve an oven in the making, perfect for introducing kids –and men- to the kitchen, and made with two of the most favorite things of every Argentinean heart: Dulce de Leche and “Chocolinas”

Later, she sadly confessed she wasn’t properly credited for the idea. As we know, advertising agencies in the past weren’t the fairest place to work at and all the money that the companies made stayed at the companies.

The best dessert of the world

With 4.8 stars, Taste Atlas gave the title of 'The best dessert of the world' to the Chocotorta. Followed by Gelato al Pistacchio (Pistacho ice cream) from Italy, and the Apfelkuehen (Apple cake) from Germany. Along with this first place, Taste Atlas also considered Buenos Aires as one of the three Best Traditional Food cities.

It certainly brought a lot of attention to the cake, putting it on the spotlight of desserts. Although there are still ongoing debates on whether it belongs to the desserts category or not since it is technically a no-bake cake, it remains irrevocably delicious.

Even if it is not yet widely popular all around the world, you can find it at almost any Argentine and South American restaurant. Or you can make it at home!

Chocotorta Recipe:

Enough talking about it, we are going to give you the recipe of the best and easiest cake of the world. If you want to surprise your loved ones with this delicious and amazing dessert, pay attention to the special tips and secrets at the end!

Ingredients (12 servings)

• 600g dulce de leche
• 600g cream cheese
• 750g chocolate cookies (3 layers), 250ml coffee, sweetened to taste

Decoration (optional)

• 300g of dulce de leche and cream cheese (150g each)
• chocolate shavings

Steps

• 1.Mix the dulce de leche and cream cheese on low speed for two minutes — preferably, leave the cream cheese at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before, so it's easier to mix.
• 2.On a 20*20 baking pan, start assembling the cake. Dip each cookie shortly in coffee, and then place it on the bottom of the pan, creating a layer of cookies.
• 3.After you placed the first layer of cookies, spread it with a thin layer of the mixture you made with Dulce de Leche and cream cheese.
• 4.Repeat the last step at least four times.
• 5.Take it to the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.
• 6.For decorating the cake, spread a thin layer of the same mixture of the filling and then add chocolate shavings.

Special tips and secrets!

• The most important secret and tip for a perfect Chocotorta is to let it rest in the refrigerator! This detail not only makes the cookies tastier, but also, gives a good consistence to the cake.
• Another cool tip is that, depending on your age, you can also dip the cookies in a fortified sweet wine like Oporto. Or if you are making it for kids, you can dip them in chocolate milk.
• You can add ice cream on top or in one of the layers.

-

We hope you get to enjoy Chocotorta as much as we do, and get interested in more of our typical Argentine dishes.

Want to try out Chocotorta?
Find your Dulce de Leche, Chocolinas and Coffe online here !

-

Client's opinions on Pampa Direct:

''Hello! I love your stuff! My mom is from Argentina so I just ordered a lot of her childhood candies! I can't wait till my package comes here. Just wanted to say thank you for making this possible. Bringing a bit of Argentina home is a blessing.''

''¡Hola! ¡Me encantan sus productos! Mi mamá es Argentina y acabo de perdir todas las golosinas que ella comía en su infancia. No puedo esperar a que llegue el paquete. ¡Gracias por hacer esto posible! Poder traer un pedacito de Argentina a casa es una bendición.''

''Muchísimas gracias. ¡Todo se ve perfecto! Muchas gracias, también, por las sorpresas: los caramelos media hora, el bon o bon y los nugaton. ¡Súper recomendable la página! ¡Los precios son muy accesibles!''

''Thank you so much! Everything looks perfect! Also, thank you for the surprise candies & sweets. I will definitely recommend the website. The prices are super accessible!''