CHOCOLATE COOKIES LAYERED CAKE (RECIPE)
Yes, it's gonna snow in the Caribbean... I'm actually posting a recipe today!
This is an Argentinean classic. Might look like a tiramisu, but luckily, it isn't. Luckily because I hate tiramisu. It has cream. Cream triggers my migraines and ladyfinger biscuits soaked in coffee are simply disgusting.
Anyway, Choco-cake (Chocotorta), that's what we call it and I had never had any until a couple of years ago, when I started making peace with sweets, though I still don't like them most of the time. By the way, the pictures you see... it's a new Choco-cake making method. It's called DOING IT WRONG!
The real Choco-cake is a lot simpler and I will describe it in detail because it's the kind of cake even a 3 year old can make. I was giving it a try for Gabe's birthday the year before last because he was soooo into it and wanted that cake and blah blah. Anyway, I fished these old photos just to show how NOT to make it LOL. I'll try to explain the right method and might upload more pictures the next time I make it. Turns out it's quite yummy when you do it right, even if you don't like sweets. But I can't eat much of it or I get headaches so blah.
What you need:
* 350grs of Dulce de leche
* 350grs of mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese if you can't help it)
* 2 family packs of Chocolinas cookies or equivalent (that's roughly 500grams)
* A cup of very light instant coffee/chocolate milk if you can't drink caffeine like me
* A 3 inch deep square/rectangular tray
* Plastic wrap
Instructions:
* Wrap the inside of the tray in plastic wrap. Thoroughly mix the dulce de leche and mascarpone cheese in a bowl. If the dulce de leche is too thick, add a little milk to it and mix until it becomes more loose, the consistency of... well of dulce de leche.
* Place the coffee OR chocolate milk in a shallow bowl so you can dip the cookies there before placing them in the tray.
* Do so and make a bottom layer. If you're going to turn it upside down later, make sure the pretty side is down. Otherwise, keep the pretty side up. This cake isn't famous for its looks after all =P Don't wait for them to drain the excess liquid. Those cookies are so dry, they're gonna need all the moisture they can get, so it's okay if you place them in the tray dripping a little and if tiny pools of coffee form, be happy. If the bottom layer is still too dry, sprinkle it a bit with the coffee or chocolate milk.
* Spread a generous layer of the dulce de leche-mascarpone cheese mix over the base of the cake. Repeat the previous step and then this step over and over until you're done with the cake. Ideally, it would be 4-6 cookies high with an average of 5 in most cases (depending on the size of your pan). I usually buy three cookie packs so I can discard (eat) the ones that break and have enough for an extra top layer because I like them high.
* Put in the fridge for at least 5 hours before serving. Try to serve small, even tiny portions (the size of a cookie, is ok) because this cake is really too much for most people, even those who love sweets. It makes you feel full too soon and it's better to have them asking for seconds than throwing away a lot of unwanted cake.
Beware: It's so yummy that if you make a small cake while entertaining a large group of people chances are they will start a feud over who got to eat seconds and who didn't because there wasn't enough cake hehehe. Four adults can totally kill it in one go if they're hungry and have a sweet tooth.
