Easy Chocotorta Recipe

If you’ve been to a kid’s birthday party in Argentina, you’ve had chocotorta.

And no, it’s as simple as a chocolate cake.

It is something very specific and very uniquely Argentina.

We just celebrated my son’s third birthday and it was the first year that we threw a proper party.

For his cake I made him a chocotorta and in doing so, I feel like I was officially initiated into the ranks of “Argentine mothers.”

And easily, Chocotorta has only three ingredients and requires ZERO baking, so back away from the oven.

This is a low effort, high calorie treat that will make your kid happy or any homesick grown-up Argentine happy.

You can make your Chocotorta beautiful like this stock photo by laying out the cookies and piping the dulce de leche or… you can follow my recipe and make a less beautiful but equally tasty cake! Let’s go!

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Argentina Chocotorta Recipe

A chocolate cake the has only three ingredients and requires no baking?

Count me in.

Here’s how to make this easy crowd pleaser.

Scroll to the end for the recipe card for detailed instructions and ingredients.

Or keep reading first for just a few tips and tricks like substitution options if you’re not in Argentina.

Chocotorta: Serving dish & Portion sizes

For my cake, I used a 9×13 inch glass Pyrex baking dish.

To fill that dish I had four layers of Chocolinas and I used 600 grams of each DDL/Queso.

I did have to break off the cookies for the final row, don’t stress about esthetics here.

The dulce de leche covers it up. You’ll never notice uneven cookies.

I used up nearly the entire packets (two total) of Chocolinas so avoid the temptation to snack as you go.

Of course, this is the sort of cake that allows you to use any size and shape of pan or serving dish. Make it your own.

You could even make individual cakes, whatever you want! It will taste delicious no matter what.

Chocolina Substitutions

Subsitution options for chocolinas are a bit tough as it’s a hard cookie to re-create.

I’d compare it closest to an Oreo without the cream filling (but who has a cake-full of filling free Oreos lying around?).

You could use another, non-chocolate cookie, like even Lincoln’s here in Argentina but – obviously – it takes away the CHOCO part of the Chocotorta.

Lucky for you, you can get Chocolinas on Amazon from most places, so this is hopefully a non-issue.

Queso Crema Substitutions

Queso crema like Casancrem in Argentina is NOT like the Philadelphia cream cheese in the US.

The closest copy of that here would be Finlandia (and that’s what I use for making cake frostings).

Casancrem and similar brands – Mendicrem, Tregar, etc. – are lighter and unique to anything I’d had back in the states.

It’s closest in texture to sour cream, but it is NOT sour cream.

Actually, to continue giving unrelated tips, adding a healthy squeeze of lemon juice to Casancrem is a decent-ish sub for sour cream here in Buenos Aires in a pinch.

Back to the issue at hand… If you can’t find Casancrem for your chocotorta recipe, what should you use?

Not sour cream and not Philadelphia…

I’ve seen a lot of recipes recommend using Mascarpone.

I have not tried it myself but I do think it would offer the closest flavor and texture that you’re looking for.

What to dip with?

When dipping the chocolinas, what should you use?

I like to dip the cookies in milk.

It doesn’t add anymore to the richness of an already rich cake and it does the job in making the cookies soft and more cake-like.

Some recipes allow for chocolate milk but it’s rich enough without adding even more chocolate.

Some recipes call for port, similar to a Tiramisu, but this is largely a cake for children so let’s leave the booze out unless you’re making this for a dinner party.

You can also choose to skip the dip all together, and let the DDL/Cheese mixture do the softening for you.

I’d only do this if you know the cake will sit for a long time before you serve it.

I really prefer a chocotorta without any crunch and dipping the cookies in milk gives it that cakey texture.

A chocotorta presented on a white plate placed on a white and red checkered napkin

Easy Chocotorta Recipe

Yield: 18 portions
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

This easy Chocotorta recipe is a no-bake, simple 3 ingredient no-bake cake ideal for kid's birthdays (and for the big kids among us).

Ingredients

  • 2 packets of Chocolinas
  • 600 grams Dulce de Leche Repostero
  • 600 grams Casancrem
  • Milk for dipping cookies

Instructions

  1. Mix together equal parts dulce de leche repostero and your queso crema of choice. Blend very well! I found 600 grams of each to be enough, but you do not want to skimp here.
  2. Spread a thin layer on the bottom of your pan
  3. Dip your cookies one by one, placing them on top of the first layer of mixture as you go, very much like a dessert lasagna noodle
  4. Spread a generous layer of dulce de leche/queso crema.
  5. Alternate cookies/mixture layers until finished.
  6. Have 4 layers of cookies, minimum. It's always enough for me, but more will never hurt.
  7. Make sure to top with a generous spread of your dulce de leche mixture.
  8. Otional: I like to grate dark chocolate over the of the cake for appearance and extra flavor.
  9. Let cake rest a minimum of 3 hours before serving for the cookies to soften, it's best if left overnight.

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