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Sliced torta chilena on a marble board showing eight thin golden layers glued with dulce de leche and dusted with powdered sugar

Layered Costa Rican Torta Chilena with Dulce de Leche

A Costa Rican layered cake made from eight thin baked pastry rounds stacked with dulce de leche, rested overnight so the layers soften into the caramel.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 9 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Latin American
Calories: 302

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 500 g all-purpose flour (4 cups)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 115 g unsalted butter (1/2 cup); cold, cubed
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar (15 g)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 60 ml fresh orange juice (1/4 cup)
  • 1 tsp lemon zest optional, from 1 lemon
Filling and Topping
  • 600 g dulce de leche (manjar) (about 2 cups); store-bought or homemade
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

Method
 

Make the Dough
  1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Cut the cold, cubed butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
  3. Add the sugar, eggs, orange juice, and lemon zest. Mix with your hands until the dough comes together into a firm ball, then knead for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.
  4. Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  5. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 100 g each. Roll each piece on a lightly floured surface into a thin round, about 20 cm / 8 inches across and 2 mm thick.
Bake and Assemble the Layers
  1. Heat the oven to 190 C / 375 F and line a 13 x 18-inch / 33 x 46 cm sheet pan with parchment.
  2. Bake the dough rounds two at a time for 5 to 6 minutes each batch, until light golden with small brown blisters across the surface. You'll need about 4 batches for all 8 rounds. Watch closely near the end, thin dough goes from golden to burnt fast.
  3. Cool each baked layer completely on a wire rack, about 10 minutes, before stacking. Warm layers crack when you spread the filling.
  4. Set one baked layer on a cake stand and spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of dulce de leche evenly to the edges. Repeat with the remaining layers, ending with a plain layer on top.
  5. Cover the stacked cake loosely and let it rest at room temperature for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, so the layers soften into the filling.
  6. Dust the top with powdered sugar just before serving. Slice into wedges with a warm, dry knife.

Notes

  • Make the dough a day ahead, it rolls out easier once fully chilled.
  • Bring dulce de leche to room temperature before spreading so it doesn't tear the dough.
  • Uneven dough thickness means uneven baking, roll each round with the same pressure.
  • The overnight rest is not optional, it's what turns crackly layers into a proper cake.