Chocotorta Yerba Icebox Cake
Measurements can be approximated, it is a very forgiving recipe! It can be as many or as few layers as you want.
Traditionally, Chocotorta is made with layers of cream cheese and dulce de leche in a 1:1 ratio and Chocolinas cookies, which are dipped in chocolate milk or coffee or something-spiked. In my version, I infuse yerba mate in each layer and reduce the amount of dulce de leche, which makes the dessert less sweet, giving space for the yerba mate to shine.
Ingredients:
2 bags of Bagley’s Chocolinas Galletitas de Chocolate
A few spoonfuls of Dulce de leche. Alternatively, a non-milk based caramel also works!
Yerba Mate Pastry Cream (seen below)
Optional add ins from recipes above: Yerba mate meringues, Yerba mate sugar shards
Cream Cheese-Whipped Cream
4oz full fat cream cheese
1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
Granulated or Powdered Sugar (to taste, for whipped cream)
1 vanilla bean or 1tsp vanilla extract
Yerba Mate infused milk
2 cups whole milk
Yerba Mate cocido teabags (Taragui Brand)
Instructions:
Prepare Cream Cheese-Whipped Cream: combine cream cheese, a pinch of salt, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Adjust sugar to taste. Beat until fluffy, smooth, and firm peaks form.
Prepare Yerba Mate Infused Milk: gently heat whole milk (in microwave or on the stove) until warm, and steep yerba mate cocido teabags in it
Assemble the Icebox Cake: Inside a cake pan or on a plate, arrange the first layer, which consists of cookies dipped in milk: dip chocolinas in yerba mate infused milk, then place them side-by-side. Repeat until there is a layer of dipped chocolinas on the bottom of the cake pan. Then, pipe cream cheese-whipped cream on top of chocolinas and drizzle dulce de leche over the cream.
Arrange the second layer: repeat the first layer, replacing the cream with the yerba mate pastry cream.
Repeat these layers until you run out of ingredients. Add yerba mate meringues inside of the cake as an optional layer. Top the cake with yerba mate sugar shards.
Chill in the fridge overnight and enjoy the next day!
Yerba Mate Pastry Cream (makes around 2 cups of pastry cream with a mild yerba mate flavor).
Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
100g European butter
100g granulated sugar
2.5 cups whole milk
28g cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
1 vanilla bean
A few tablespoons of Yerba Mate, loose leaf
3 teabags Yerba Mate cocido (Taragui Brand)
Instructions:
Prepare the yerba mate powder: Place loose leaf yerba mate in a food processor and blend until it becomes a very fine powder. Then, sift the powder through a fine mesh strainer to remove any larger leaf particles
In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and 1 tbsp of yerba mate powder. Whisk until the egg yolks are pale, smooth, and fluffy
In a saucepan, combine milk, vanilla, and 3 teabags of Yerba Mate cocido over medium heat, until it simmers.
Immediately remove saucepan from heat. Temper the egg mixture by pouring the milk into the egg yolks with a slow stream while constantly whisking.
Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and starts to bubble—about 2–3 minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in the butter
To cool, pour into a bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until completely chilled—at least 2 hours.
Yerba Mate Sugar Shards (makes about 1/2 to 3/4 cups) The shards turn out to be a beautiful green color, perfect for decorating cakes and desserts!
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp Yerba Mate powder or loose-leaf Yerba Mate
Instructions:
Prepare the yerba mate powder: Place loose leaf yerba mate in a food processor and blend until it becomes a very fine powder. Then, sift the powder through a fine mesh strainer to remove any larger leaf particles
Combine water, sugar, and 1 tbsp yerba mate powder into a saucepan. Heat on medium-low without stirring, and let it simmer for ~10-15 minutes, until the sugar starts to change color and caramelize
Pour sugar onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Let it cool and harden completely, around 45 minutes. Crinkle the parchment paper/smash it to create shards
Store in an air-tight container
Yerba Mate Meringues (makes one sheet pan’s worth of meringues, depending on the size you make them)
Ingredients:
2 egg whites at room temperature
½ tsp white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
A few tablespoons of Yerba Mate powder or loose-leaf Yerba Mate
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 200°F or 90 °C
Prepare the yerba mate powder: Place loose leaf yerba mate in a food processor and blend until it becomes a very fine powder. Then, sift the powder through a fine mesh strainer to remove any larger leaf particles
Combine all the ingredients, then add 2–4 tablespoons of yerba mate powder. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 200°F for around 2 hours, or until meringues are dry to touch and easily lift off of the parchment