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Pilar's Chilean Food & Garden

Pilar's Chilean Food & Garden

A recipe blog by a Chilean living in the USA

  • Chilean
    • Chilean Appetizers & Beverages
    • Chilean Breads
    • Chilean Breakfast
    • Chilean Cakes & Bakes
    • Chilean Cookies & Candy
    • Chilean Desserts
    • Chilean Jams & Jellies
    • Chilean Meat
    • Chilean Once
    • Chilean Pasta, Rice & Potatoes
    • Chilean Poultry
    • Chilean Salads
    • Chilean Sandwich
    • Chilean Seafood
    • Chilean Soups & Starters
    • Chilean Vegetables
  • Other Cuisines
    • Argentinian Food
    • Peruvian Food
    • US American food
    • Mexican food
    • Latin American Food
  • Savory
    • Breakfast
      • Eggs
    • Appetizers
      • Cocktails
    • Entrees
      • Beef
      • Empanadas (EN)
      • Chicken
      • Fish
      • Pork
      • Shellfish
        • Langostino Recipes
    • Side dishes
      • Pasta
      • Rice
      • Potatoes
    • Vegetables
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches (en)
    • Soups
    • Breads
  • Sweet
    • Cakes & Bakes
    • Kuchen
    • Candy
    • Chocolate
    • Cookies
    • Cupcakes
    • Desserts
      • Lucuma Recipes
    • Jam, Frosting & Jellies
    • Pies
    • Sweet bread
  • Gardening
  • Español

Chilean Cakes & Bakes

Chileans are famously sweet obsessed. We have a long tradition of sweets, and many are still made at home. Sugar was introduced by the Spaniards and was very expensive until the local production of sugar beets took root.

The biggest influences on cakes came from Europe. First, the Spanish nuns and the adoption of the dulce de leche (called Manjar in Chile), Huevo mol, and merengue. The Milhojas cake and all the pastries known as Dulces Chilenos: Chilenitos, Alfajores, Conejos, Palitas, Mil Hojas manjar huevo mol, berlines, Pear Empanadas, and Merenguitos con manjar.

In the late 1800s, several waves of immigrants from Germany and East Europe brought traditional cakes like Black Forest Cake, kuchens, fruitcakes, and strudels.

During the 1900s, Arabs came to Chile, especially Palestinians, and brought their pastries. There are excellent baklavas and Aristelos (Namoura semolina cake) to be had in Chile too.

Today going to a bakery to get a cake is a fun adventure. Birthday cakes are hugely important, and it is not weird to tell people what cake you are having or debate it with family and friends. You need to decide if you want:

  • Torta de milhojas Thousand layer cake, Pompadour, Cielo (Heaven), Amor or Mixta
  • Torta de Panqueque, a cake with thin layers of spongy cake with many different fillings Panqueque Naranja (orange), Panqueque Trufa, Panqueque manjar nuez (Dulce de leche and walnut), etc
  • Bizcocho (soft cake with Chantilly cream and fresh fruits), Torta de Frutillas (strawberries) con crema, Torta de Piña (pineapple).
  • Torta de Merengue, meringue layers with Chantilly cream and fresh fruits Merengue Lucuma, Merengue Frambuesa (raspberry or strawberry), Merengue Castaña (Chestnut).
  • or other: Alfajor cake, Tres Leches cake, and much more.

In Chile, buttercream and fondant cakes are not popular, but some bakeries will do it upon request.
The word Torta in Chile applies only to layered cakes. Torta in Mexico is a sandwich.
Popular sweets to make at home for Once are: Brazo de Reina, Pie de limón, Panqueques con manjar, and any pound cake or bundt cake your imagination can picture.

Some recommendations for bakeries in Santiago, Chile:

  • For Dulces Chilenos Dulcería Montolín
  • For Tortas de Panqueques and Merengue Dulcería Las Palmas
  • For Milhojas Tortas Angélicas
  • Other bakeries: Riesco.

Apple Chocolate Kuchen

German Walnut Kuchen

Poppy seed layer cake.

Poppy Seed Layer Cake

Chestnut Meringue Cake

Merengue Castaña Chestnut Cake

Torta Pompadour Banana Milhojas Cake

Pan de Pascua Chilean Dulce de leche Fruitcake

Rustic German Apple Kuchen

Kuchen de Migas Chilean Apple Crumb

Thin Layers Chocolate Cake (Torta de panqueque)

Thin Layers Panqueque Chocolate Cake

Easy Cherry Kuchen

Panqueque Manjar Nuez Dulce de Leche Walnut Layer Cake

Queque de Miel de Palma (Palm Honey Cake)

Chestnut Meringue Cake

Meringue Discs

Panqueques con Dulce de Leche

German Peach Strudel

Milhojas or Thousand Layers Cake

Easy Torta Pompadour Cake with Puff Pastry

Easy Torta Pompadour Cake with Puff Pastry

Easy Milhojas Cake (no-bake)

Peach Kuchen de Duraznos

Poppy Seed Kuchen

Chilean Pie de Limón Lemon Meringue

Dulce de Leche Meringue Trifle

Brazo de Reina Chilean Dulce de Leche Roll

Chilean Papaya Upside-down Cake

Basic Chilean Bundt Cake

Conejos Chilean Sweet Bread

Lemon Curd Cake

Lucuma Dulce de Leche Puff Pastry

Lucuma Dulce de Leche Puff Pastry

Thin Layer Raspberry Truffle Cake

Thin Layer Raspberry Truffle Cake

Torta Frutillas Strawberries and Cream Cake

Queque de miel Honey Pound Cake

Namoura Semolina Cake

Lucuma Cake with Meringue

Walnut Chocolate Kuchen

Chilean Meringue Cake

Easy Meringue Cake

Chilean Orange Layer Cake

Lucuma Pound Cake

Torta Alfajor Chocolate Cake

Easy German Stollen without Marzipan

Chocolate Fruit Cake

Old Fashioned Fruitcake

Chilean Ricotta Kuchen

Chilean Chilenitos

Chilean Empolvados or Powder puffs

Apple Strudel

Chilean Pan de Pascua

Cielo (Heaven) Cake

Chilean Raspberry Kuchen

German style Cheese Kuchen

Chilean Pear Empanadas

Chilean Pineapple Cake

Chilean Tres Leches Cake

Torta Mixta Raspberry Dulce de Leche Chocolate Cake

Panqueque Naranja Orange Thin Layer Cake

Berliners Pastries

Torta Manjar Nuez Dulce de Leche Walnut Cake

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