Thousand Layers Cake is the most traditional of the Chilean cakes. This particular recipe is from my Great Aunt who would always bake this cake for my birthday present. So, this is yet another of my recipes that feels like home! My Aunt usually makes this cake at least a day in advance, and it will still hold its flavor for 3-4 days.
The most traditional filling is Dulce de Leche and walnuts. But, if you like variety, pastry cream and whipped cream are also used. If you’re looking for something a little less sweet, jams like plum or rhubarb are also excellent.
You may also like this recipe: Easy Dulce de Leche Flan
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Chilean Thousand Layers Cake
The traditional cake of Chile. Layers of thin, crunchy dough and dulce de leche and jam.
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 20
Ingredients
Units
For the dough,
- 3 cups sifted flour
- 250 grams/ 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 egg yolk, room temperature
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon rum or pisco
- 1 pinch of salt
For the filling,
- 3 cups of dulce de leche or caramel (available in Latin supermarkets, I like La Lechera brand sold in cans, usually right next to the condensed milk)
- 2 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add butter in chunks, egg yolks, milk, and liquor, work to form a dough of medium consistency.
- Do not work with your hands. Use a fork or 2 knives, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Do not use your hands because the body heat will melt the butter, and bits of butter remaining in the dough give its crispness. Wrap in plastic wrap and let stand in the fridge overnight for at least 6 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350F or 180C.
- Divide the dough into 14 equal portions. Roll each piece on a floured baking sheet or parchment paper or Silpat until very thin. Using a paring knife, cut circles of 8 – 9″ of diameter. I usually use a plate as a guide. Pierce the circle of dough with a fork across almost the entire surface.
- Bake each circle over an un-greased baking or cookie sheet for 5-7 minutes until golden. Let cool.
- Assemble the cake filling in between each layer with dulce de leche (3-4 tablespoons). Every three layers, add ground walnuts also, saving 1 cup for decoration.
- Cover the whole cake with a thin layer of dulce de leche and sprinkle with a mixture of walnuts, powdered sugar, and crumbs.
- Let it rest well, covered in the fridge. Serve at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Chilean
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 25.1 g
- Sodium: 182.3 mg
- Fat: 24.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 43.6 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 8.1 g
- Cholesterol: 68.7 mg
Keywords: mil hojas, thousand layer cake, chilean cuisine
Hola!!! Soy una CHilena Rancaguina. Hace un tiempo subiste una receta de la torta pompadour estilo angelicas,.. viviendo en Canada en aquel entonces la reproduje y me luci con tus consejos! quiero repetirla pero no la encontre! podrias subirla nuevamente? es de las mejores tortas del mundo y soy muy agradecida de que hayas compartido el secreto… podrias compartirlo nuevamente, porfavor? Hoy ya no estoy en Canada, hace un tiempo volvi a Chile, pero estoy lejos de las tierras celestes… en la Isla grande, saben de comida chilota… pero muy pcoo de tortas ricas!! estara de cumpleaños mi amigo y quisiera sorprenderlo! espero puedas responderme, muuuchas gracias por tus recetas!! saludos
Hola Renata,
Acá esta la receta http://www.enmicocinahoy.cl/2011/08/torta-pompadour-estilo-angelicas-hojarascacrema-chantillymanjar-banana-one-thousand-layers/
Suerte!
Hola ! He hecho esta receta varias veces, sale excelente !!! Mi pregunta es….puedo congelar la masa unos días antes d hacer la torta ?
Ya horneada… nunca he probado, pero lo más fácil es congelar la torta ya lista.
Hi! For the decorations all around the cake – is that just the walnuts and powdered sugar or did you cover it with a crumbled layer. It looked different than the walnuts placed in the filling layers so I wanted to check.
I’ve made this before and it’s amazing! I love how yours is decorated though and I was hoping to mimic that.
Thank you!
Yes, I collect all the crumbs and bake the cuttings from the dough and crumb them for decorating purposes.
Thank you!! 😀
Hi,
I am not a big fan of nuts. Is there anything else I could use? Or is it essential for the cake?
Thanks
You can omit them, the cake will be almost the same. If you worry about being too sweet because of the dulce de leche, add some layers of raspberry or plum jam.
Hi Pilar. You mentioned in an earlier post that it’s okay to freeze the entire cake. What would I wrap it with? Does the texture stay the same after it’s been thawed? Thank you!
Yes, the texture stays the same. You need to wrap it in two layers of plastic film, and then inside a plastic bag. Don’t keep it frozen for more than 2 months.
I tried your recipe and the cake was excellent.Because was my first time I made two batches just in case of any problem but everything went fine,so following your instructions i assemble the cake.
I was so happy .The cake was ligth incredible good
My family enjoyed and was nothing left.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Thanks for coming back and sharing. I’m so glad you enjoy it.
Hi Pilar
I forgot to tell you that I baked the second batche and I frozen the layers wrapped in plastic for five days.
Then I made the second cake and was perfect .The texture did not change.
Great tips. Thanks!
So excited to try to make this. I was an exchange student in Chile in the 1980’s and I LOVED this cake!!
Good luck, and let me any questions here in the comments.
I was also an exchange student in Chile in the 1980s (stayed in Santiago and Punta Arenas and visited Vina del Mar)and I had a different version of this cake while in Punta Arenas. All I remember is that it had a choclate layer on the bottom, mil hojas and manjar in the next layers, then layers that had strawberries or raspberries and maybe cream and covered with icing. I wish I had that recipe. Has anyone heard of this version?
Hi Audra,
That sounds a lot more like this recipe https://www.chileanfoodandgarden.com/easy-thousand-layers-cake/ minus the chocolate.
I accidentally used my hands to make the dough and I put it in the fridge. Will it really affect my layers?
Maybe, difficult to say, because it will depend on way melted the butter got. Sorry.
Once the cake is assembled I want to freeze it, how do you thaw it?
On the fridge overnight, still wrapped.
The cake. Looks delicious I am going to try to make, I would like to know what kind of crumbs I need to use. Thanks
The crumbs on the outside are one of the layers just crumbled.
Do you bake the layers on a cookie sheet? or in the cake pan you used to measure the size?
On a baking sheet or cookie sheet. Thanks for asking I will change the recipe to be more precise. Best,
Loved this recipe, I’ve prepared this cake and it turned out wonderful!! Easier than expected. Thank you Pilar.
Fantastic!
Can i use salted butter for this tortamil hoja
Instead of salt??
Yes, but don’t add more salt to the recipe.
hola me encanto tu receta de pan de pascua me quedo muy rico. voy a probar esta ahora. Desde que deje chile me dan ganas de comer cosas que no venden aca. gracias por compartir tus recetas.
Que bueno Nancy, yo igual acá.
Gracias por la receta, en chile es tan facil encontrar pre hecho el biscocho de la mil hojas, que nunca he intentado hacerla.. vamos a ver como no va!
Cierto, acá en EEUU no queda de otra.
Hi there! What’s the dough called? Puff pastry?
It’s similar to puff pastry, but not at all the same. Is a dough with less butter, more eggs. Elastic and crunchy after baked.
Puff pastry is not a replacement.
Necesito el pastel para el viernes al mediodia. Con cuanto tiempo de anticipacion lo puedo hacer? Lo puedo refrigerar o no?
Gracias!
Lo puedes hacer dos días antes y mantener refrigerado. O lo puedes congelar por hasta 2 meses.
Pilar Una consulta serviría la leche condensada orgánica para hacerla manjar Si la hiervo por dos horas en agua?
Estoy visitando a mis hijos en Los Ángeles USA y no encuentro otra.
Saludos
Nelly
Viene en lata o en tarro, debiera servir. En Los Angeles encuentras manjar Nestlé en tarro en muchos supermercados, tal vez eso sea más fácil.
Hola! Hice esta torta y quedó deliciosa! Gracias por la receta! Quería saber si tú crees que se puede agregar cacao para hacer las sabor milhojas chocolate? 😀
Quieres hacer las hojas de chocolate o la crema? Para las hojas basta con que reemplaces 2-3 cucharadas de harina por cacao.
hi Pilar, I want to try to make this cake, for myself for my birthday 🙂 but dont have rum, any other alcohol I can replace it with? maybe vodka? thanks
Yes, vodka or pisco will do.
Pilar, gracias por tus recetas,voy hacer milhojas Torta
Suerte.
Hola Pilar, puedo reemplazar el licor por otra cosa?
Tiene que ser mantequilla sin sal?
Si, puedes usar mantequilla sin sal, el licor lo puedes reemplazar por jugo de naranja.
Hola Pilar buenos dias, tengo una pregunta mi mejor amiga es chilena y me pidio una torta mil hojas para su cumpleaños
Yo soy Argentina y la mil hojas se hace con hojaldre y esta seria la torta que nosotros llamamos rogel, podrias decirme si tu receta es la original chilena? Desde ya muchas gracias!
Si, esta es la torta que en Chile se conoce como mil hojas y la más tradicional. Es entre el Rogel y el hojaldre de textura. Suerte.
Thanks for this recipe! My wife, also named Pilar, always talks about this cake. Can’t wait to make it for her.
Small world. I hope y’all enjoy it.
Buenos dias Pilar, buscando informacion sobre la famosa Torta Chilena, encontre su website.
Quisiera saber si usted vende este producto, el costo y en donde estan localizados.
Esta receta la hacia mi mama para ocasiones especiales y yo quisiera agradar a mi familia con este delicioso postre.
gracias,
Atentamente, Marlene
Hola Marlene,
No, no vendo ningún producto, lo siento.
Hola. Gracias por la receta, yo hice la masa ayer en la noche pero pienso hacer la torta recien el Lunes, estara buena la masa todavia para el Lunes?
Gracias 🙂
A veces cambia de color, en general o recomiendo dejar la masa tanto tiempo en el refrigerador. Si puedes hornea las hojas hoy y la armas mañana.
Buenisimo
Gracias.
hola! alguna recomendación al untar el dulce de leche para q las hojas no se quiebren?
gracias ☺️
En invierno aunque el manjar dulce de leche este a temperatura ambiente puede estar muy frío para esparcir. Lo puedes pasar a un bol y calentar suavemente en el microonda, de a poco y revolviendo o a baño María.
I loved this cake yummy yum yum !!!!!!!!
★★★★★
I’m glad. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Hi Pilar;
Just discovered your site and look forward to exploring more Chilean cuisine. Last year I had the pleasure of spending 2 months in Chile and partook of a cake (often) that the locals called “Pancakey” (spelling). It was a 11 to 13 layer cake that I would love to make. It was different from the thousand layer cake. I’m hoping you have a recipe and the correct spelling for this fabulous cake that I miss.
Thank you for your help. Here’s to eating more cake.
Hi Sandi. Welcome.
That cake is called “Torta de panqueques” I have several versions here on the blog. Some options, I don’t know what flavor are you looking for
https://www.chileanfoodandgarden.com/thin-layers-chocolate-cake/
https://www.chileanfoodandgarden.com/dulce-de-leche-walnut-layer-cake/
You can also cook the layers on a non-stick flat skillet.
Delicious.!! little hard to assemble.!!
I’m a Chilean living in Portland Oregon. Me encanta la torta de mil hojas pero me intima el process.!! Lo intentare a ver que tal me resulta.!!
Gracias Pilar por compartir estas deliciosas recetas chilenas.
Si hay algo que extraño de Chile es la pasteleria entre otras cosas.!!
Saludos.
Yolanda.
★★★★★
Si, la pastelería es muy diferente acá, yo todos los años me hago mi torta, diferentes variedades que extraño.
Estuve buscando en la Internet por la receta de la torta milhojas chilena, y esta fue la que mejor me pareció. Fue super fácil de seguir y me quedo super rica!!!
★★★★★
Me alegro mucho. Saludos.
He hecho la receta ya dos veces y ha quedado espectacular!. Esta vez decidimos añadir dos discos de merengue y adornar la torta con merenguitos (ya cocidos).
Estoy viviendo fuera de Chile y cada vez que busco recetas Chilenas encuentro que las tuyas son las mejores, así que compraré el libro en cuanto pueda.
Muchas gracias! ♡
★★★★★
Gracias Ignacia por contarme que la torta ya va para clásico, me alegro mucho.
Hi.. thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m making it for my dads birthday since he is from Chile. My question Is can we make the dough the night before (8 pm) and then leave it overnight and make the cake the next day (around noon)? Will that be too long to leave the wrapped dough in the fridge?
I don’t recommend doing that because sometimes it changes color, the dough overnight. I don’t know why.
I don’t recommend doing that because sometimes it changes color, the dough overnight. I don’t know why. The cake lasts long, you can let it rest 2-3 days before cutting without a problem.
La torta quedo increible ! Vivo en Australia hace un tiempo y extrañaba demasiado comer algo asi! Mis amigos la amaron ! Muchas gracias por compartir la receta
Me alegro mucho, gracias por volver y comentar. Abrazos.
woow amazing recipe and decoration is also too good am so happy to have it
its full of crumble and an amazing finishing
Am try it soon
★★★★★
Hello Pilar, Greetings from Sydney, Australia. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. I made your Torda de Mil Hojas today. It tasted wonderful but I am not sure if the result is what it was supposed to be. I followed your recipe to the letter and used a stand mixer. The resulting dough was very sticky. It felt like it probably needed another cup of flour, it turned out that sticky. I added 3 tablespoons of flour but it was still a little sticky. There was a lot of stuck on mixture still stuck to the sides of the bowl. Once I had refrigerated the dough for four hours it was a little easier to work it but I still needed a lot of flour on the counter top to stop the dough from sticking to the surface. I divided the dough into the 14 equal segments but to get it to the 20cm suggested size meant the layers were so includible thin. Once I lifted the layer of dough to place onto the backing sheet they would not only shrink considerably but also loose the shape. When putting cake together, how much manjar should I be spreading on each later? and should the manjar be a little runny. The one I used was peanut butter type consistency and the cake looked lovely but then was a little hard to cut. In the pictures your cake looks quite compressed and my cake didn’t feel like that. I am not sure what I am doing wrong? How do I get the layers to hold their shape and not shrink?
Hi Cynthia,
The recipe is right, the dough is sticky and a pain to work with it, but if you add more flour the cake gets dry and hard.
You can use flour to roll it, I do it straight on the baking sheet, parchment paper, or Silpat, so I don’t lift it. My mom does it the old-fashioned way, but I’m not so talented.
In between layers, I use 3 – 4 tablespoons of manjar, I spread it with care and patience, I don’t dilute it or thin it.
I don’t compress my cakes, but my mom does, it’s a personal choice I guess.
Thanks for the comment, I added these suggestions to the recipe.
I’ve been making this cake since my Mother in law from Guatemala taught me how but I make mine with a Italian meringue frosting which in Guatemala is called Turon. It’s delish and super decadant.
Sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Hola Pilar! queria preguntarle si usted a intentado hacer esta receta con gluten free harina, y cual tipo de gluten free harina uso?
muchas gracias!
No, nunca he probado, pero te recomiendo esta harina que amigas han usado en otras recetas sin problemas. La venden en supermercados, la marca es King Arthur FLour https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/gluten-free-measure-for-measure-flour
Suerte.