Milhojas Thousand Layers or Thousand Sheets Cake is the most traditional Chilean cake. This recipe is from my Great Aunt, who always bakes this cake for my birthday. 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 easily hold its flavor and texture for 3-4 days.
For the traditional Chilean thousand-layer cake or Torta Milhojas, you must fill your cake with Dulce de Leche and walnuts. But, if you like variety, pastry, and whipped cream, "Chantilly" is also used. If you're looking for something less sweet, jams like plum or rhubarb are also excellent. The tart contrast enhances the overall flavor.
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Milhojas or Thousand Layers Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 20
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Chilean
Description
The traditional cake in Chile. Layers of thin, crunchy dough and dulce de leche and jam. Recipe from scratch.
Ingredients
- 3 cups sifted flour
- 250 grams/ 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 egg yolk, room temperature
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon rum or pisco
- 1 pinch of salt
- 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 ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add butter in chunks, egg yolks, milk, and liquor, and work to form a dough of medium consistency.
- Do not work with your hands. Use a fork, two knives, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Please 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 refrigerate overnight or 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, parchment paper, or Silpat until very thin. Cut circles 8 - 9" in diameter using a paring knife. 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 between each layer with dulce de leche (3-4 tablespoons). For every three layers, add ground walnuts, 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.
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
What is Milhoja cake made of?
The fillings and even the dough can vary a lot. Some are puff pastry (butter, liquid, and flour). Others, like this recipe, also include egg yolks and reduce the butter. This is most likely because butter is more expensive than eggs.
More accessible versions of Milhojas can be made using store-bought puff pastry (see this recipe) or crackers (see this recipe).
Where is Milhoja from?
Milhojas cakes are ubiquitous in Latin America. Like many recipes introduced by Spaniards, almost every country has its version. Still, the Chilean version is one of the most famous ones, and it's called Torta Chilena (Chilean cake) in Central America.
How to store the cake?
It will depend on the fillings: if using a pastry or whipped cream, it must be stored in the fridge for no more than a couple of days. Freezing is not recommended. This recipe with Dulce de leche and walnuts can be stored at room temperature for three days or in the fridge for up to a week. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
What Dulce de Leche do you recommend?
This is an important question. The most traditional is a canned Dulce de leche, La Lechera brand (made in Chile), 
Where and when do Chileans eat Torta Milhojas?
This cake is the most loved and traditional. You can buy it in almost any bakery in Chile. They will also have slices (usually rectangular shapes) to buy. Many families have old recipes and will make this cake for special birthdays or Fiestas Patrias (Independence celebrations in September). It's eaten at birthday parties and Sunday Once (tea time).
Other Chilean layer cakes with Dulce de Leche:
- Torta Pompadour Banana thousand layers
- Easy Pompadour with puff pastry
- Panqueque manjar nuez Dulce de leche walnut layer cake
- Torta de Amapolas Poppy seed layer cake
- Easy milhojas cake (no-bake)
- Torta Alfajor
- Chilean Tres leches cake
- Torta Mixta Raspberry Dulce de leche Chocolate cake
- Torta Manjar Nuez Walnut Dulce de leche cake
Gina Dominguez says
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.
Pilar Hernandez says
Sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Cynthia Rennert says
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?
Pilar Hernandez says
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.
jassica says
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
Dani says
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
Pilar Hernandez says
Me alegro mucho, gracias por volver y comentar. Abrazos.
Isabel says
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?
Pilar Hernandez says
I don't recommend doing that because sometimes it changes color, the dough overnight. I don't know why.
Pilar Hernandez says
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.