I grew up in Rancagua, where the quintessential cake is the Banana Pompadour. When I arrived in Santiago for college, I was soon introduced to the pancake cakes at Dulcería Las Palmas and, more specifically, to the Panqueque Frambuesa Raspberry Truffle Cake.
During my 20 years in the US, I have cooked many cakes for my Chilean family and friends who miss them. So I can confidently tell you that my favorite way to make this cake is NOT the traditional way with cake tins in the oven, but like I did for this recipe in a standard crepe pan.
Tips for a fantastic Thin Layer Raspberry Truffle Cake cake:
What is the difference between the truffle cake and the chocolate cake?
Both are filled with chocolate ganache, but the pancakes are also made of chocolate in the chocolate cake.
How to measure the flour for the recipe?
Use measuring cups. The most common measurement is 1 cup = 240 ml.
There are several ways. I use this one: Take out the bag of flour and stir a little with a fork to loosen it. Dip the measuring cup, fill it whole, and throw away the excess to make it flush with a knife.
Why does this cake NOT have baking powder?
If a cake does not have baking powder, the recipe has been created to rise only with the eggs, which usually include whipped egg whites. This gives the cake a softer, melt-in-your-mouth crumb but requires more experience. In this case, as the pancakes are thin, there is no risk that they will fall.
How to separate yolks and whites?
Eggs are easier to separate when cold, so you can put them in the fridge for a couple of hours and then separate them. I recommend cracking the egg on the flat counter, not on the edge of the counter or bowl where you are making the dough. The rest is practice.
What is the standard egg size in pastry?
Recipes in the US are written for large eggs, which weigh about 65 grams in the shell.
Without the shell, 50 grams: 35 grams the egg white, 15 grams the yolk.
Other thin layers cakes on the blog:
Orange Thin Layers Cake
Chocolate Thin Layers Cake (chocolate cake)
Torta Panqueque Manjar Nuez (walnut cake)
Thin Layer Raspberry Truffle Cake
A cake that enhanced any celebration.
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 20
Ingredients
- 225 grams of butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 10 eggs separated whites and yolks
- 1 1/4 cup flour without baking powder
Filling:
- 225 grams of couverture or baking chocolate, about 60% cocoa
- 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 400 grams of raspberry jam
Instructions
- Make the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
- Heat the cream over medium heat or in the microwave in a small saucepan or a glass Pyrex until it begins to boil gently.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for 1 minute.
- With a spatula or wooden spoon, begin to stir the mixture in circles from the center outwards until you obtain a shiny, smooth chocolate cream. This takes some time. It is essential to stir gently to be shiny, do not beat. If you incorporate air, the ganache becomes opaque.
- Add the butter and stir until completely dissolved using gentle, circular motions. Let the ganache cool on the counter. It will solidify until it has a consistency like mayonnaise. That is the moment to use it to fill and decorate. It would be best to keep an eye on it because how fast or slow this will depend on how hot or cold your kitchen is.
- Prepare the cake batter: In a bowl with the mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until creamy, about 5 minutes. Beating at low speed, add the yolks one by one, beating until fully incorporated in between.
- In another spotless bowl and with the blades of the mixer very clean, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until snowy, hard peaks, and do not overbeat because they dry out.
- In a large bowl, mix the two mixtures with encircling movements, working with a wooden spoon or a spatula or the mixer on low speed until combined. Add the sifted flour and incorporate it with enveloping movements.
- Pour 1/2 cup batter into a nonstick crepe skillet, spread well, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown and cooked, dry to the touch. You can flip the pancake if you want.
- Place the pancake on the plate to be served and start assembling the cake. Top with two tablespoons of ganache spread well. Continue cooking the pancakes, alternating the ganache and raspberry jam fillings.
- Cover the cake with the remaining ganache.
- Keep refrigerated.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Stove cooked
- Cuisine: Chilean
Hey Pilar! I lived in Chile for a little while, and having moved away, I’ve been craving Tavelli’s panqueque cakes. Would this be similar to their style of cake? And what are the thin pans you are using to bake with? Can this be baked in a “traditional” cake pan with the parchment paper?
This is the cake you are searching for, I bake it over Silpat now, no need for thin pans or you can do it on a flat crepe pan. There is a recipe in my book The Chilean Kitchen.