We call this cake turrón although it has nothing in common with the Spanish turrón, the Italian torrone or French nougat. This very sweet cake can have either a chewy or a crunchy texture, depending on how finely or coarsely grated the Brazil nuts are. As you can see in the photos below, I grated them so finely that they resembled grated Parmesan cheese, but chopping them instead is another good option. Use pecans if they are easier to find, and they will add a lovely texture and flavor to the cake. In this case it will be a pecan turrón.
I like to make this dessert up to three days in advance because it keeps fresh and moist. You can use ready-made manjarblanco -or dulce de leche-, unless you are willing to make your own, which is not difficult but takes a lot of time stirring the milks over medium heat to avoid them from scorching in the bottom of the pan. If you decide to do it yourself just keep in mind that it should have a spreadable consistency and must be cool before using it.
The easiest way to prepare this recipe is to have all the ingredients ready, at room temperature, before you start to make the batter. Preheat the oven, grease the baking pans, and then line the bottom with parchment paper to unmold the cakes with ease. Cool them completely before filling and covering with manjarblanco.
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup butter, melted
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups Brazil nuts, grated or finely chopped
- 2 - 3 cups manjarblanco (dulce de leche)
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a bowl beat eggs and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add melted butter.
- Add flour and baking powder and beat on low speed. Then add grated Brazil nuts, stirring with a spatula.
- Have 2 round baking pans ready, oiled and lined at the bottom with parchment paper.
- Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 25 minutes.
- Cool on racks. Unmold and when completely cool, cover one cake with manjarblanco.
- Put the other cake on top, and cover the whole two-layered cake with more manjarblanco.
- To decorate, make lines all over the outer layer of manjarblanco with the tines of a fork.
Turrón
Peru Delights
Se ve tan pero tan divino.
Buen fin de semana,
Vero
Beautiful! What kind of grater is that?
It´s a manual food processor.
Looks really lovely, and so drool worthy, but I can’t find Brazil Nut anywhere near me. Can I replace it with something else?
Hi, Goonie. Where are you? Maybe you know Brazil nuts by another name. In Peru we call them Castañas. Where are you?
Hi! I’m from Saudi Arabia and unfortunately I’ve never heard or saw them before, but I’ll try to order them online cause I can’t wait to try it out!
It’s delicious, hope you can get them and try this.
Looks awesome!!!! Can’t wait to try it!!!!
What kind of flour do you use? In Peru we have harina preparada y sin preparar. And here in Australia we have plain flour and self raising. Which one do I have to use for this cake?
Thanks
We use self raising flour or cake flour for this cake. Hope you like it!
Hola! Se ve delicioso! Quisiera saber qué tipo de harina usar? Estoy en USA y tenemos self rising flour y all purpose. Muchas gracias!
Hi! I made this yesterday, but I used almonds, that’s what I had at home. It’s delicious!! Muchas gracias!! Can I do it with less sugar next time? Thanks!