Not quite a cake and not quite a biscuit, the alfajor is a sandwich cookie and one of Argentina's best-loved sweets - and the perfect excuse for a generous layer of dulce de leche.
A Little History of Argentina's Favourite Sweet
Alfajores have Arab roots and arrived in Argentina with the Spanish. Over the centuries they've been reinvented across the country, and almost every province now has its own version. Fillings and coatings range from dulce de leche and jam to meringue, coconut, icing sugar, chocolate and even mousse.
What Makes an Alfajor Marplatense Different
Alfajores Marplatenses come from Mar del Plata, on the Buenos Aires coast, and they're the version most Argentines picture when they hear the word. A soft cocoa biscuit is sandwiched with dulce de leche and then dipped in chocolate or dusted with icing sugar.
Ingredients for Our Alfajores Marplatenses
340g self-raising flour
160g cornflour
60g cocoa powder
150g butter
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
A splash of milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
A jar of dulce de leche
How to Make Alfajores Marplatenses at Home
Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together.
Add the eggs and mix well with a fork, then add the milk.
Add the dry ingredients in two stages, with a little more flour if needed, until it comes together like pastry. If it feels dry, add another splash of milk.
Chill the dough for at least half an hour.
Roll it out and cut it into circles.
Bake at 180°C for about 10 minutes, until the biscuits are firm but still soft when pressed.
Leave them to cool, then sandwich pairs together with dulce de leche. Finish by dipping in chocolate ganache or dusting with icing sugar.
A thick dulce de leche, sold as "repostero" in Argentina, holds its shape best between the biscuits.
Tea Time on the Veranda at Los Potreros
At the estancia, alfajores often appear at afternoon tea on the veranda after a long ride, alongside a pot of tea and whatever cake the kitchen has made that day. They rarely last long.
