Name: Torta Chaja (Uruguayan Peach Chiffon Cake)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 20 servings
Ingredients: For the Chiffon Cake; 7 large eggs, room temperature, separated; ½ teaspoon cream of tartar; 1½ cups granulated sugar, divided; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2½ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup vegetable oil; ¾ cup whole milk, room temperature; 2 teaspoons Mary’s Cognac Barrel Aged Pure Vanilla Extract; 7 large eggs, room temperature, separated; ½ teaspoon cream of tartar; 1½ cups granulated sugar, divided; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2½ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ cup vegetable oil; ¾ cup whole milk, room temperature; 2 teaspoons Mary’s Cognac Barrel Aged Pure Vanilla Extract; 7 to 10 ounces vanilla meringue cookies, depending on how generous you want to be with the crushed meringue!; 1 batch of my Stabilized Whipped Cream recipe; Dulce de leche

Sweets

Torta Chaja (Uruguayan Peach Chiffon Cake)

Author: Mary DiSomma

Satiate your sweet tooth with my chaja cake recipe! If you know me, you know two of the things I love the most are sweets and tradition. This traditional Uruguayan cake combines two of my favorite ingredients: peaches and dulce de leche. The peaches add such a wonderful flavor to this chiffon-style cake recipe. They are so good! If you want to learn how to make your own homemade dulce de leche, make sure to check out my dulce de leche recipe, too.

Dulce de Leche

No Latin dessert is complete without my homemade dulce de leche recipe. Don’t be afraid to sneak a spoonful when it’s done! If you’re making this in the oven, you’ll use sweetened condensed milk. The cooking time is shorter, so we want this thicker base—it takes less time to cook down. Making this on the stovetop takes a bit longer since you’ll be using fresh whole milk. Whichever version you choose, it’s going to be delicious!

Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 15 minutes 15 min
Cook Time: 3 hours 3 hrs
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes 3 hrs 15 min

Ingredients

For the Oven Version

One can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
A few flecks of coarse sea salt flakes

For the Stovetop Version

4 cups whole milk or goat milk
4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Mary’s Cognac Barrel Aged Pure Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Instructions

For the Oven Version

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish. Stir in a few flecks of sea salt.
Cover the pie plate snugly with aluminum foil. Set the pie plate within a larger pan that has 2-inch sides. If you like, place the pan on a baking sheet to make transferring it in and out of the oven easier. Add hot water to the outside pan until it reaches halfway up the side of the outside of the pie plate. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1¼ to 1½ hours. Check the mixture during baking, adding more water as needed to the larger pan.
Remove the foil. The dulce de leche should be a medium caramel color. If it is too light in color, it is not ready, so continue to cook it. Remove from the oven and take off the foil. When cool enough to handle, take out of the water bath and let the mixture cool. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Once cool, use a wire whisk to smooth out the mixture. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

For the Stovetop Version

Make sure to use a heavy stainless steel or enamel pot like a Le Creuset brand. Other types of pots can cause the sugar to crystallize on the pot side.
Heat the mixture until it just begins to boil. Reduce heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and a deep golden brown, about 2½ to 3 hours.
The mixture will thicken more as it cools. Use a wire whisk if needed to smooth out the mixture. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If necessary, loosen the refrigerated dulce de leche in the microwave using 15-second bursts.

For Serving

As a Filling or Drizzle: Use as-is to fill cakes, cookies, or pastries. Drizzle it over ice cream, pancakes, and waffles!
As a Frosting: Add the cooled dulce de leche to my classic buttercream recipe! It is great for cookie fillings and cakes.
As a Glaze: Thin the dulce de leche starting with 1 tablespoon of milk, gradually whisk in up to 1 cup of powdered sugar until it reaches pouring consistency. It is delicious over cakes, muffins, and breads.

Ingredient Tips

Chaja, pronounced cha-ha, is a decadent South American dessert recipe that originated in 1920s Uruguay. This cake is so rich and creamy. The best part of this recipe is how delectable it is… but a close second is the origin of its name. The chaja cake is named after a large, vibrant bird called el chajá, also known as a crested screamer. You have to look this one up! The light and airy meringue in the cake reminded Chef Orlando Castellano of this bird’s fluffy plumage.

Preparation + Preservation Tips

After baking, your cakes need to be inverted IN THEIR PANS on cooling racks for ten minutes. After this step, you can use a paring knife to go around the pan edge and remove the cake layers from the baking pans. Let the cake cool completely before peeling off the parchment paper. This helps set the cake for your layered dessert… more details in the recipe below!

Although you can make the cake layers one day ahead, it’s best to assemble this cake the day you are serving it. You can assemble and frost your cake about a few hours ahead of time. You will need to refrigerate it, but be careful not to refrigerate for more than 3 hours or the meringue will become sticky.

Extra Tips

If you’re cooking for a gluten-free crowd, good news! This recipe works great by swapping out the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour. Just make sure you use gluten-free flour with a 1 to 1 ratio. I like King Arthur's gluten-free flour for this one!