Torta Maria Luisa is an elegant layer cake that is popular in Colombia as well as in El Salvador. The cake is flavored with citrus (typically orange), and layered with fruit jam, and sometimes also with arequipe (dulce de leche).
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 1 8-inch layer cake
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 eggs, separated
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Zest of one lime
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 cups seedless jam (raspberry or strawberry), or orange marmelade
- 1/2 cup dulce de leche (optional)
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling over top of cake
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 8-inch baking pans, and line bottom of pans with parchment or wax paper.
- In a standing mixer, beat butter with sugar until fluffy and well mixed.
- Separate egg yolks, and reserve whites. Add egg yolks to butter mixture, beating well after each.
- Whisk flour, salt, lime zest and baking powder together. Add dry ingredients to batter alternately with orange juice and buttermilk until just mixed.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold beaten egg whites gently into cake batter. Divide batter between the 2 pans.
- Bake until cakes spring back lightly when just touched, and toothpick placed in center comes back cleanly.
- Cool cakes on rack.
- Heat jam gently with about 3 tablespoons of water until it's spreading consistency.
- Remove cakes from pans, and split each layer in half horizontally. Spread jam between cake layers, adding a layer of dulce de leche in the middle if desired. Dust top of cake with powdered sugar.
