Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

Happy Cinco de Mayo! It has been so crazy hot here in Northern California that I decided to use my Kitchen Aid Ice Cream attachment to make homemade ice cream. I haven’t used it for about 5 years I think.

This ice cream is made with Abuelita chocolate tablets which is the most popular chocolate tablet in Mexico. I love to use it for hot chocolate and now I’m adding it to ice cream and omg the result is amazing! This recipe is my first homemade ice cream recipe for the blog, so stay tuned for more because I’ll be making more during Summer season.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you want to watch how I made this ice cream, visit me on Instagram.

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Alfajor Cake

An alfajor is one of the most popular cookies in South America. The cookie part is soft like a shortbread cookie and the filling is dulce de leche. 

For Mother’s Day I wanted to make something that reminds me of my mom. She used to make alfajores all the time so I created this alfajor cake which is the perfect treat to celebrate Mother’s Day. 

This alfajor has five big cookie layers and the filling is a delicious “manjar de olla” which is made with sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. This “manjar de olla” is the Peruvian version of dulce de leche. 

The difference between dulce de leche, arequipe ,cajeta or manjar  is just how each country prefers to create their milk based caramel. 

Let’s start with the recipe and if you want to watch how I made this alfajor cake, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

Yield one 7 inch layer cake 

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Brownie Alfajores

Yes, you read that right : “Brownie Alfajores”, sounds weird, right? but you should trust me in this one. We know that alfajor cookies have 2 parts : shortbread cookies and dulce de leche filling which is a milk-based caramel BUT today I was craving brownies and I saw a lonely can of dulce de leche calling my name. I got a bit crazy and went ahead with my idea.

I baked a big batch of brownies (my recipe is super easy and never disappoints). Then, I used a round cookie cutter with a good height to cut circles, I put them in the fridge to chill, cut them in half and then filled them with dulce de leche. They are incredible! Super delicious!

Let’s start with the recipe and if you want to watch my videos of how I made them, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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Orange Chiffon Cake

Hello friends! Happy Tuesday! I’ve been MIA for some days, I needed some days off from social media and baking. The whole covid situation in Peru was stressing me a lot. My parents and their caregivers tested negative for covid but as you might know my brother and his family tested positive and my sister in law got hospitalized last Friday. I’m so glad that she could find a bed in a hospital because it is so hard down there right now.

My husband got his second vaccine shot last week so he was feeling a bit off for a couple of days, he is ok now. My second shot is next Monday so I CAN’T WAIT FOR IT! Then, I will have to wait for my mom to get her vaccination so I can plan my trip to Peru.

I hope you all are doing well. I hope you are choosing to get vaccinated but if not, please stay safe, this virus is no joke.

Now, let’s talk about this chiffon cake. Yes, my mom is a big reason why I bake now. She used to bake all the time, and one of the things she bake every week (almost) was this cake. Soft, packed with fresh orange juice and zest, dusted with powdered sugar on top, perfect for our “cafecito” (coffee time). This cake was very popular between my family and school friends, they always asked for a slice when visiting us, always tasty and perfect. I’m so glad that I can recreate her recipe and I can’t wait to make it for her when I get the chance to travel to Peru. 


This recipe is for the collab I’m hosting today. Our theme is “childhood desserts” , so don’t forget to visit the #aprilcollabfriends (Instagram) so you can see all the delicious things my talented baker friends made. You can visit me on Instagram so you can watch the video of how I made this cake @pastry_tales

Let’s start with the recipe

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Tres Leches Cake

Hi friends! How are you doing? I’m very happy because I finally got my first covid vaccine. Now, I have to wait 3 weeks for my second dose. But, sadly covid got to my family. My brother and little niece in Peru were diagnosed with covid 2 days ago, it is super sad because my niece had cancer last year and her immune system is a bit weak. Also, my brother had a quick visit to my parents house this week (before he knew he had covid) so now I am worried that my parents are infected too, they will have a test on Saturday and I’m praying they all test negative. I am so over this virus, I can’t take it any longer and I can’t wait to go see my family sometime soon, it all depends when my parents get vaccinated.

Now, to the happy part of this post… this tres leches cake is a classic in Latin America and many of you have requested a recipe for this cake. Soft vanilla sponge soaked with 3 leches : evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and half & half. Topped with a delicious whipped cream frosting and ground cinnamon.

This cake has the right amount of milk mixture so it does not get soggy like other recipes. It is very moist but not super wet and soggy.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you want to watch how I made this dessert, don’t forget to visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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Easy Strawberry Shortcakes

Every time I go to Costco I like to get fruit and this time I got a big box of strawberries. I have been using them for fruit salads or just to snack on them BUT yesterday morning I was craving some quick bread for my morning coffee so I decided to make a vanilla pound cake and I used some of this cake to make shortcakes, the result of my experiment was totally amazing!

This vanilla pound cake recipe is REALLY simple and you just need a few ingredients. After it is completly cooled off you will slice it, spread some homemade whipped cream (I don’t like store-bought ones) and topped it with sugared strawberries. This dessert is perfect Spring-Summer.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you want to watch how I made these shortcakes, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Happy Friday! How is everyone doing? I am back with a new cupcake recipe. One of my husband’s favorite desserts is Boston cream pie but because we are just 2 people at home I decided to make a smaller version so I don’t have a lot of leftovers.

These cupcakes have 3 parts: a soft vanilla cake, a pastry cream filling and a chocolate ganache topping.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you want to watch how I made these cupcakes, visit my Instagram page @pastry_tales

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Oreo Cupcakes

Growing up I didn’t eat Oreos because they were not very popular in Peru but we did have a similar cookie called “Charada” (charade), very similar, crispy chocolate cookie filled with a vanilla cream and they were one of my favorites for sure. Years later Oreos got popular in Peru too but I was not really a big fan of them.

When I moved to California and I found myself without my Peruvian goodies, the most similar cookie to Charade were Oreos so I start enjoying eating them but for some reason I don’t like the cream filling so much. I like to eat the cookie part though.

I like baking with Oreos though, cheseecakes, pies, cupcakes, brownies and I know many of you are big fans of these cookies so here is an easy recipe for Oreo Cupcakes.

These cupcakes have 3 parts: half of an oreo at the bottom, a soft vanilla-oreo cupcake topped with a delicious vanilla whipped cream frosting. This cupcake is just a big oreo in your mouth.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you want to watch how I made these cupcakes, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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Alfajor Tart

I’ve been asked many times if there is just one type of alfajor cookies and the answer is no. In South America you’ll find Peruvian, Colombian, Argentinian, etc.. different versions of alfajores. All of them have a different twist and are delicious. The cookie base is different but one of the things that they have in common is the filling which is dulce de leche.

You know I love alfajores and I have been thinking about this recipe for a long time. Finally, I got a couple of dulce de leche cans and made this awesome dessert. This tart has 3 layers: crust (similar to an alfajor cookie dough), dulce de leche filling and a coconut topping. Coconut is a common ingredient to use in Peruvian alfajores.

Let’s start with the recipe and if you want to watch how I made this recipe, visit me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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Chocolate Strawberry Cookies

Chocolate and strawberries are a great match. These cookies have a rich chocolate flavor, they remind me of shortbread cookies.

The strawberry filling is a buttercream made with freeze dried strawberries, sugar, cream ad vanilla.

Let’s start with the recipe and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @pastry_tales

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