22 Feb Traditional Peruvian Volador dessert with Manjar Blanco
If you are looking for a traditional Peruvian dessert from the colony’s past, you should try Volador. Is this fantastic dessert made of thinly crunchy dough layers that are so light and thin that why they called it Volador? Because the dough could quickly fly because of its weight. This layered dessert is filled with manjar blanco (aka dulce de leche), and sometimes, it alternates between manjar blanco and some other marmalade, like pineapple or apricot. For this recipe, we will make the traditional one only with manjar blanco.
In my family, it is almost a tradition for my oldest sister’s birthday to have this dessert; our grandma was responsible for bringing it. She always brought the largest rectangular volador possible to bake; it was huge! Like 30cm by 60 cm, she would divide it in two, so one half would be only manjar blanco for the sweet tooth lovers, and the other one would be a mixture between manjar blanco and marmalade. That’s how I perfected this final recipe when I had the age to learn about it.
This sweet dessert has his cousin in South America, more specifically in Argentina, called Alfajor Rogel. Still, the dough’s preparation is slightly different, and the final dessert has way more layers than the volador.
Ingredients:
- egg yolks
- pisco
- All-purpose flour
- salt
- baking powder
- salted butter
- condensed milk
- powder sugar
Mix the egg yolks, pisco and butter (melted and at room temperature). In another bowl, sift the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix it well with your hands, divide the dough into 6 balls, and let it rest for at least 15 minutes with a plastic wrap. Rolled each ball into a 25 cm disc and put them in prepared baking pans. Bake them for 7 minutes at 180°C. Let them cool down. Fill the with manjar blanco and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Frequently asked questions about the Peruvian Volador.
Peruvian Volador is a traditional dish from Peru known for its vibrant flavours and cultural significance. It typically consists of thin dough layers filled with manjar blanco and marmalade.
The main ingredients are egg yolks, pisco, flour, salt, baking powder, and butter. These components come together to create a delightful dessert.
Mix the dough’s ingredients: egg yolks, Pisco, flour, salt, baking powder, and butter. Mix it well and let it rest to start rolling into a disc. Bake the layers and fill them with manjar blanco.
Yes, you can add different marmalades to add a different flavour profile.
You can find it around any Plaza de armas, where some stalls sell traditional dishes like suspiro de limeña, mazamorra morada, picarones, etc.
Traditional Peruvian Volador dessert with Manjar Blanco
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Description
This Peruvian-style dessert consists of a pastry layer filled with manjar blanco. This is one of my favourite Peruvian desserts, but it will only be for those with a sweet tooth.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of salted butter
- 8 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup of Pisco
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- condensed milk
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Melt the butter and let it cool down.
- Mix egg yolks, Pisco, and salted butter in a bowl. Sift the dry ingredients: flour and baking powder. Add it to the wet ingredient and mix it well.
- Finalise the dough over the table with your hands, and when you have a homogeneous dough, divide it into six balls and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180•C and prepare the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll each ball into a 25 cm rounded dough on a floured surface. Bake each layer on the baking sheet for 7 minutes or until golden and the edges look crisp.
- Keep baking the following layers and let it cool down.
- Feel the layers with manjar Blanco made of condensed milk. Sift the top with powdered sugar.
- To create manjar blanco quickly, peel the label from the can, put the can in a pot with water covering it, and let the water simmer at medium heat. Let it cook for 2 and a half hours, and in the middle of the cooking, add more water to prevent the water from evaporating. Let it cool down for an hour and use it. You can do this step in advance and cook several cans because they would stay good for 2-3 weeks without opening.
Keywords: Peruvian Volador dessert, traditional Peruvian desserts
Hi! I’m Valeria (aka Val) the photographer and recipe developer behind Canguro Criollo. My passion for food began when I was little at my home when everything will revolve around food and now I discover this new creative outlet of food photography. I wish you can follow my journey discovering unique ways of preparing Peruvian food abroad and some other family-friendly foods.
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