Looking for the ultimate recipe for Uruguayan tortas fritas? Here we have it… this is one of the best comfort foods in South America!
Tortas fritas (fried cakes) are a fried sweet dough sprinkled with sugar, for the ultimate afternoon indulgence in Uruguay and Argentina — often enjoyed with mate! Tortas fritas are usually circular shape, around 12-15 cm in diameter, and some recipes have a small hole in the center. Some people prefer their torta frita to be thin and crispy while others will make it thicker and spongy — it’s very much down to your taste.
In Uruguay in particular, there is a tradition of making and eating tortas fritas on rainy days… Hence why it is one of the nation’s great comfort foods! Although these are indulgent enough, you can also add jam or dulce de leche to take it up a notch in the comfort factor.
Tortas fritas recipe
For 20 tortas fritas
Dough
- 8 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1½ tablespoon of active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 4 tablespoons of melted butter or lard
- Warm water, about 150 ml
Other ingredients
- Butter, lard, or oil (for frying)
- Sugar or powdered sugar (to sprinkle on top)
Making tortas fritas dough
Add the flour after sifting into a large bowl and make a hollow, or well, in the center. Mix the dry yeast and the sugar, and add them to the center of the well. Warm your water (not to boiling, just warm) and pour 150 ml of water over the yeast and sugar, and let stand for 20 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
After 20 minutes, add the melted fat (which is best as lard or butter, but sunflower oil works too). Mix well and knead until the dough to get a smooth consistency, adding warm water whenever necessary. After a couple minutes of kneading, add the salt and blend in. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for an hour at warm room temperature, or until the dough reaches twice its original volume.
Making & cooking the tortas fritas
Once the dough has risen, stretch it out and roll the dough with a rolling pin. Cut it into 20 pieces of around 12-15 cm in diameter in a circle shape. You can add a hole in the middle if you like.
In a large and deep frying pan (skillet), heat the fat (which can be butter, lard, or oil) until it is hot enough that if you add a bit of dough it sizzles. Gentle place your first torta in the pan and deep-fry for a couple minutes on each side until it is golden brown. Once the torta frita turns golden brown, place it on paper towels to drain and then sprinkle with sugar. Repeat with all the torta fritas, and then eat while warm!
Wine pairing for tortas fritas
Although tortas fritas are usually enjoyed with mate, you can make this a fun wine pairing too! The fried and crispy texture with that extra buttery quality is ideal with the fresh acidity and mouthfilling foam of a sparkling wine. The sweetness also works well with off-dry wines, including sparkling wines or try it with Chenin Dulce in Argentina.
Check out some of our other recipes featured in The South America Wine Guide
Recipe for Chilean ceviche
Recipe for Brazilian pao de queijo
Recipe for empanadas mendocinas
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