Venezuelan Chocolate Marquesa

Marquesa de Chocolate is one of the favorite desserts of the Venezuelan table. And although it is not considered a Venezuelan original, the Creole version is unique.

This no-bake chocolate dessert consists of layers of cookies or biscuits alternated with a rich homemade chocolate pudding. After constructing, it requires refrigeration before serving as a dessert for special days.

If we established a ranking of the most consumed desserts in Venezuela, the marquesa, in any of its versions, would compete with the quesillo, the Venezuelan version of caramel flan, for the first place.

History of marquesa de chocolate

Marquesa is not a traditional Venezuelan sweet, however, it has been present on their tables since the first decade of the 20th century.

The first records of what we know today as “marquesa” in Creole cuisine (“Creole” referring to those of Spanish or French descent) are always made of chocolate. These desserts are an inheritance of the French version called marquise au chocolat, which arrived in the country during the government of former president Antonio Guzmán Blanco (1829- 1899).

As far as the French marquise, some sources point to a German origin, when Prince Luitpold (1821 – 1912) ordered the royal cook named Rottenhoffer to make a special dessert, given his weakness for chocolate. The recipe quickly became very popular and in no time reached the hands of French cooks, who incorporated eggs into the mix.

However, another version (published on the Spizzicainsalento page) associates the marquise dessert with the French aristocrat Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné (1626 – 1696), which would debate the German origin theory and date the dessert even older.

Whatever history your follow, it is clear that in the beginning, the recipe for a marquise did not include any type of biscuit or cookies.

What is a marquesa?

In gastronomic dictionaries, a marquise belongs to the category of mousses and curds.

It is not strange then to incorporate biscuits or cookies in with the chocolate mousse/curd. In fact, we find many desserts whose recipes are similar, such as tiramisu, bienmesabe, carlotas, tres leches, bread puddings, etc.

And, that is just what happened to the French marquise in Venezuela. Layers of chocolate pudding alternate with cookies to create this easy and delicious no-bake desesrt.

What other flavors can I make a marquesa?

Marquesas are not limited to chocolate.

The recipe has varied so much that, technically speaking, any dessert prepared with cookies (preferably Maria-type) and cream, adapts to the definition.

You will often find almond, passion fruit, arequipe (dulce de leche), coconut, oreo, and lemon.

Our recipe for chocolate marquesa

Our recipe is pretty close to the most traditional one. It starts with homemade chocolate pudding, layered with Maria-type cookies.

It takes less than half an hour to make, and when cut, you can see the alternate layers of Maria cookies and chocolate pudding.

For this dessert, you need a thick pudding, which cannot be replaced with a store-bought one. The other advantage of making homemade pudding is that you can control the amount of sugar in the recipe.

Before making the pudding, grease a 9-inch springform pan and set it aside.

Remove cookies out of the packages. Pour 1/2 cup of milk into a bowl. You want to try to have everything out and ready before making the pudding. Since the pudding is thick, it hardens quickly as it cools, so you want to assemble the dessert quickly.

To make the pudding, start by mixing the sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch in a bowl. Then, beat the yolks with a fork, and add them to the cold milk. Add the sugar mixture, and mix well with a wooden spoon. Turn on the stove, and stir constantly.

Once the mixture starts to boil, lower the heat, and keep stirring. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips.

Then, working quickly, soak the Maria cookies in the milk, just for a second on each side. Place a layer of cookies on the bottom of the pan.

Pour about a third of the pudding over the cookies, and spread evenly. Repeat the layers using the rest of the cookies and pudding.

If desired, crumble a few cookies and sprinkle them on top.

Cover the pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

To serve this quick dessert, loosen the sides of the pan with a kitchen knife or spatula. Pop open the latch and remove the sides.