Mark's Lemon and Chocolate Alfajores

Join the brilliant Mark Lutton (GBBO, series 11) live from Liverpool who will teach you the skills for his Lemon and Chocolate Alfajores. These very soft, delicate and buttery biscuits get their unique texture from a high ratio of cornflour in the dough! Trying to pin-point the exact origin of Alfajores has become a bit of an obsession for Mark and if he was being totally accurate he would say these originate from Spain. However, as with lots of dishes, the original version is very different from the delicious Alfajores you find all across South America. Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia all have their own versions of these morish little biscuits (sometimes covered in chocolate, sandwiched with multiple layers of biscuits and sometimes including nuts or fruit). 

We’ll start off the class with an introductory welcome and some background from Mark's time on TV, before we ask you to put on your aprons & bake along as you watch Mark demonstrate all the skills required to make his delicious treats.

Our class will take around two hours as we bake our masterpieces, before you can tuck into the fruits of your labour all whilst hearing fantastic memories and stories from Mark.

Tickets are priced at £35 for individuals and £50 for groups of two or more that will join from the same household.

Places are non-refundable and cannot be cancelled or altered after purchase. 

All guests will be emailed a link to the class following their booking.

Equipment:

Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachments 

Zester/grater

Sieve 

Cling film/plastic wrap

Large saucepan 

Spatula

Whisk 

Jug or bowl

4-5cm (1 ½ -2 inches) cookie cutter (or glass – a shot glass works!)

Rolling Pin

Two baking sheets Parchment/baking paper or two silicon mats

2 tea spoons 

Cooling rack

Palette knife (or a spoon) 

Small saucepan

Thermometer  

Glass bowl and saucepan (bain marie)

Ingredients:

For the Lemon Alfajores: 130g (9 ¼ tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature 

130g (⅔ cups) golden caster sugar 2 large egg yolks* 

Zest of one lemon ½ tbsp of brandy, cognac or whiskey (or lemon juice) 

190g (1 ½ cup) cornflour 115g (1 cup, sifted) plain flour (plus extra for dusting) 

½ tsp baking powder Pinch of salt

For the Chocolate Alfajores: 130g (9 ¼ tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature 

130g (⅔ cups) golden caster sugar 

½ tbsp of brandy, cognac or whiskey (or lemon juice) 

2 Large Egg Yolks

80g (⅔ cups, sifted) plain flour (plus extra for dusting) 

185g (1 ½ cups) cornflour

40g  ¼ cup) cocoa powder 

½ tsp baking powder Pinch of salt

For the Manjar Blanco:

1 can of sweetened condensed milk (approx. 410g) 

1 can of evaporated milk (approx. 400g)

2 large egg yolks* ½ tsp salt

For the Italian Meringue:

4 large egg whites* 

145g (¾ cups) caster sugar

60ml (¼ cup) water

To Assemble:

200g (approx. 1 ¼ cups) dark chocolate 

60g (⅔ cups) desiccated coconut     *One large egg in UK = One extra large egg in US

If you have any questions regarding this course please email us at info@bakewithalegend.com.