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Overview

Argentine Torre de Panqueques

Pancake Tower, Torre de Panqueque, Savoury Pancake Cake

This argentine torre de panqueques recipe cooks eight thin pancakes, then layers them with ham, cheese, hard-boiled egg, grated carrot and mayonnaise into a tall tower that chills, sets and slices like a cake. One serving is about 250 g and carries 574 calories. Serve it cold, cut in wedges, with a green salad.

The torre de panqueques is a fixture of Argentine home cooking and summer tables: thin, unsweetened pancakes are cooked one by one, then stacked with the same fillings Buenos Aires families put in a savoury pionono — mayonnaise, ham, hard-boiled egg, red pepper and olives — and chilled until the tower sets firm enough to slice like a cake. It is party food, made ahead, carried to the table whole, and cut in wedges in front of everyone. Cook test: this is not a French crepe — crepes are thin sweet pancakes served folded or rolled as a dessert, while the torre is a savoury, chilled, layered construction served in slices; it is not faina, which is a single baked chickpea-flour cake, not pastelitos, which are small fried pastries, not sorrentinos, which are stuffed pasta, and not facturas, which are sweet yeasted pastries.

Pairs well with: A crisp green salad and a cold glass of white wine or sparkling water with lemon.

Provenance

Argentina flag Argentina

Argentine Home-Cooking Classic

Latin America & Caribbean

Time Dedication

1h 30m

60m prep • 30m cook

Batch Yield

8 Servings

574 kcal per serving

1 serving ≈ 250 g

Technical Skill

Intermediate

Intermediate (Layering & Chilling)

Meal Timing & Digestive Fit

Breakfast

Not Advised

Lunch

Prime Metabolic Fit

Dinner

Ideal Hearty Main

Snack & Tea

Inappropriate

High Protein Occasions: Birthday lunches, Christmas and New Year tables, family gatherings, summer picnics Cost: Moderate — about $3–4 per serving at home
Tags: Pork Egg Cheese Savory
An Argentine torre de panqueques, a savoury pancake tower topped with olives, red pepper strips and chopped egg

Argentine Home-Cooking Classic

Photo: Carlosdisogra, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Heritage Formulary

Measured Ingredients

Estimated cost: Moderate — about $3–4 per serving at home (USD)

This version cooks eight thin pancakes in a 20 cm pan, layers them with ham, cheese, hard-boiled egg and grated carrot, and chills the tower for at least 30 minutes so it slices cleanly.

Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique

Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

Active 1h 30m
P

Prep Stage: Batter, Fillings and Pan

60 Mins • Batter, Fillings and Pan

Whisk the flour, milk, 3 raw eggs and salt into a smooth, thin batter and rest it for 20 minutes. While it rests, boil the 4 eggs for 10 minutes, cool and chop them, grate the carrots, and lay out the ham, cheese, olives and pepper strips. Keep a 20 cm non-stick pan and a plate for the finished pancakes ready.

Maestro Tip: Resting the batter is not optional — it lets the flour hydrate, so the pancakes cook thin and even instead of tearing.

  1. 1

    Make the batter and rest it

    10 Mins + 20 Mins rest No heat

    Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl, then pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking out every lump. Beat in the 3 raw eggs until the batter is smooth and as thin as single cream. Cover and rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

    If the batter still has lumps, pour it through a sieve — a smooth batter is what makes a thin pancake.

    Done when: A smooth, lump-free batter that coats the back of a spoon thinly.

  2. 2

    Cook the pancakes

    20 Mins Medium heat, about 180°C (350°F)

    Melt a little butter in a 20 cm non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour in just enough batter to coat the base thinly, swirl, and cook for about 1 minute until the edges lift and the underside is pale gold. Flip and cook 30 seconds more, then slide the pancake onto a plate. Repeat, buttering the pan lightly each time, until you have 8 pancakes. Cool them completely.

    The first pancake is always a test — adjust the heat so it colours in a minute without browning hard.

    Done when: 8 thin, pale-gold pancakes, flexible and cool.

  3. 3

    Prepare the fillings

    15 Mins Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)

    Boil the 4 eggs in water for 10 minutes, then cool them under cold running water, peel and chop. Grate the carrots coarsely. Lay the ham and cheese slices out flat, trimming them to roughly the size of a pancake, and stir the mayonnaise until smooth.

    Cool the eggs fully before chopping — warm egg weeps moisture into the tower and softens the pancakes.

    Done when: Chopped egg, grated carrot, and ham and cheese trimmed to pancake size.

  4. 4

    Build the tower

    15 Mins No heat — room temperature

    Set one pancake on a flat plate and spread it thinly with mayonnaise. Lay on ham, then cheese, then a layer of chopped egg and grated carrot, and top with the next pancake. Repeat, pressing each pancake down gently, until all 8 pancakes are stacked, finishing with a plain pancake on top. Spread the top thinly with mayonnaise.

    Spread the mayonnaise to the very edge — it is the glue, and a dry edge is where a tower starts to slide.

    Done when: A straight, even tower, 8 pancakes high, with the layers visible at the sides.

  5. 5

    Chill and decorate

    30 Mins chill + 5 Mins Fridge, 4°C (39°F)

    Cover the tower loosely and chill for at least 30 minutes so the mayonnaise firms and the layers set. Just before serving, arrange the halved olives, red pepper strips and the remaining chopped egg on top. Slice into 8 wedges with a long, sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts, and serve cold.

    Chilling is what makes clean slices possible — a warm tower squashes and slides under the knife.

    Done when: A firm, cold tower that slices into clean wedges with the layers holding.

Finishing Touches & Plating

Serve the tower cold, cut in wedges, with a crisp green salad alongside. Keep it refrigerated until the moment it goes to the table.

Nutritional Physiology & Benefits

Nutrition

Energy

574

kcal / serving

Protein

25g

Complete AA

Carbs

32g

Complex

Fats

39g

Healthy

Per serving (8 servings · 1 serving ≈ 250 g)
Energy574 kcal
Protein25 g
Carbohydrates32 g
Fat39 g
Fibre1.7 g
Sugar5.7 g
Sodium1122 mg
Per 100g
Energy229 kcal
Protein9.8 g
Carbohydrates12.7 g
Fat15.8 g
Fibre0.7 g
Sugar2.3 g
Sodium449 mg

Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin A (egg, carrot, cheese), B vitamins and choline (egg), calcium (cheese, milk), vitamin C (red pepper), potassium (carrot, egg).

Protein in Every Layer

Egg, ham and cheese give about 25 g of protein per slice, so one wedge with salad is a genuinely filling lunch.

Real Vegetables Inside

Grated carrot and red pepper add fibre, vitamin A and vitamin C to a dish that is mostly built from pantry staples.

Made Ahead, No Last-Minute Cooking

The tower is built and chilled in advance, so lunch is a matter of slicing — no hot stove when guests are already at the table.

Food Pairings

What to Eat With

To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:

Vegetables

Crisp Green Salad

A sharp, lemony green salad cuts the richness of the mayonnaise, ham and cheese and gives the plate the fresh crunch it needs.

Drinks

White Wine or Sparkling Water

A cold, dry white wine — or sparkling water with lemon — refreshes the palate between rich, creamy bites.

Iced Tea With Lemon

Unsweetened iced tea with lemon is a light, cold drink that suits a cold lunch on a hot day.

Sides

Pickled Vegetables

A small dish of pickled cucumber or onion adds acidity that balances the tower's creamy layers.

Complete menu

Serve a wedge of torre de panqueques with a crisp green salad and white wine, followed by fresh fruit salad with ice cream.

Digestive Guardrails

What NOT to Combine

To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:

Leaving It Out in the Heat

Mayonnaise, egg and ham spoil quickly above 4°C (39°F); keep the tower refrigerated and return leftovers to the fridge within 2 hours. This is general food safety information, not medical advice.

A Second Rich Main on the Same Plate

The tower is already rich in fat and salt, so a heavy fried side makes the meal unbalanced; salad and pickles are the better partners. This is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.

Who Should Eat It

Who Should Eat

  • General adultsOne wedge with salad is a full, satisfying lunch — rich, so a single slice is enough.
  • ChildrenChildren usually love the tower, but cut the wedge small and watch the salt; the olives on top are easy to pick off.
  • ElderlySoft and easy to chew; serve a smaller wedge with salad and keep it well chilled.
  • Pregnant womenFine when freshly made and kept cold; the eggs must be fully cooked and the tower refrigerated.
  • Breastfeeding womenA protein-rich lunch; keep to one wedge and load the plate with salad.
  • AthletesAbout 25 g of protein per slice makes it a useful post-training lunch.
  • Weight gainTwo wedges with a small salad raise the energy of the meal.
  • Weight lossOne wedge with a large green salad keeps the portion lighter.

Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid

Conditions

  • DiabetesAbout 32 g of carbohydrate per slice, mostly from the pancakes — take one wedge with salad and ask a clinician about portion size.
  • High blood pressureAbout 1,123 mg of sodium per slice from the ham, cheese and mayonnaise; use low-salt ham and cheese if sodium matters, and ask a clinician.
  • Kidney diseaseCheese, egg and ham give a moderate protein load; keep the portion to one wedge and ask a clinician about what fits your plan.
  • GoutHam and cheese are not usually a gout concern on their own, but keep the portion moderate and ask a clinician.
  • Stomach issuesMayonnaise and rich cheese can sit heavily on a sensitive stomach; eat a small wedge slowly and ask a clinician if symptoms flare.
  • Cardiovascular diseaseThe tower is high in saturated fat and salt; one wedge with a large salad is the heart-friendlier way to eat it, and ask a clinician.
  • Fatty liverFried-free but rich in fat from cheese and mayonnaise; keep the portion small and ask a clinician about fat intake.
  • Food allergiesContains egg, milk, wheat and ham; the olives and peppers are optional. Ask a clinician about any allergy.
  • Special therapeutic dietsA soft, cold dish that suits many therapeutic diets; ask a clinician or dietitian before changing your diet.

If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.

Storage & Use

Storage & Use

How to store
Cover the tower tightly with cling film or move slices to a sealed container.
In the fridge
2 days in the fridge at 4°C (39°F) or below.
In the freezer
Not recommended — mayonnaise separates and the pancakes turn soggy on thawing.
How to reheat
Serve cold; do not reheat. If a slice has been out of the fridge, return it within 2 hours.
Freezing recommended
No — the tower does not freeze well.
Signs it has spoiled
Sour or off smell, slimy ham or cheese, weeping mayonnaise, or a sour taste — discard it.

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