King Kong Alfajor
The giant alfajor of Lambayeque: crisp, short cookie rounds stacked with silky manjar blanco, tangy pineapple jam and dark fig jam, left to rest until every bite turns soft and sweet.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Mix the dough
Beat the butter and sugar together just until combined, not fluffy, then mix in the egg yolks, egg, and vanilla. Work in the flour, baking powder and salt by hand just until the dough comes together into a smooth, firm ball; overmixing makes it tough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- 200 g butter
- 150 g sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tbsp or dry sherry
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 500 g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: dough is smooth, firm, and holds together without being sticky
Roll and cut
Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to about 5 mm thick, then use a 20 cm plate to cut 4 rounds, re-rolling scraps as needed. Prick each round all over with a fork and transfer to lined baking trays.
- all dough from step 1
✅ Done when: 4 even rounds about 20 cm wide, pricked all over
Bake the layers
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Cook the two jams
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Fill and stack
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Rest, dust and slice
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Mix the dough
Beat the butter and sugar together just until combined, not fluffy, then mix in the egg yolks, egg, and vanilla. Work in the flour, baking powder and salt by hand just until the dough comes together into a smooth, firm ball; overmixing makes it tough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- 200 g butter
- 150 g sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 tbsp or dry sherry
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 500 g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
✅ Done when: dough is smooth, firm, and holds together without being sticky
Roll and cut
Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to about 5 mm thick, then use a 20 cm plate to cut 4 rounds, re-rolling scraps as needed. Prick each round all over with a fork and transfer to lined baking trays.
- all dough from step 1
✅ Done when: 4 even rounds about 20 cm wide, pricked all over
Bake the layers
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Cook the two jams
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Fill and stack
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Rest, dust and slice
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The Story Behind the Dish
King Kong was created by home bakers in the town of Lambayeque, who stacked large rounds of shortbread-style cookie with manjar blanco and fruit jams into a cake far bigger than the small, bite-sized alfajores known elsewhere in Peru. Its outsized scale is said to have earned it the nickname of the giant ape from the 1933 film, a name that stuck and became the dessert's own.
It grew from a local specialty into a symbol of the Lambayeque region, wrapped and carried by travelers to Chiclayo, Lima and beyond as the edible souvenir of the north.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's loved for the contrast of crisp, short cookie against smooth manjar blanco and the sweet-tart layers of pineapple and fig, all in a cake meant to be shared.
💡 Fun Fact
Entire bakeries in Lambayeque compete every year to build the largest King Kong, some stretching many layers high and weighing dozens of kilos.
Lambayeque, northern Peru
-6.70°S, -79.90°W
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