Cuban recipe

Cuban Chocolate Africanas: The Sweet Treat of Our Childhood

Name: Cuban Chocolate Africanas: The Sweet Treat of Our Childhood
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 3 large eggs at room temperature (whites and yolks separated); 70 g white sugar; 40 g all-purpose wheat flour; 40 g cornstarch; 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional); 1 pinch of salt; 250 g semisweet couverture chocolate, ideally 60-70% cacao; 1 teaspoon neutral oil, only if needed to thin the chocolate (optional)

Traditional Cuban africanas: long, thin, fluffy sponge bars with oval ends, fully coated in dark chocolate.

CiberCubaNovember 8, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation20 min
Cooking15 min
Total time1 h 25 min
Servings12-16 long, thin africanas with oval ends (approx. 8-10 cm long)
DifficultyMedium

Cuban africanas, also called africanitas, are sweets remembered from Cuban pastry shops. Their defining feature is their long, thin bar shape with both ends rounded, completely coated in dark chocolate. They are not sponge balls or muffins: they look like a small oval bar, narrow and low, like the old Africanas that could come individually wrapped in silver foil. The inside is a thin, light sponge, not a cream filling. This is a homemade re-creation, not a verified industrial formula. The name does not prove an African origin.

Ingredients

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For the sponge

For the coating

250 g semisweet couverture chocolate, ideally 60-70% cacao
1 teaspoon neutral oil, only if needed to thin the chocolate (optional)

Method

Prepare and shape the bars

Preheat the oven to 175 °C with top and bottom heat. Line two flat baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift the flour and cornstarch together twice.
Beat the yolks with part of the sugar and the vanilla until creamy. Separately, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt, gradually adding the remaining sugar until you have a glossy meringue with medium to firm peaks, without overbeating.
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Fold the yolks into the whites with gentle folding motions. Add the sifted flour and cornstarch in two batches, using a spatula and without deflating the air. The batter should be foamy and light, but with enough body to hold a long shape.
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Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a wide, plain tip. On the parchment paper, pipe 12-16 long, low strips, about 8-10 cm long and 2.5-3 cm wide, with both ends rounded. Spread them with a spatula if needed to get a thin, oval bar silhouette, with no peaks or mound-like height. Leave space between them because they will spread slightly. Do not form balls or round mounds.
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Bake for 10-15 minutes, checking from minute 9 because the pieces are thin, until cooked, springy to the touch and barely golden. They should keep their long, narrow, low silhouette with a flat base, not turn into tall little cakes. Let them cool completely on a rack before dipping.
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Coat with chocolate and finish

Gently melt the couverture chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in short bursts. Keep any water out and temper it following the manufacturer's instructions so it sets firm and slightly glossy.
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Dip each cooled long bar into the chocolate, fully coating the top, base, long sides and oval ends. Let the excess drip off: the layer should be thin, continuous and smooth or with slight natural waves. Leave to set on parchment paper. Keep the narrow, flat bar shape: do not round them into balls.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Present the africanas as small bars of dark chocolate, long with rounded ends, about 8-10 cm long and low in height. You can cut one through the middle to show the thin, airy sponge. To evoke the old presentation, one piece can be shown partly wrapped in plain silver foil. Store in an airtight container in a cool place and preferably eat within 2-3 days.

Tips and variations

Essential shape: each piece should be long and relatively flat, about 8-10 cm long, 2.5-3 cm wide and roughly 1-1.5 cm thick once baked, with oval ends, like a thin bar or strip. Do not make round mounds, hemispheres, balls, muffins, madeleines, cake pops or tall little cakes. The second reference photograph shows a narrow piece of dark chocolate, long with rounded tips, next to another one partly wrapped in metallic foil. Final image: 3-5 smooth or slightly wavy bars of dark chocolate, long, thin and round-ended, arranged on a simple plate, with one optionally cut crosswise to show a pale, thin sponge. No decorations or fillings. To shape: pipe the batter into low oblong strips, not mounds. Chocolate: coat completely with a thin layer of tempered semisweet chocolate for firmness. Storage: airtight container in a cool place, 2-3 days. The cooling time before dipping depends on thickness and room temperature: wait until they are completely cool.