Disposable absorbent articles comprising absorbent cores are presented. In one embodiment, an absorbent core may comprise a riffled substrate comprising a plurality of peaks and a plurality of troughs, a flat substrate coupled to the riffled substrate, and superabsorbent polymer disposed between the riffled substrate and the flat substrate, wherein the footprint of the riffled substrate is substantially the same as the footprint of the flat substrate, and wherein the surface area of the riffled substrate is greater than the surface area of the flat substrate.