Indulge in the ultimate no-bake treat with my Chocolate Lazy Cake, a deliciously simple dessert that combines rich chocolate with your favorite crunchy biscuits. It's perfect for picnics, BBQs, or even those days when you crave something sweet but don't want to spend hours in the kitchen.
If you like delicious cakes, you'll want to try my chocolate sour cream pound cake alongside any one of dozens of cake filling ideas.
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⭐ Why This Recipe is Great
Chocolate Cake With a Twist: with just 4 common pantry staples, this is a chocolate lover's dream cake, with a base similar to brigadeiros, so moist that it doesn't even need any frosting. For a more polished look you can dust it with some powdered sugar, but the best part about it is its simplicity and straightforward ingredients list.
Easy Dessert for a Barbeque: though this isn't just a summertime dessert, it does lend itself to those times when you just have too many other things to do and needto get the cake intot he oven - of in this case the fridge - and move onto th eother dozen things on your list.
Use Up Cocoa Powder: whether you have natural cocoa powder or dutch cocoa powder, the only difference is that they're processed slightly differently. You can use either one for this chocolate lazy cake recipe and it will be equally delicious.
🥮 Ingredients
Cocoa Powder: you can use any type of cocoa powder you’d like, but for a more complex and rich flavor, I recommend using a fine cocoa powder like the one I use from Guittard.
Butter: I recommend using a salted butter for this chocolate lazy cake, but if you're watching your salt intake or tend to like a lighter salt level, you can use unsalted butter and add just ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt.
Condensed Milk: this is the key to making a no-bake cake; it cannot really be substituted, except for with other times of condensed milk (like condensed coconut milk or condensed oat milk).
Biscuits: not crackers, but a crisper cookie-like creation, biscuits are uniquely British snacks for road trips, after school eats, and playdates. Since this is a no-baked good, you can use any thicker cookies you can find at the store, even graham crackers, but bonus points if they're a British or German brand, like the Marie biscuits I used here.
See recipe card for exact ingredients and measurements.
👩🍳 How to Make Lazy Cake (Step-by-Step)
Step 1) Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, making sure there's some overhang for easy removal (image 1).
Step 2) Crush the cookies or biscuits into small pieces and place them in a large mixing bowl (images 2 & 3).
Step 3) In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat (image 4). Then, whisk in the cocoa powder until you have a smooth chocolate mixture (images 5 & 6).
Step 4) Remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually mix in the sweetened condensed milk until well combined (images 7 & 8).
Step 5) Pour the chocolate and condensed milk mixture over the broken cookies in the bowl. Stir everything together until the cookies are thoroughly coated (image 9 & 10).
Step 6) Transfer the mixture to your lined loaf pan. Press it down firmly to ensure it's compact (images 11 & 12).
Step 7) Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until the cake is set and firm (image 13).
Step 8) Use the parchment paper to lift the set cake out of the pan, slice it into bars or squares, and serve chilled.
🍴 Storage and Serving
Beyond the initial chill time, this 4-ingredient chocolate cake can be kept in the fridge for about 5 days in a gallon-sized ziploc bag to keep it firm. Alternatively, you can store leftovers for up to six months in the freezer (freeze the slices with pieces of parchment paper in between for easy serving).
👨🏻🍳 Expert Notes & Tips
Adjusting Sweetness: condensed milk can be a little too sweet, so try to check the sweetness while whisking it with the chocolate mixture. You can use more or less of what the recipe initially calls for, depending on your preference - since there's no flour or eggs, you can safely eat the batter.
Quicker Version: you can also opt to freeze this for about 2 to 3 hours to make it set faster and firmer. For serving, Just let it sit at room temp for a little bit or just enough time that you can slice through the cake.
Troubleshooting: if the chocolate mixture is a bit thick (once the condensed milk has already been added), you can thin it out by splashing in a tablespoon or two of whole milk - be sure to keep it warm before pouring it over the biscuits, without overheating. For a softer texture, you can add a little more condensed milk; for a firmer texture, use a little less.
Biscuit Size: don't worry about the cookies being perfectly crushed; some larger chunks will add nice texture to your biscuit cake.
🎂 Other Easy Chocolate Dessert Recipes
🙋🏻♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any type of plain biscuits or cookies like digestive biscuits, graham crackers, or tea biscuits, depending on your preference.
Yes, you can customize your chocolate lazy cake by adding nuts, dried fruits, coconut flakes, or even a splash of vanilla extract for extra flavor.
Butter helps bind the ingredients together and adds richness to the cake, but you can substitute it with margarine or a non-dairy alternative if needed or desired, though something like coconut oil would be too dense.
It's perfect for casual gatherings, potlucks, afternoon snacks, or when you need an easy dessert that requires minimal effort but delivers maximum chocolatey satisfaction.
Yes, as long as the biscuits and chocolate used are vegetarian-friendly, a chocolate lazy cake is suitable for vegetarians (though not vegans).
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📖 Recipe
4-Ingredient Chocolate Lazy Cake
Equipment
- small pot
Ingredients
- 2 cups cookies or tea biscuits, broken into pieces 7 oz (200g)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz (397g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter 113g
- ¾ cup cocoa powder 75g
Instructions
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, making sure there's some overhang for easy removal.
- Crush the cookies or biscuits into small pieces and place them in a large mixing bowl
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Then, whisk in the cocoa powder until you have a smooth chocolate mixture.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually mix in the sweetened condensed milk until well combined
- Pour the chocolate and condensed milk mixture over the broken cookies in the bowl. Stir everything together until the cookies are thoroughly coated.
- Transfer the mixture to your lined loaf pan. Press it down firmly to ensure it's compact.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until the cake is set and firm.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the set cake out of the pan, slice it into bars or squares, and serve chilled.
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