Lazy Cake
Who said cake has to be difficult? With this recipe, I will show you that cake does not have to be difficult to make, nor include loads of ingredients.
Lazy cake is the ultimate dessert that has a wonderful taste and lovely texture, and the best thing is that it is done in only 10 minutes, plus a little chilling time!
What Is Lazy Cake?
Lazy cake is a type of cake which is made with biscuits, cacao, butter, and condensed milk. It’s a delicious biscuit cake with a rich chocolate/cacao coating. It is chocolatey, crunchy, and absolutely addictive!
The base of the cake is very simple – just biscuits, any kind, broken into pieces. The chocolate part is made by combining condensed milk, melted butter, cacao, and just a bit of vanilla extract.
Lazy cake is just perfect for days when you are feeling lazy and do not want to spend too much of your time in the kitchen. This cake will satisfy your cravings for the sweets, without demanding all your time and effort.
Why Is Lazy Cake So Good?
First of all, I love this cake because it is just so easy to make. With this cake, you can’t go wrong, under or over bake it, skip the “crucial” step, or make a mess in the kitchen.
It is unbelievably easy, and all you have to do is stir up the ingredients.
The cake is also customizable. You can add in your favorite ingredients, like bits of chocolate, some dried fruits, chopped nuts, or shredded coconut.
Which Biscuits To use
The biscuits here are an important part. Always choose thinner biscuits over thick ones. For this recipe, I went with French petit-beurre biscuits, which are type of French butter biscuits.
These come plain or with one side covered with chocolate. If you cannot find these, you can choose Maria biscuits/cookies, or digestive cookies.
Make sure your cookies are fresh and not stale. The stale cookies miss that well-known cookie crunch.
Do I Need Sweetened Condensed Milk?
This recipe calls for the sweetened condensed milk. If you are worried about the amount of sugar in this recipe, you can use evaporated milk instead.
If you are using the evaporated milk, you will not get that same sweet and caramelized flavor, but with consistency, you will get very close.
With evaporated milk, you can add your desired amount of sweetener, like honey, agave, or maple syrup, and sweeten it as you like it.
Cocoa Powder Vs Chocolate
You are probably wondering if you could use melted chocolate for this recipe. Using melted chocolate on its own will not give you the desired results.
First, you will need loads of chocolate, and second, the condensed or evaporated milk really gives that silky mixture which also binds ingredients and holds them in place.
If you want, you can melt chocolate, 4oz, and combine it with the condensed milk and butter. You will get a slightly paler mixture compared to the mixture that has cacao powder in it. However, the cake will still taste amazing, regardless of the color.
The cocoa powder used in this recipe is Dutch processed cocoa. You can also use the natural version. Natural cocoa powder has some bitterness, and has a sharp flavor.
Dutch cocoa powder has a smoother, more mellow flavor that is often associated with earthy, woody notes. There is also heavy Dutch “black” cocoa powder, a bittersweet cocoa powder, like the one found in Oreos.
Making Lazy Cake (Overview)
- Start by melting butter over the stove or in a microwave. Once the butter is completely melted, whisk in cocoa powder. Whisk until you have a smooth and lump-free mixture.
- Add in condensed milk and stir until smooth and well-combined. Also add vanilla extract.
- Break your biscuits into bite-size pieces or slightly larger. Do not break into small pieces as they will not give you the desired texture.
- Place the biscuits into a bowl and pour over the cocoa mixture. Give it a good stir until all the biscuits are coated. Transfer the mixture into a parchment paper lined loaf pan or baking pan. You can also place the mixture on parchment paper and roll it into a log.
- Freeze the lazy cake for two hours.
What Else Can Be Added?
I covered my lazy cake with chocolate. You can choose milk chocolate or white chocolate, or simply leave the cake as it is.
For a richer cake, add few tablespoons of Nutella into the melted butter. You can also add mini marshmallows or flavor it with rum extract.
Lazy Cake Recipe
Preparation time: 10 minutes + inactive time
Servings: 9 slices
Ingredients
- 6 oz biscuits
- 1 cup condensed milk
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ cup melted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 oz chocolate, melted, to garnish
Instructions
1. Line 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Break your biscuits up into smaller pieces.
3. In a sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat.
4. Whisk in cocoa until smooth.
5. Whisk in condensed milk and vanilla extract.
6. Place broken cookies into the bowl. Pour over the cocoa mixture and stir to combine.
7. Press the mixture into the loaf pan with the back of your spoon.
8. Pop the cake into a freezer for 2 hours.
9. Invert the cake on a plate and drizzle with melted chocolate. Place it in the freezer for another 10 minutes.
10. Remove the cake from the freezer 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Lazy Cake (Chocolate)
This lazy cake is as delicious as it is easy to make!
Ingredients
- 6 oz biscuits
- 1 cup condensed milk
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ cup melted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 oz chocolate, melted, to garnish
Instructions
1. Line 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Break your biscuits up into smaller pieces.
3. In a sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat.
4. Whisk in cocoa until smooth.
5. Whisk in condensed milk and vanilla extract.
6. Place broken cookies into the bowl. Pour over the cocoa mixture and stir to combine.
7. Press the mixture into the loaf pan with the back of your spoon.
8. Pop the cake into a freezer for 2 hours.
9. Invert the cake on a plate and drizzle with melted chocolate. Place it in the freezer for another 10 minutes.
10. Remove the cake from the freezer 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
