Chocolate Lazy Cake Recipe: Easy No-Bake Biscuit Cake

This lazy cake recipe is the easiest chocolate dessert you will ever make. You stir broken biscuits into a rich mixture of chocolate, butter, and condensed milk, press it into a pan, and chill it until firm enough to slice. Best of all, it needs no oven, no mixer, and no eggs.

Lazy cake is hugely popular across the Middle East, where it is often made with tea biscuits. After the recipe, you will also find fixes for a cake that crumbles, stays soft, or turns greasy.

Lazy Cake Recipe at a Glance

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 5 minutes
• Chill time: at least 4 hours
• Pan: 23 × 13 cm (9 × 5-inch) loaf pan or 20 cm (8-inch) square pan
• Makes: 16 slices

Ingredients

• 300 g (10½ oz) plain tea biscuits (Marie or similar)
• 1 can (397 g / 14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 100 g (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 150 g (5 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Optional: 60 g chopped toasted nuts

How to Make This Lazy Cake Recipe

1. Line the pan. First, line the pan with baking paper or plastic wrap, leaving extra hanging over the sides so you can lift the cake out later.
2. Break the biscuits. Break the biscuits by hand into pieces about the size of a fingernail. Then keep some larger pieces for texture and avoid turning them into fine crumbs.
3. Melt the chocolate mixture. Then in a saucepan over low heat, warm the condensed milk, butter, chocolate, cocoa, and salt, stirring constantly, until melted and glossy. However, do not let it boil.
4. Flavor. After that, take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
5. Combine. Next, pour the chocolate mixture over the biscuits (and nuts, if using) and fold until every piece is coated.
6. Press. Then spoon into the pan and press down firmly with the back of a spoon to remove gaps.
7. Chill. After that, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
8. Slice. Finally, lift out of the pan and slice with a sharp knife warmed in hot water.

Lazy Cake Recipe: Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Why does my lazy cake fall apart when I slice it?

Cause: There was not enough chocolate mixture for the biscuits, it was not pressed firmly, or it was not chilled long enough.

Fix: Make sure every biscuit piece is fully coated, press the mixture hard into the pan, and chill overnight. Then slice it straight from the fridge.

Why is my lazy cake too soft?

Cause: Too little chocolate, or you used milk chocolate instead of dark. This matters because dark chocolate and butter are what make the cake set.

Fix: Use chocolate with at least 50% cocoa. If the cake is already made, freeze it for 30 minutes before slicing and serve it cold.

Why is my lazy cake greasy?

Cause: The mixture overheated and the butter separated from the chocolate.

Fix: Melt everything over low heat and take it off as soon as it is smooth. If it splits, whisk in 1–2 tablespoons of hot milk until it comes back together.

Why are the biscuits soggy?

Cause: You crushed the biscuits too finely, or the mixture was too thin.

Fix: Break the biscuits into pieces by hand rather than in a food processor, and let the chocolate mixture cool for 2–3 minutes before folding.

Why does it taste too sweet?

Cause: Condensed milk, sweet biscuits, and sweet chocolate quickly add up, so the cake can taste sugary.

Fix: Use dark chocolate with 60–70% cocoa, add the extra cocoa powder, and include the pinch of salt.

Tips for Success With This Lazy Cake Recipe

• Plain, crisp tea biscuits work best. However, very buttery or cream-filled biscuits make the cake soft.
• Also, line the pan well. Otherwise, the cake is sticky and difficult to remove from an unlined pan.
• For a shiny finish, pour 100 g of melted chocolate mixed with 2 tablespoons of cream over the top before chilling.

Lazy Cake Recipe Variations

• Chocolate salami: shape the mixture into a log in plastic wrap, chill, roll in powdered sugar, and slice into rounds.
• Lotus lazy cake: use Lotus Biscoff biscuits and swirl warm Biscoff spread over the top.
• Nutty lazy cake: add toasted hazelnuts or pistachios.
• Brownie-style bites: press into a square pan and cut into small squares for a party tray. If you prefer a baked chocolate treat, try our homemade brownies.

Storage Tips

Once set, store lazy cake covered in the fridge for up to 1 week. It also freezes well for up to 2 months. Slice before freezing so you can take out one piece at a time.

A Little Background

Many countries make no-bake chocolate biscuit cakes under different names: chocolate salami in Italy and Portugal, tinginys in Lithuania, and kalter Hund in Germany. In the Middle East it is simply called lazy cake, because it needs so little effort. TasteAtlas describes the Italian chocolate salami, one of its closest relatives.

Lazy Cake Recipe FAQ

Can I make lazy cake without condensed milk?

Yes. Instead, use 200 ml heavy cream and 100 g sugar, heated with the butter and chocolate. However, the cake will be slightly softer.

Can I use milk chocolate?

You can, but use 200 g instead of 150 g and add the cocoa powder, otherwise the cake will be too soft and sweet.

How long does lazy cake take to set?

It needs at least 4 hours in the fridge, or about 2 hours in the freezer, before slicing.

Ready for your next bake? If you enjoyed this lazy cake recipe, you might like our digital cookbook, which brings together 31 Eastern and Western sweets with precise measurements.