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    Home > Easy Dessert Recipes

    Published: Dec 7, 2022 by Denise Browning · "This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission." · Leave a Comment

    Chocolate Biscuit Cake

    Dairy FreeVegan

    Jump to Recipe ↓
    pin with two images showing slices of chocolate biscuit cake and its ingredients.

    Chocolate biscuit cake is a no-bake tea cake recipe made with layers of digestive cookies and chocolate ganache, similar to an icebox cake or the Brazilian Palha Italiana. Ours is made with 5 ingredients and is rich and scrumptious (almost like a KitKat candy bar, in cake form).

    partially sliced biscuit cake topped with mint leaves and freeze-dried raspberries.

    How about a quick and easy dessert that requires no baking?

    Moreover, it is something made with simple ingredients that you may have in your pantry and is budget-friendly.

    It sounds pretty good to me... and as a bonus, it will satisfy your cravings!

    Serve it any time of the year! If you want to go fancy, add some nuts or dried fruits and take this simple dessert to a whole new level.

    It is said to be one of the late Queen Elizabeth's favorite desserts.

    Our gluten-free vegan recipe is an adaption of the classic and uses dark chocolate (which has antioxidants and reduced sugar), digestive biscuits, coconut oil, coconut cream, and maple syrup.

    It is a healthy-ish and clean-eating recipe!

    Also, it's dairy-free! But you can make yours using milk chocolate, heavy cream, butter, and cookies of your choice.

    a whole no-bake chocolate biscuit cake garnished with berries and mint.

    What is a Chocolate Biscuit Cake?

    Also known as tiffin (meaning a light meal or snack), chocolate biscuit cake is a type of no-bake cake made with layers of broken digestive biscuits (mildly sweet cookies) folded into a chocolate mixture which is chilled and then coated in chocolate ganache.

    Similar to an American icebox cake, it is also present in Irish, English, Bulgarian, Danish, Arabic, and Jewish cuisines.

    It is refrigerated instead of baked. Technically, it is not a cake -- in fact, the only thing reminiscent of a cake is the shape and the tin it's made in.

    There are variations that call for dried fruit, nuts, and even candy like Maltesers.

    The Italians have a similar version shaped like a log, which is called chocolate salami (salame di cioccolato) while the Brazilian have 'palha italiana' and the Malaysian have 'batik cake'.

    The British version is often served with a cup of tea.

    close up of two slices of biscuit cake.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    To make this biscuit cake you'll need:

    FOR THE CHOCOLATE BISCUIT CAKE

    • 7 oz digestive biscuits (if you want, it can be keto, gluten-free, or vegan biscuits/cookies, depending on your diet)
    • 1 cup freeze-dried raspberries (plus extra to crush onto a powder and garnish the top of the cake), OPTIONAL. You can use toasted crushed nuts if you want!
    • 10.5 oz dark chocolate (if you have a sweet tooth, use milk chocolate) -- I used Lindt chocolate bars
    • 5.3 oz coconut cream (or the thick layer from canned coconut milk, or heavy whipping cream)
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or unsalted butter)
    • ½ cup maple syrup (or honey), but if using milk chocolate, skip the sweetener. You may have to add a little more heavy cream or cream of coconut.

    FOR THE DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

    • 3.5 oz (100 g) dark chocolate (or milk or semisweet chocolate)
    • 1.8 oz (50 g) coconut cream (the thick layer from canned coconut milk, or heavy whipping cream)
    ingredients on a table.

    Equipment

    • Double boiler, or microwave
    • Loaf tin
    • Chef's knife
    • Cutting board
    • Large bowl

    HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE BISCUIT CAKE

    1. Line a 6 x 3 ½-inch loaf tin with parchment paper with the sides overlapping and set aside.
    2. MAKE THE BISCUIT CAKE: Using a knife, break the biscuits into 2-inch pieces and reserve. PIC. 1
    3. Measure a cup of freeze-dried raspberries and chop them roughly with a knife. Then, mix them with the biscuit pieces in a large bowl. PIC. 2
    4. Using a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate with the coconut cream and stir to become a homogeneous, smooth mixture.
    5. Once melted, remove from the heat, and add in the coconut oil and maple syrup (if using), stirring well until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave, according to the package instructions, and mix in the coconut cream, coconut oil, and maple syrup. PIC. 3
    6. ASSEMBLE: Pour a bit of chocolate at the bottom of the lined pan. Then, arrange the biscuits in layers, pouring the chocolate mixture over each biscuit layer as you go on. Finish with a layer of the chocolate mixture and shake the pan gently to level the layers. PIC. 4
    7. REFRIGERATE: Leave to cool at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and then transfer to the fridge for 4 hours, or until set.
    8. MAKE THE GANACHE: When the chocolate biscuit cake has set, make the chocolate ganache the same way you melted the chocolate and coconut cream - either using a double boiler or in the microwave.
    9. GARNISH AND SERVE: Pour the ganache on top of the cake and gently smooth it out with an offset spatula. Transfer back to the fridge to cool for 4 hours or until set. PIC. 5
    10. Garnish the top with the berry powder and some fresh mint leaves if you want, and slice. Enjoy! PIC. 6
    step by step instructions.

    Tips for Making the Best Biscuit Cake

    • You can use any cake pan: round, square, loaf pan, or rectangular, adjusting the recipe to the size of your pan. But whatever shape your pan is, make sure to be deep in order to arrange alternate layers of biscuits and melted chocolate.
    • You may add toasted chopped nuts, chopped dried fruits, or freeze-dried raspberries like I did but keep the amounts of chocolate, coconut oil, maple syrup, and coconut cream the same as in our recipe.
    • It is key to chop the biscuits and make the melted chocolate smooth.
    • The quality of the chocolate will affect the taste of this dessert.
    • You can use any other type of biscuits you want such as Bischoff, Maria cookies, vanilla wafers, and Graham crackers.
    • Be patient enough to let your layered chocolate biscuit cake set in the fridge.

    STORAGE

    Store leftover chocolate biscuit cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up 5 days.

    Freeze for up to 2 months. For the latter, wrap either slices or the whole cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil. If wrapping slices, also place them all in a large freezer bag to avoid freezer burn and the chocolate from absorbing odors of any other food in the freezer.

    To defrost, let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight.

    OTHER CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPES

    • Death by chocolate cake
    • Dairy-free chocolate cake
    • Easter chocolate cake
    • Flourless chocolate cake
    • Chocolate cake roll
    • Brigadeiro cake
    • Chocolate fudge cake in a mug
    • Chocolate lava mug cake

    PIN & ENJOY!

    pin with two images showing slices of chocolate biscuit cake and its ingredients.
    close up of half chocolate biscuit cake sliced garnished with berries and mint leaves.
    Print SAVE Saved Recipe! Pin
    5 from 3 votes

    Chocolate Biscuit Cake

    Chocolate biscuit cake is a no-bake tea cake recipe made with layers of digestive cookies and chocolate ganache, similar to an icebox cake or the Brazilian Palha Italiana. Ours is made with 5 ingredients and is rich and scrumptious (almost like a KitKat candy bar, in cake form).
    Course:Dessert
    Cuisine:British, European
    Keywords:3-ingredient shortbread cookies, biscuit cake, chocolate cake, dark chocolate, easy recipe, no bake, vegan
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 4 minutes
    Chilling time 8 hours
    Total Time 8 hours 19 minutes
    Servings 12 slices
    Calories347.6 kcal
    Author Denise Browning
    Cost $ 0.50 per slice

    Equipment

    • 1 microwave or double boiler
    • 1 Loaf tin
    • 1 Chef's knife
    • 1 cutting board
    • 1 large mixing bowl

    Ingredients

    FOR THE CHOCOLATE BISCUIT CAKE

    • 7 oz digestive biscuits if you want, it can be keto, gluten-free, or vegan biscuits/cookies, depending on your diet
    • 1 cup freeze dried raspberries plus extra to crush onto a powder and garnish the top of the cake, OPTIONAL. You can use toasted crushed nuts if you want!
    • 10.5 oz dark chocolate if you have a sweet tooth, use milk chocolate -- I used Lindt chocolate bars
    • 5.3 oz coconut cream or the thick layer from canned coconut milk, or heavy whipping cream
    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil or unsalted butter
    • ½ cup maple syrup or honey, but if using milk chocolate, skip the sweetener. You may have to add a little more of heavy cream or cream of coconut.

    FOR THE DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

    • 3.5 oz dark chocolate (or milk or semisweet chocolate)
    • 1.8 oz coconut cream (the thick layer from canned coconut milk, or heavy whipping cream)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Line a 6 x 3 ½-inch loaf tin with parchment paper with the sides overlapping and set aside.
    • MAKE THE BISCUIT CAKE: Using a knife, break the biscuits into 2-inch pieces and reserve.
    • Measure a cup of freeze-dried raspberries and chop them roughly with a knife. Then, mix them with the biscuit pieces in a large bowl.
    • Using a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate with the coconut cream and stir to become a homogeneous, smooth mixture.
    • Once melted, remove from the heat, add in the coconut oil and maple syrup (if using), stirring well until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave, according to the package instructions, and mix in the coconut cream, coconut oil, and maple syrup.
    • ASSEMBLE: Pour a bit of chocolate at the bottom of the lined pan. Then, arrange biscuits in layers, pouring the chocolate mixture over each biscuit layer as you go on. Finish with a layer of the chocolate mixture and shake the pan gently to level the layers.
    • REFRIGERATE: Leave to cool at room temperature, cover with a plastic wrap, and then transfer to the fridge for 4 hours, or until set.
    • MAKE THE GANACHE: When the chocolate biscuit cake has set, make the chocolate ganache the same way you melted the chocolate and coconut cream - either using a double boiler, or in the microwave.
    • GARNISH AND SERVE: Pour the ganache on top of the cake and gently smooth it out with an offset spatula. Transfer back to the fridge to cool for 4 hours or until set. Garnish the top with the berry powder and some fresh mint leaves if you want, and slice. Enjoy!

    Recipe Video

    YouTube video

    Recipe Notes

    STORAGE
    Store leftover chocolate biscuit cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up 5 days.
    Freeze for up to 2 months. For the latter, wrap either slices or the whole cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil. If wrapping slices, also place them all in a large freezer bag to avoid freezer burn and the chocolate from absorbing odors of any other food in the freezer.
    To defrost, let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 347.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.5g | Protein: 4.8g | Fat: 23.7g | Saturated Fat: 15.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5.2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 0.7mg | Sodium: 110.8mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 5.7g | Sugar: 13.8g | Vitamin A: 13.3IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 44.6mg | Iron: 5.5mg

    ** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

    Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Comment and rate the recipe. Also follow us on Pinterest at @easyanddelish for more delish recipes.

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    Filed Under: 5 Ingredients or Less, Easy And Delish, Easy Dairy-Free Recipes, Easy Dessert Recipes Tagged With: vegan

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    I'm a professional Chef with an expertise in Brazilian food. I am also a busy mom of two girls, living in Texas. Here you will find budget-friendly, healthy Brazilian and Global Recipes made Easy and Delish! I'd love to help you feed your family healthy dinners (many low carb) with a few splurges because life is all about balance! Join our community and happy cooking!

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