How to make Lazy Cake (Chocolate Mosaic Cake)

Learn how to make lazy cake (chocolate mosaic cake), perfect for every occasion and for any crowd! This easy lazy cake recipe without condensed milk only requires a few basic ingredients. No bake, no eggs and minimum effort!

You can make it as simple or as fancy as you like! But in the end, no one can resist having a slice of chocolate biscuit cake!

What Is A Lazy Cake?

A lazy cake is a no bake chocolate biscuit cake that is very popular in the Middle East. It takes on many names around the world such as chocolate mosaic cake, kormos (log in Greek) and chocolate salami in Italy. There are many variations to the recipe, with some including sweetened condensed milk and others eggs. Melted chocolate or cocoa powder can be used for the chocolate flavor.

Today I wanted to go with the simplest version possible that didn’t require a trip to the store.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Incredibly easy: This lazy cake is incredibly easy to make! All you need to do is whisk a few ingredients together and you’re done! No mixer needed!

• Basic ingredients: You only need a few ingredients which you probably already have.

• No bake: No need to turn on the oven or even the stove! You can just melt the butter in the microwave or let it soften at room temperature.

• Adjustable portion size: You can really make as much or as little as you want! There’s no baking time or pan size to worry about.

• Customizable: You can add whatever you want! Hazelnuts, marshmallows, cognac. My personal favorite is the chocolate orange lazy cake! Replace the milk with orange juice and add orange zest!

• No pan required: Pour the mixture into a resealable freezer bag, briefly shape into a log and you’re done! If you don’t have a bag, you can pour onto parchment paper and roll into a log. And if you’d rather use a pan like I’ve done in the pictures, you can use a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

• Perfect for kids: If you need a recipe to keep your kids entertained, this is it! You can skip the hot melted butter if you want. Take out the butter ahead of time to soften it and use powdered sugar (instead of granulated sugar).

Lazy Cake Ingredients

• Butter: You can use either hot, melted butter or butter softened at room temperature. If using melted butter, the heat will help melt the granulated sugar. If you’d rather use softened butter, use powdered (icing) sugar instead of granulated sugar. This way you won’t have to worry about a gritty texture (from undissolved sugar).

• Sugar: You can use granulated sugar or powdered (icing) sugar. Depending on how sweet you’d like the cake to be, you can adjust the amount to suit your preferences.

• Cocoa powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder as the recipe contains sugar. All the chocolate flavor is dependent on the cocoa you use since there is no melted chocolate in this recipe. So make sure you really enjoy it! I use Dutch-process cocoa powder.

• Milk: The extra moisture from the milk will help the sugar dissolve. It will also thin out the batter and make it much easier to mix the biscuits into the batter. The milk will also add richness and soften the flavor of the cocoa powder. If you like a very strong cocoa flavor, you can try adding a little more once you mix the batter, before adding the biscuits. You can replace the milk with another liquid if you prefer. I love replacing it with orange juice to make a chocolate orange lazy cake!

• Tea biscuits: I use Petit Beurre style biscuits. You can use whatever you have/like. You can also use less biscuits and add other ingredients such as hazelnuts, marshmallows etc. Just note that the chocolate mixture acts like the glue, keeping the cake together and holding on to the biscuits. If you overload the batter with biscuits, your cake will fall apart.

• Flavorings: A little bit of salt, to enhance the flavors. But you can really have as much fun as you’d like with the flavorings! Add orange zest, vanilla extract, alcohol such as cognac etc.

Now that all our ingredients are ready, let’s make the cake, shall we?

How to Make Lazy Cake, Step-by-Step

Prepare the cake batter

• Place the butter in a large bowl (microwavable). Heat in the microwave in 20 second increments until fully melted. You can heat the butter in a pan on the stove if you prefer. Using softened butter: If you don’t want to melt the butter at all, you can simply let it sit at room temperature until softened. Use powdered (icing) sugar in this case instead of granulated sugar.

• Pour the sugar over the hot melted butter and whisk until combined.

• Whisk in the cocoa powder and salt. You don’t need to sift the cocoa powder but whisk well to get rid of any cocoa lumps.

• Pour the milk over the mixture and whisk until completely smooth and shiny. If desired, taste the chocolate mixture at this point to see if you are happy with the chocolate flavor and sweetness. Add more cocoa powder if you want a stronger chocolate flavor or less sweetness. Add more sugar if you want it sweeter.

• Crush the biscuits with your hands over the chocolate mixture. The pieces shouldn’t be too small. I crush each biscuit into about 6-8 pieces.
• Mix the biscuits with the chocolate using a large spoon until completely coated.

Shape the cake (using a loaf pan)

• Line a 23 cm (9 inch) loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang (to cover the cake later on). Note: Don’t use cling film as I’ve done in the pictures! It will stick to the pan once frozen and you won’t be able to pull the cake out.
• Optional: Line the bottom of the pan with three biscuits. These biscuits will be on top once you invert the cake.
• Pour about a third of the mixture into the pan and gently press with the back of a spoon to fill any gaps. If you press too hard you’ll crush the biscuits placed at the bottom of the pan. Pour the remaining mixture in two more additions. Tip: Don’t pour all the mixture at once or you’ll end up with an uneven surface.
• Cover with the parchment paper (overhang).

Shape into a log (without a pan)

If you don’t want to use a loaf pan, you can simply pour the mixture into a large resealable freezer bag. Shape into a log and roll the bag to squeeze the cake tightly.

You can also use parchment paper. Spoon the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper. Then roll into a log and twist the edges of the paper (like a candy).

Freeze for at least 3 hours or until the parchment paper peels off easily. Slice and enjoy!