Lazy Cake is an easy, chocolate, no bake recipe, that chills in the refrigerator, and that uses simple ingredients, that doesn’t require any baking.
Cake recipes are some of our favorite dessert recipes, especially chocolate recipes like this one.
During the summer, it can be a great time to make easy no bake desserts. This ice cream sandwich cake and this Oreo dessert are two of our favorites to make without the oven.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It uses simple ingredients: Only common ingredients are used in this recipe! So you’ll more than likely have most, or all of these on hand.
- Make-ahead recipe: It’s great when a recipe can be made ahead of time. Whether that’s for an event, so you can save your time later for last-minute needs, or just because you want to make it when you feel like it, rather than waiting until you have to make it.
- Kid-Friendly: If your kiddos love chocolate desserts, then they will love all the chocolatey flavors in this recipe.
Ingredients Needed
As you can see below, the ingredients for this recipe are simple and you may even have everything on hand!
Substitutions
If you find that you have to switch some ingredients out, here are some suggestions that may help:
- Graham Crackers – if you’d rather use graham crackers instead of animal crackers, you absolutely can.
- Chocolate Chips – we prefer using milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet but if you prefer dark chocolate flavors, you can use those instead.
How to Make Lazy Cake
The process for this lazy cake is simple, however there are a few steps to follow to make sure this is a success for you!
This Lazy Cake recipe is broken into 3 components:
- Mixing the cake batter
- Chilling
- Making ganache and chill again.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
How to Make the Cake Batter
Tip: Before beginning, line an 8-inch, square baking pan with parchment paper.
Cut parchment paper a little bigger than pan, and cut a slit that's about 2-3 inches, in each corner, so it sits down in the baking pan easier.
Place a piece of tape (or use clips) on each side of the baking pan to hold the parchment paper in place.
STEP 1. Melt butter over low-medium heat, until melted.
STEP 2. Add the cocoa and sugar, and then whisk together.
STEP 3. Then add in the peanut butter. Whisk until blended.
STEP 4. Next, add the milk, and cook over medium heat and let it come to a boil, whisking occasionally, and allowing it to cook for another 5 minutes, as long as the mixture as thickened.
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STEP 5. Remove from heat, add in vanilla (and a pinch of salt if desired), and stir to combine.
STEP 6 & 7. Crush the animal crackers to smaller pieces and then add them to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.
STEP 8. Pour mixture in to prepared baking dish. Refrigerate for one hour.
How to Make the Ganache
STEP 9. Place milk chocolate chips in glass bowl. Over low-medium heat, heat heavy cream in a sauce pan until it's gently boils.
STEP 10. Pour hot heavy cream over chocolate chips and stir until combined.
STEP 11. Remove cake from refrigerator.
STEP 12. Pour ganache over cold lazy cake, sprinkle on more crushed animal crackers if desired, and place back in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until it's hard enough to cut.
Tip: When slicing the cake, wipe your knife between each slice for clean cuts.
Recipe FAQs
Lazy cake is made of cocoa, peanut butter, sugar, butter, animal cookies (or graham crackers), and few other staple ingredients.
It has been said that lazy cake is from the middle east and Europe. However it is becoming more common in other areas.
What to Serve with Lazy Cake
Lazy cake is delicious alone but you can serve other items with it, such as a delicious ice cream flavor, like vanilla bean or mint chocolate chip.
Or, you may want to try drizzling a raspberry syrup on top for some extra pizzazz.
Storage
It’s best to store the lazy cake in the refrigerator when not actively serving. This helps keep it from getting too soft.
More Cake Recipes You’ll Love
Love cake recipes like this one? Then you’ll love these other delicious cakes we have for you, especially this fun mini chocolate cake recipe, or this chocolate cake without eggs!!
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Lazy Cake
Ingredients
- ½ cup cocoa
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- 2 cups animal crackers or graham crackers (Plus a few extras for crushed garnish on top, if desired.)
- pinch salt if desired, especially if used unsalted butter
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Line 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Cut parchment paper a little bigger than pan, and cut a slit that's about 2-3 inches, in each corner, so it sits down in the baking pan easier. Place a piece of tape (or use clips) on each side of the baking pan to hold the parchment paper in place.
- Melt butter over low-medium heat, until melted.
- Add the cocoa and sugar, and then whisk together.
- Then add in the peanut butter. Whisk until blended.
- Next, add the milk, and cook over medium heat and let it come to a boil, whisking occasionally, and allowing it to cook for another 5 minutes, as long as the mixture as thickened.
- Remove from heat, add in vanilla (and a pinch of salt if desired), and stir to combine.
- Chop the animal crackers in to smaller pieces (not crush in to crumbs) and add them to the chocolate batter, and then stir to combine.
- Pour mixture in to prepared baking dish. Refrigerate for one hour.
Ganache
- Place milk chocolate chips in glass bowl.Over low-medium heat, heat heavy cream in a sauce pan until it’s gently boils.Pour hot heavy cream over chocolate chips and stir until combined.
- Pour ganache over cold lazy cake, sprinkle on more crushed animal crackers if desired, and place back in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until it's hard enough to cut.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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