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lazy cake
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Lazy Cake Recipe

prep 10 minutes
cook 5 minutes
Additional Time 4 hours
total 4 hours 15 minutes
Serves 16 large slices
This lazy cake is my take on the classic Romanian Salam De Biscuit. It's a cooked chocolate mixture poured over crushed animal crackers to make a cake like texture and topped with dark chocolate ganache. Keep it simple vanilla or add rum, kahlua or bourbon.
Author: Bernice Baran
Servings 16 large slices

Equipment

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 cup (227g) salted butter
  • 1/2 cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I like dutch-process) spooned and leveled
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (8oz) whole milk
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or 1-2 Tbsp of Rum, Kahluha, Amaretto, etc.
  • 425 g animal crackers roughly chopped (pulsed leaving chunky pieces)

Ganache

  • 1 cup (6oz) dark chocolate
  • 1/2 cup (4oz) heavy whipping cream

Method

Cake

  1. Line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Secure it with binder clips.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. 
    1 cup (227g) salted butter
  3. Add the cocoa powder and granulated sugar and whisk until they’re combined and smooth.
    1/2 cup (40g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I like dutch-process) spooned and leveled, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  4. Add the milk and whisk frequently (not aggressively) for about 5 minutes. Around five minutes the mixture should begin to boil, whisk frequently for another 10 minutes.
    1 cup (8oz) whole milk
  5. The mixture thickens a little but not significantly. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract or other flavorings. 
    1 Tbsp vanilla extract or 1-2 Tbsp of Rum, Kahluha, Amaretto, etc.
  6. Fold in the animal crackers and spread into the prepared pan. Refrigerate or freeze for at least an hour. 
    425 g animal crackers roughly chopped (pulsed leaving chunky pieces)

Ganache

  1. Place the chocolate chips in a medium size bowl and set aside.
    1 cup (6oz) dark chocolate
  2. Place the cream in a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, and bring to a gentle simmer. 
    1/2 cup (4oz) heavy whipping cream
  3. Swirl the pan to make sure it is heating evenly. You want the edge of the cream to be bubbling, not the whole cream boiling. 
  4. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and cover with a lid for 2-3 minutes. Then slowly stir the chocolate and cream until they’re smooth and combined. 
  5. Spread on top of the cooled 'cake' and top with more animal cracker crumbs. 
  6. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, until it feels firm enough to slice.

Notes

*you can use any kind of cracker, like animal crackers, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, etc.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 394kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 3gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 228mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27g
Course: Brownies & Bars
Cuisine: Romanian
Keyword: chocolate cake, easy chocolate cake, lazy cake, lazy chocolate cake, salam de biscuit