A Lithuanian Chocolate Fridge Cake is nothing short of delicious! More commonly known as Tinginys (that's "Lazy Cake" in English), it is a wonderful great that even novice cooks can make! Chocolate, condensed milk and lots of crumbly biscuits make a delicious effortless dessert that requires no baking and can be then kept in the fridge for up to a week!
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Why Try Chocolate Fridge Cake?
Chocolate Fridge Cake has gained popularity in the UK ever since the claims in the media that it is the Queen's favourite cake! I was surprised to see the recipe as it reminded me very much of the Lithuanian Tinginys recipe, which is one of the most popular treats made in Lithuania. Rightly so, this simple cake is extremely easy to make, requires no baking and is often made by children as their first cooking experience.
You may have heard of other types of fridge cake, including Chocolate Salami or a No-Bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake. Essentially, Chocolate Fridge Cake is one of the most beloved desserts around the world under different names, and for a good reason! Sweet, easy to make, budget-friendly and made with widely available ingredients!
Tinginys: The King of Lithuanian Cakes
The Lithuanian word tinginys translates 'lazy bones' or 'lazy man, or in this case, 'lazy cake'. The name reflects the ease with which this delicious treat is made. One large pan, a bit of mixing, fridge for a few hours and enjoy for days! Both inexperienced cooks and very lazy people can make it!
A distinctive feature of this Lithuanian cake is that it is a condensed milk-based fridge cake, that uses broken-up small pieces of biscuits (like digestive biscuits or graham crackers). It requires no baking, but will ask for some patience whilst it chills in the fridge!
The Lithuanian Chocolate Fridge Cake is made with a mixture of butter, condensed milk and chocolate (or cocoa powder) with lots of biscuits crumbled in and then set in the fridge. It is rich, sweet and reminds me of a Tiffin, minus the dried fruit and marshmallow, but some family recipes in Lithuania call for some raisins and nuts, others use a couple of tablespoons of brandy, yet others use caramel instead of condensed milk.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Five simple ingredients = One delicious No-Bake Chocolate Fridge Cake = Happy Friends and Happy Family! You will need:
- 200 g unsalted butter: butter is unsubstitutable in this recipe. Together with chocolate, it is what sets/ solidifies the 'chocolate salami' in the fridge.
- 50 g dark chocolate: can be substituted with milk chocolate, but note that it is an already sweet dessert, and milk chocolate will make it even sweeter.
- 400 g sweetened condensed milk: one tin. In the UK, condensed milk normally comes in tins of 397g (I always wonder why?) and it's perfectly fine - 3 g won't change anything.
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder: unsweetened!
- 400 g biscuits: digestive or rich tea biscuits work well in this recipe. We have also tried making this Lithuanian cake with Nice Biscuits (that add a lovely coconutty aftertaste) and even shortbread (which crumbles a lot more than other biscuits but is still delicious). Traditionally, this cake is made with Gaidelis biscuits, which you can get online. Note that you may want to choose biscuits that don't contain too much sugar, as Tinginys is already very sweet!
How to Make Lithuanian Chocolate Fridge Cake?
Break the biscuits into rough pieces and set them aside for later.
In a large pan, add butter, condensed milk, chocolate and cocoa powder. Put it on low heat and stir continuously. Warm until everything has melted and you have a smooth mixture.
Once the mixture starts bubbling around the edges, stir it for 1-2 minutes, allowing it to thicken slightly. Take it off the heat and mix in all the crushed biscuits. Don't worry if some of them turn into mush when mixing, just make sure all the biscuits are covered in the chocolate mixture.
Line a flat-bottomed tin with baking parchment (we use a large loaf tin, but any tin will do). Tip the cake mixture into it and press down firmly, so there are no air pockets. Place another piece of baking parchment on top and weigh the cake down with something heavy, like another tin with some bottles stacked on top.
Some people like wrapping the chocolate and biscuit mixture in tin foil or even cling film, but I find it very fiddly to unwrap the cake as it sticks.
Place the Tinginys in the fridge and chill for 6 hours before slicing it into pieces.
Other Chocolate Desserts and Cakes
If you love chocolate cakes and desserts, have a look at our favourites below:
- Lavender-Scented Chocolate Souffle | A Recipe that Never Failed Me
- Extra Fudgy Sourdough Discard Brownies
- Gluten-Free Chocolate & Pear Almond Cake
- Chocolate & Orange Date Bars | A Raw, Vegan & Gluten-Free Snack
Other Lithuanian Cakes
If you are interested in what people in Lithuania enjoy for dessert, have a look at some of our recipes below.
Recipe Card
Lithuanian Chocolate Fridge Cake | Tinginys
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter
- 50 g dark chocolate
- 400 g sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 400 g rich tea or digestive biscuits or a mixture
Instructions
- Break the biscuits into rough pieces and set them aside for later.
- In a large pan, add butter, condensed milk, chocolate and cocoa powder. Put it on low heat and, stirring continuously, warm until everything has melted and you have a smooth combined mixture.
- Once the mixture starts bubbling around the edges, stir it for 1-2 minutes, allowing it to thicken slightly. Take it off the heat and mix in all the crushed biscuits. Don't worry if some of them turn into mush when mixing, just make sure all the biscuits are covered in the chocolate mixture.
- Line a large flat-bottomed tin with baking parchment. Tip the cake mixture into it and press down firmly, so there are no air pockets. Place another piece of baking parchment on top and weigh the cake down with something heavy, like another tin with some tins stacked on top.
- Place the chocolate cake in the fridge and chill for 6 hours before slicing it into pieces.
Nutrition
Kay says
Can Graham crackers be used ?
Ieva says
Hi, Kay. I haven't used Graham crackers myself, but just doing quick research online shows that they're the best substitute for digestive biscuits. However, because Graham crackers have a crunchier texture, they may not soften as much when mixed with the chocolate/condensed milk, so I would probably advise crushing them in slightly smaller bits. Hope this helps! Let me know how it turns out if you make it with Graham crackers! 🙂
Shannon says
I used a mix of graham crackers and digestives. The cake was delicious but for some reason my chocolate didn't set very well and the cake was sticky. I have found online that I probably needed to bring the chocolate mixture to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Have you had this issue?
Ieva Greber says
Hi, Shannon. Thanks for trying our recipe! 💗 I believe the setting of this fridge cake has a lot to do with the butterfat content. In Lithuania, we typically use 85% butterfat butter, whilst in many Western countries, butter is more spreadable (typically 80-82% butterfat), so I do find that my cake doesn't set as solid here in the UK. I wonder if this may be the reason for your chocolate not setting well too? I will definitely try boiling the mixture for a little while next time I make it. Thanks for the tip 🙂
Toni says
This is seriously amazing! A whole batch isn't enough for my family!
Ieva says
Same here! I make a whole loaf tin worth and it only lasts 3 days (if that!) between the two of us..🤫
Gloria says
Since this has condensed milk, I know hubby is going to love it. I need to make 2 Easter desserts. One lemon and one chocolate. Printing this out now.
Ieva says
This is perfect for Easter since you can make it in advance! We might be making one for Easter too! 🙂
Beth says
This looks so good! I've never had a recipe quite like this before, and I'm eager to try it. I mean, it's chocolate, and it's filled with digestive biscuits. I'm in!
Ieva says
Thanks, Beth! Yeah, you simply cannot go wrong with chocolate and digestive biscuits! Not to mention a whole tin of condensed milk! 🙂
Caitlin says
This cake is so tasty and I love how pretty it is!
Ieva says
Thanks! 😍
Janessa says
This cake is such a unique dessert! We loved it.
Dannii says
We love your chocolate fridge cake. Such a delicious and easy way to get a chocolate fix.
Katherine says
This is so easy! A perfect holiday recipe to make with the kids!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
I'm terrible with anything with chocolate and biscuits in, so this is a winner for me. I love how easy this is too.
Ieva says
Glad you liked it 🙂
Chef Mireille says
This was such an easy treat - using easy cost efficient ingredients. Definitely a keeper recipe that I will make again and again and again!
Aleksander Gorlov says
great information and recipe but please don't call it a " Fridge Cake " (it's weird).
Ieva says
Hi, Alexnder! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. I wonder why you think it's weird calling it a Fridge cake (I always considered it a typical name for a chocolate cake that sets in the fridge...)
Sarah says
I visited Lithuania in September and LOVED the little bakeries out there and stumbled upon Tinginys that didn't have chocolate in them and just the condensed milk was lovely!
I would love to try to make these with dark chocolate and considering making a batch for my work colleagues.
One of my work colleagues is gluten free. Do you think gluten free Hob Nobs would work well?
Just wondering if the oats would over power the cake.
Ieva Greber says
Hi, Sarah! I think Hob Nobs would work just fine flavour wise, but my gut feeling is that they may not soften as much, so you'd get a bit more crunch (not a bad thing, I guess). They may also not absorb as much liquid.
I just spent a week in Lithuania (only came back yesterday), and I had the most beautiful Tinginys made with condensed milk and curd cheese (Varškė) in it - it's already on my list to try and replicate it in my own kitchen! 🙂
Sarah says
Oh wow. I was based in Vilnius for a few days and then up to Riga for the second week.
It was my first time in the Baltics and will certainly go back, especially for the patisserie bakeries in Vilnius!
If I try Hob Nobs, I'll let you know how it turned out!
Using a curd cheese (Varškė) in the recipe sounds interesting and good luck if you give it a try.
I made tea cake/loaf with a twist yesterday using black tea soaked sultanas and Crunchy nut cornflakes + malt extract!
It turned out really well and I don't often bake unless we have bananas on the turn then I may throw together a banana bread/loaf/cake (fresh blueberries work very well in banana bread! 😉)
Happy baking and Tinginy mixing to you!