Tinginys (Lazy Cake) | Lithuanian Chocolate Fridge Cake

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.

Take the mixture 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 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 healthy, 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
• 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.

• Lithuanian Honey Cake
• Napoleon Torte

Recipe Card

Lithuanian Chocolate Fridge Cake | Tinginys

A Lithuanian Chocolate Fridge Cake (a.k.a. Tinginys) is nothing short of delicious! Chocolate, condensed milk and lots of crumbly biscuits make an easy effortless dessert that requires no baking and can be then kept in the fridge for up to a week!

4.69 from 16 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Lithuanian

Servings 20 slices

Calories 226 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 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.
• Take the mixture 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 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 healthy, 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

Calories: 226kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 111mgPotassium: 126mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 305IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 66mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Condensed Milk Fridge Cake, Easy Fridge Cake, Fridge Cake, Lithuanian Cake, Lithuanian Dessert, Lithuanian Tinginys Recipe, No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake, No Bake Chocolate Cake, Simple Fridge Cake Recipe, Tinginys Recipe

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