Quick and easy no bake biscuit cake with Oreos and chocolate biscuits. This biscuit tray bake is made with rich pastry cream that tastes just like Oreo and layers of biscuits. The cake is seriously delicious and very easy to make. And the best part? You don't even need to use the oven!
I love making this no fuss dessert because it's so simple, yet so delicious. This biscuit tray bake is perfect for sharing and is great in summer as it's best served cold. The cake is made from store-bought cookies and biscuits and homemade pastry cream. If you're in a rush you can also buy pre-made vanilla pudding and still have an amazing biscuit cake.
SO WHAT IS BISCUIT CAKE?
Biscuit cake is a type of tea cake that requires no baking. As the name suggests, the cake is made from biscuits, without requiring any cake sponges. Biscuit cake is most popular in Europe and can come in all shapes and sizes.
This no bake biscuit cake is different from most other recipes, as it's much lighter and very creamy. Unlike traditional biscuit cakes, which are dense and quite heavy, the texture of this cake is smooth. Biscuits are used in this recipe to separate layers of Oreo flavoured pastry cream (or custard), as well as to decorate the top.
WHY IS THIS THE BEST BISCUIT CAKE?
This is the best biscuit cake because it's incredibly rich and easy to make. It's also very quick, as the pastry cream takes 15 minutes to make and the layering of the cake takes only 2-3 minutes. For an ultra speedy baking session, you can even replace the pastry cream with store bought vanilla pudding.
In addition, this cake has with two different flavours of custard: Oreo cookie and vanilla. The custard is very rich, decadent and tastes just like Oreos. You will be licking your lips whilst having this cake!
Lastly, this is the best no bake biscuit cake because it's like a much lighter version of the traditional biscuit cake. The custard is very light and the biscuits soften from the custard. On the downside, you might find yourself eating a few too many slices of this cake!
THE BISCUIT CAKE LAYERS
This biscuit tray bake has three different types of layers, and they are:
- Plain & chocolate biscuits - to separate the layers of custard. The chocolate biscuits go on top for decoration.
- Chocolate custard - flavoured with Oreo cookies. Tastes just like Oreos, so absolutely delicious.
- Vanilla custard - to complete the Oreo cookies, this layer contains the filling of actual Oreos.
The best biscuits for this cake
There are two different types of biscuits you will need for this recipe. As we do not want the biscuit tray bake to be too sweet, the majority of biscuits used will contain minimal sugar. Only the top layer of biscuits will contain chocolate, which will look gorgeous and add sweetness. I recommend using rectangular or square biscuits because they are easier to arrange in a tray, as opposed to round biscuits.
Bottom and middle layer - plain rectangular biscuits, such as: graham crackers, petit beurre or butter Leibniz biscuits. You can also use any other types of biscuits, as long as they are plain.
Top layer - as we want the biscuit cake to look nice, chocolate covered biscuits add decoration without any effort. For my recipe I used Milka and Petit Ecolier biscuits, but you can also use Leibniz dark chocolate biscuits or anything similar.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is biscuit cake gluten free?
No, traditionally biscuit cake is not gluten free. However, this recipe can easily be made gluten free by switching the biscuits with gluten free versions. You can either completely leave out the Oreo cookies or replace them with Gluten Free Oreos. Since the custard is made with corn starch, it is already gluten free, so no substitutions or modifications are needed.
Can I freeze biscuit cake?
This biscuit cake is not suitable for freezing. The cake contains a lot of pastry cream (custard), which does not behave well when unfrozen. Since this recipe only takes minutes to make, I recommend making a fresh batch whenever you're craving delicious biscuit cake. You can, however, store it in the fridge for 3-5 days.
How do I store this biscuit tray bake?
This cake is best stored in the fridge. To store it, place it in an airtight container or tupperware and keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. Since the cake contains pastry cream, please do not leave it at room temperature. Pastry cream contains eggs and milk, which will spoil quickly if left outside the fridge.
HOW TO MAKE THIS CAKE
As I've said earlier, this cake is incredibly easy to make. You will need two batched of pastry cream, which you can prepare in advance by 1-2 days. Get the full step by step method here. Alternatively, you can use store-bought vanilla pudding powder, which will cut down cooking time even further. Let's begin:
- Divide the pastry cream into two equal parts and set aside. Scrape out the vanilla filling from the Oreo cookies, then crush the cookie shells into a fine powder. I like to use the food processor to do this, but you can also place them into a ziplock bag and crush them with the rolling pin. Make sure there are no large chunks of cookie shell.
Afterwards, mix the Oreo cookie powder into one half of the pastry cream. Use a hand mixer to incorporate it well. Mix the Oreo filling into the other half of the cream, ensuring it's properly incorporated. - Take a 25 cm (10 inch) baking tray and line it with biscuits - this is your lower layer. Make sure the entire surface is covered with biscuits, even if you have to cut smaller pieces and fit them in like a puzzle.
3. Add the chocolate Oreo pastry cream on top of the biscuits, spreading it with a knife. I like to add a thicker layer, but feel free to add less pastry cream if you desire. Ensure the layer is even by smoothing it out.
4. Add another layer of plain biscuits on top of the chocolate Oreo pastry cream. Try to keep is consistent with the lower layer, so you can use the biscuits as guides for individual slices.
5. On top of the layer of biscuits, add the vanilla pastry cream. Make sure you spread it evenly with a spatula or a knife. Once again, add as much or little pastry cream as you see fit.
6. Finally, add the chocolate covered biscuits on top, with the chocolate facing upwards. This way, the biscuit will soften from the pastry cream and the chocolate will serve as decoration.
HOW TO SERVE BISCUIT CAKE
The best way to serve this biscuit cake tray bake is chilled, from the fridge. The biscuits will serve as guides for each individual slice, which will make it easy to cut neat, equal portions. As this cake is already creamy and very rich, I don't usually add anything else on top, but feel free to improvise! And as always, enjoy with a large cup of freshly brewed tea or coffee.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you will love these too:
How to Make Creme Patissiere (Vanilla Pastry Cream)
Mini Egg Chocolate Brownies with Chocolate Ganache
Easy Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate
Churros Cookies with Spiced Boozy Filling
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Recipe
No Bake Biscuit Cake (Biscuit Tray Bake)
Ingredients
- 32 plain biscuits*
- 16 chocolate covered biscuits*
- 10 Oreo cookies
Vanilla pastry cream
- 1 L milk
- 70 g corn starch *
- 120 g sugar
- 6 egg yolks, large
- 100 g butter
- 2 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- First, you will need to make the vanilla pastry cream. This can be made in advance by 2-3 days, find the full step by step instructions here. You will need 2 x the quantities indicated in this recipe. The pastry cream needs to hold a firm shape, so we are adding extra corn starch to do this.
- Separate the Oreo cookie shells and scrape off the cream in the middle. Place them in two separate bowls, then crush the Oreo shells in a food processor until you get a fine powder. Alternatively, place the cookie shells in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into a powder.
- Divide the vanilla pastry cream into two batches. Add the Oreo vanilla filling into the first batch and mix well to combine. Add the Oreo cookie shell powder into the second half, using a hand mixer to incorporate it well.
- Place a layer of plain biscuits in a 25 cm (10 inch) rectangular baking tray. Make sure they cover the entire bottom surface of the tray. Add the chocolate Oreo pastry cream on top, smoothing it out with a spatula.
- Place another layer of plain biscuits on top of the cream, again ensuring they cover the entire surface. Add the vanilla pastry cream with Oreo filling on top, smoothing it out with a spatula.
- Lastly, add the rectangular chocolate biscuits on top, covering the entire surface. Place the cake in the fridge to chill for at least 2-3 hours, or preferably overnight. Serve cold.
Notes
- For the pastry cream I recommend using a kitchen scale in grams for more accuracy. The cups used for the conversion are standard US customary cups (1 cup flour = 136g). There are many different types of cups across the globe, which is why I strongly recommend using grams instead.
- For the plain biscuits, use rectangular shaped ones. You can use graham crackers, petit beurre or plain Leibniz biscuits. See the post for more details.
- For the chocolate covered biscuits you can use the following or similar: Milka, Petit Ecolier or Leibniz Chocolate. See the post for more details.
- The corn starch can be replaced with flour, just double the quantity (70g corn starch = 140 g flour).
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