Alternating layers of milk-soaked Maria cookies and soft, creamy chocolate buttercream are all you need for this deceptively delicious dessert that also happens to be just so easy to make. This is one of the most well-loved Sri Lankan desserts.
A classic Sri Lankan dessert
Yes, Sri Lanka – the land of ceylon tea and cinnamon and countless other fiery spicy savory dishes (like this chicken curry, black pork curry, beef curry etc.!), has its own repertoire of Sri Lankan desserts (like this classic breudher cake, watalappan, falooda ice cream, butter cake, ribbon cake, pani pol etc.) as well. My husband and I both grew up eating this chocolate biscuit pudding and it’s one of our absolute favorites! Here I’m sharing the recipe for Eggless Sri Lankan Chocolate Biscuit Pudding (No Bake Chocolate Cookie Cake). Depending on who you ask, classic Sri Lankan chocolate biscuit pudding is made with eggs or no eggs, but you don’t have to choose between those two! Today, I’ll share the recipe for eggless chocolate biscuit pudding, and very soon I’ll bring you guys the recipe for what I consider the more classic version of this dessert, with eggs.
Maria cookies (Marie biscuits) are a crucial ingredient
But there’s one thing everyone agrees with – the biscuits (cookies) used for this recipe are always the delicious and milky Maria cookie (Marie biscuit). We’ve been wanting to make this eggless chocolate biscuit pudding for years now, but just couldn’t find marie biscuits anywhere in town here in Columbia. That’s until a few weeks ago, we made the discovery at a supermarket in Kansas City, a two hour drive from where we live! It would be too funny (if not embarrassing) to tell you just how excited we were to find those cookies. And lo and behold, now we are finding these cookies everywhere in town here in Columbia as well. This classic Sri Lankan dessert is a no cook, no bake chocolate cookie cake. It’s a super fun and easy recipe to make with your kids too. Honestly, it’s one of our favorite chocolate recipes, period.
What is Sri Lankan chocolate biscuit pudding?
It’s a no bake chocolate dessert featuring alternating layers of milk-soaked marie biscuits and soft and creamy chocolate buttercream (with a hint of brandy if you like). It’s vaguely similar to an icebox cake in the US, but honestly I’d much prefer a slice of this eggless chocolate biscuit pudding over icebox cake any day (mostly because I don’t like cool whip). I’m not entirely sure about the origins of this eggless chocolate biscuit pudding, but Sri Lanka has definitely claimed it as theirs. There are several variations of this that no bake chocolate cookie cake that you’ll find around the world, like the hedgehog slice in Australia, which are crushed biscuits (cookies) mixed with chocolate, or the Italian Chocolate Salami, and of course you’ve got Icebox cake in the US. I would guess, this dessert most likely evolved from something introduced to Sri Lanka during British colonization. Whatever the history – this no bake chocolate cookie cake has become a cultural classic. It’s a near lock to make an appearance in almost any Sri Lankan party. The fact that it’s so ridiculously simple to make while being addictively delicious, may have something to do with that.
Recipe notes
You can also customize this eggless chocolate biscuit pudding any way you like. I like mine with a little brandy in it (which is how we always ate it as kids as well!). So I imagine, it’d be just as great with some bourbon or rum, because these pair so well with chocolate (like these dark chocolate rum balls, white hot chocolate, dairy free hot chocolate with bourbon etc.). I made this in a loaf pan, so that I can unmold it before serving. Most times however, this no bake chocolate cookie cake is made directly in the dish that it’s going to be served in. You can do that as well, of course.
Serving suggestions
If you want to unmold the dish, the first layer will be buttercream, and the last layer is cookies. If you want to serve it without unmolding (in the same dish that you make it), the first layer has to be milk-soaked biscuits/cookies, and the last is buttercream. The cookies are not overly soaked, so they can still hold their integrity, but it gives them an irresistible milky flavour (with a touch of coffee, if you’d to try that as an option!). The chocolate buttercream is soft, creamy and decadent, which contrasts well with the milky cookie layers. This eggless chocolate biscuit pudding is not typically topped with anything, but personally, I always like to top it with some cashews and melted chocolate sauce. Just to add another dimension of texture and more chocolate decadence! There’s a reason why this eggless chocolate biscuit pudding is such a hit in Sri Lanka – it’s incredibly delicious and just so easy to make, I guarantee, it’ll soon be one of your favorites too! 🙂
Recipe video
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