The two-tone no-bake cake is a very delicious and fragrant dessert, composed of a white cream, a cocoa cream, and a soft heart of biscuits. It is a recipe that is reminiscent, in some ways, of making a cheesecake; however, in this case, we won’t have the traditional base made of crumbled biscuits and melted butter. This cake is very easy to make and will be loved by both adults and children. It is a dessert that does not contain gelatin, as the presence of cream cheese provides the right firmness. The two-tone no-bake cake is suitable for hosting guests, celebrating birthdays and occasions; or for finishing an important lunch or dinner. I recommend preparing it the day before, as it will become even better and more delicious.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 16
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4.4 oz cream cheese
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 0.7 oz cornstarch
- 0.9 oz unsweetened cocoa powder
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4.4 oz cream cheese
- 1 packet vanillin
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 17.6 oz dry biscuits
- as needed unsweetened cocoa powder
- as needed hazelnut crumbs
Tools
- 1 26 cm springform pan
Preparation
Prepare the cocoa cream. In a large saucepan, put the sifted cornstarch and cocoa, salt, vanillin, sugar, and cold milk. Mix well with a steel whisk, ensuring the cornstarch is perfectly dissolved.
Then, place the saucepan on the smallest burner over low heat and cook until the cream begins to thicken.
When it is thick, turn off the heat and let it cool well. To make the cream and, therefore, the two-tone no-bake cake more delicious, you can add dark chocolate and let it melt while the cream is still hot.
Prepare the pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper slightly larger than the base of the pan, wet it, wring it out, and lay it down well on the bottom of the pan.
Also cut a strip (slightly higher than the edge of the pan), wet it, and line it along the entire circumference (in my case, the strip was about 23.6 inches long).
Cover the bottom of the pan well with the biscuits and, with a light hand pressure, press them down. This will also close any empty spaces.
Now prepare the white cream. Whip the heavy cream; as soon as it starts to become firm, add the cream cheese (drained of any whey), sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and continue whipping until you obtain a fluffy and firm mixture (about one minute in total).
Pour the white cream over the biscuits, tap the pan on the table two or three times, so the cream distributes perfectly, and finally level it with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Cover and put in the fridge for a couple of hours.
When the cocoa cream is cold, whip the other cup of cold heavy cream from the fridge, and as soon as it starts to become firm, add the cocoa cream, the cheese, and powdered sugar. Continue to whip to achieve a fluffy yet light mixture.
Filling. Remove the pan from the fridge and cover the white cream with a layer of biscuits that will separate the two creams and at the same time give a delightful crunchy note to our no-bake cake.
At this point, also add the cocoa cream, tap the pan on the table to fill all spaces, and level it with a spatula. Put the pan with the dessert back in the fridge.
A few hours before serving the cake, generously sprinkle it with unsweetened cocoa and hazelnut crumbs, remove it from the mold, place it on a serving plate, and remove the parchment paper strip from the cake.
Finally, decorate it along the edges with more dry biscuits.
Place the dessert in a cake holder or a large container and return it to the fridge; or, if you want, you can also put it in the freezer for half an hour before serving it.
Extra tip. If you don’t have a springform pan, it is possible to make the two-tone no-bake cake using a trick: a double layer of parchment paper that completely lines the pan and protrudes from it; this way, by grabbing the outer edges, it will be easier and safer to extract the cake without damage. The strip of parchment paper to be inserted along the edges of the pan remains as described above.
