3 Bit Cake

This no-bake “3 BIT” cake is so popular it hardly needs an introduction ;). I was asked for the recipe by a friend of a friend — in fact, an English lady who buys this cake in a Polish shop here in the UK. As you can see, it’s loved across different cultures! As Joey Tribbiani would say: what’s not to like? Custard — good, caramel — good, whipped cream — good! All layered between classic butter biscuits. There’s no baking needed, and it’s best made a day ahead so the biscuits can soften. It’s incredibly easy to prepare and absolutely delicious.

Ingredients for the 3 BIT cake:

• 6–7 packs petit beurre biscuits (100 g each)
• 1½ tins dulce de leche (about 600 g)
• 750 ml milk
• seeds from 1 vanilla pod or 16 g vanilla sugar
• 165 g sugar
• 125 g butter
• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• 5 tablespoons potato starch
• 4 eggs
• 600 ml double cream, chilled + 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• 100 g dark chocolate, grated, for topping

Line a 25 × 35 cm tin with baking parchment (optional, but helpful for slicing).

Arrange a single layer of biscuits on the base of the tin. Gently warm the dulce de leche in a saucepan, stirring frequently, then spread over the biscuits. Cover with another layer of biscuits.

Prepare the custard: bring 500 ml milk to the boil with the vanilla, sugar and butter. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining 250 ml milk with the eggs, flour and potato starch. Pour into the hot milk and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Simmer for a further 2–3 minutes. Pour the hot custard over the biscuits, level it out and cover with another layer of biscuits. Leave to cool. Wrap the tin tightly with cling film and refrigerate, preferably overnight, to allow the biscuits to soften.

Whip the double cream until stiff, adding the icing sugar towards the end. Spread over the cake and finish with grated chocolate. Slice and serve. Store in the fridge.

Note: The custard layer is quite firm. If you prefer a creamier filling, omit the butter when cooking the custard, then once cooled, beat it with softened butter to create a smoother, more buttercream-like texture.

Enjoy!