This vegan Kalter Hund Recipe is a German no-bake cake. The name is literally translated as ‘cold dog’ – no idea why! It’s crispy, crunchy and chocolatey and requires just 3 ingredients.
I think most people in the UK have never heard of this – I didn’t until I made it TBH! As you probably know by now, my fiancé is a German guy and I thought it would be a nice treat to rustle up a German feast for his birthday. Never done that before! Along with this no-bake chocolate cake I also made super chewy Pretzels – a recipe you really must try!
Anyway, after some thorough Google searching I discovered this simple no-bake treat and as I gave myself the task of making so many other dishes that day this seemed perfect as it solely required melting and layering and the fridge did the rest!
My bae was pretty darn impressed – he then asked me what it was (facepalm)! He’d never even heard of it – feel a bit proud that I increased his knowledge on German dessert!
Questions about Kalter Hund
What is Kalter Hund?
Kalter hund is a no-bake German dessert that is traditionally made with butter biscuits layered with chocolate in several layers
How to make kalter hund?
To make kalter hund you will need square or rectangular shaped butter biscuits which are vegan, dark chocolate and a can of coconut milk. Melt the chocolate together with the coconut milk and set aside. Line a loaf tin with foil and add one layer of biscuits, ensuring the the biscuits do not touch the edges of the loaf tin. Pour some of the chocolate on top to cover the biscuit layer. Repeat this process until all biscuits and chocolate have been used up – make sure you end on a chocolate layer. Use a knife if necessary to push the biscuits further in so that chocolate fills the empty gaps. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours. When the cake is set it is ready to eat.
Which biscuits are in kalter hund?
The biscuits traditionally used in kalter hund are butter biscuits like the Liebniz brand. However these are not vegan – suitable alternatives include rich tea, morning coffee and saltine crackers. There are also many other brands out now that do vegan alternatives which you can find in supermarkets or health food stores.
Kalter Hund Substitutions
- Coconut sugar can be replaced with apple sauce, bananas or stevia as an alternative sweetener. If moist fruit is used, substitute half of the pumpkin puree with an equal quantity of fruit puree.
- Oat flour can be replaced with any other flour including coconut flour, almond flour or wheat flour.
- Chocolate can be omitted and replaced with 90g cocoa powder, in addition to 65 ml oil or 90g nut butter to retain a moist texture.
- Pumpkin swirl topping can be omitted.
This Kalter Hund is…
- Crisp
- Chocolatey
- Rich
- Can be gluten-free
- Vegan
- Plant-based
More Recipes to Try…
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Kalter Hund Recipe
Kalter Hund Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g semi-sweet rectangular biscuits like rich tea fingers or a vegan Leibniz
- 600 g dark chocolate
- 1 can coconut milk full cream
Instructions
- Combine chocolate and coconut milk and heat until chocolate is completely melted.
- Add one layer of biscuits into a loaf tin lined with foil and spoon some of the chocolate until biscuits are completely covered.
- Continue this step until all of the chocolate and biscuits have been used up, ending on a chocolate layer.
- Ensure that chocolate is covering the edges of the biscuits so that when you remove it from the tin the biscuits will not be visible.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours and serve when set.
Notes
- Oat cream can be used instead of coconut milk
- Any type of plain, milk or dark chocolate can be used
- Gluten-free biscuits similar to Liebniz or other semi-sweet crisp biscuits can be used in this recipe