Lolly Cake: A Biscuit Log With Color in Every Slice
Mix the biscuit crumb first, then scatter the soft, colorful sweets through it. Press it into one firm log, chill it until it slices cleanly, and cut it so each piece shows its bright cross-section.
From the outside, it is a plain log dusted with coconut. Take it out of the refrigerator, cut it with a knife, and the face of each slice shows a tan crumb of malt biscuits dotted with colorful pieces of soft lollies. That cross-section is what lolly cake is about.
Lolly cake is a no-bake sweet from New Zealand, made by binding crushed malt biscuits and chopped soft lollies with butter and sweetened condensed milk, shaping the mixture into a log, coating it in coconut and chilling it until firm. Anchor Dairy New Zealand and Woolworths New Zealand both call it a Kiwi classic, and the cook Vanya Insull of VJ Cooks introduces it under both names, lolly cake and lolly log. For more dishes from the same table, see New Zealand.
No oven is needed, but this is not a recipe with no heat at all: the butter and condensed milk are warmed together in the microwave before the dry ingredients go in.
This article follows the version published by VJ Cooks, in its July 2026 revision, because it gives a clear weight for every main ingredient, including the condensed milk. Sekai Gohan has not kitchen-tested this recipe. The amounts, order and chilling time come from that source; the choice of unsalted butter, Fruit Puffs and a single log are editorial choices made for this article.
Ingredients: One Batch, Shaped Into a Single Log
The source gives an estimate of about 20 slices when the log is cut about 2 cm thick. That number is the source's guide, not a count from our own kitchen, and the final length of the log and number of slices will vary.
Equipment
- A large microwave-safe bowl
- A whisk
- Something to crush the biscuits, such as a rolling pin, and a bowl to hold the crumb
- A kitchen knife and a cutting board
- Baking paper, or a clean work surface
- A shallow plate for the coconut
- Plastic wrap (cling film)
- A refrigerator
- A covered container for leftovers
Choosing and Swapping: Malt Biscuits, Soft Lollies and Condensed Milk
Malt biscuits. These plain, lightly malty wheat biscuits give lolly cake its flavor. The source allows another plain biscuit, but the taste changes, so treat that as a variation rather than the same cake.
Fruit Puffs or Explorers. Both are named in the source; this article uses Fruit Puffs. They are soft, colorful sweets that can be cut with a knife. Ordinary hard candies, gummies and regular marshmallows are not equivalents. If you use something else, expect a different texture and sweetness, and treat it as your own variation.
Sweetened condensed milk. The source lists ½ cup alongside 160g. Use the 160g weight. It is not the same as "half a can," which appears in other versions and depends on the size of the can.
Butter. Unsalted butter is this article's choice. The source does not say whether its butter is salted or unsalted.
Coconut. Use desiccated coconut. Do not quietly switch to sweetened coconut flakes; that is a different product. Two tablespoons gives a light coat and will not necessarily cover every part of the log.
This recipe contains milk (butter, condensed milk) and wheat (malt biscuits). Choose biscuits, lollies and coconut that are sold ready to eat, and check each product's own ingredient and allergen labeling, including any shared-facility statements.
Method: Warm, Mix in Order, Shape, Chill, Slice
The biscuit crumb goes into the warm butter mixture first, and the chopped lollies go in after it. The log needs at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight, before slicing.
The VJ Cooks recipe page shows a shorter summary time than its method. This article follows the method: chill for at least 2 hours. Work with clean hands and clean tools throughout.
Crumbling, Clumping, Lumps: Fixing Problems in the Log
| Condition | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Slices crumble when cut | The log was not chilled long enough, or not pressed firmly | Rewrap the log and return it to the refrigerator until firm. Next time, press harder when shaping |
| The lolly pieces are bunched in one area | The lollies went in before the crumb was mixed, or were not folded through | Next time, moisten the crumb fully first, then fold the lollies through the whole mixture |
| Butter lumps remain after warming and resting | Microwave output varies; the source gives no wattage | Keep whisking and judge by the state of the mixture, following your microwave's guidance, without boiling it |
| The mixture feels dry and won't hold | Loose packing | Press it firmly into the log. Do not add milk or extra liquid |
| The coconut doesn't cover the whole log | 2 tbsp gives a light coat | That is the amount in this version; a lighter coat is expected |
If a log falls apart, it is tempting to add more butter or condensed milk. Doing so turns it into a different recipe, closer to one of the other published versions below, rather than a fix for this one.
Serving and Leftovers
Lolly cake is sliced from the chilled log and eaten as it is. Keep the log in the refrigerator until you are ready to cut it, and don't leave slices sitting out on the table for long.
For leftovers, put them in a covered container and refrigerate them, following the source's guidance to keep the cake sealed in the fridge. Follow the labels of the products you used, too. Chilling sets the cake; it does not sterilize anything. This article does not give a storage period or freezing method.
Variations: Other Shapes and Other Published Versions
If you try another recipe's amounts, follow that recipe as a whole. Mixing one recipe's butter with another's condensed milk and chilling time does not give you either version.
Shape. The source allows one log or two smaller logs. It also presents balls and a pressed slice as other ways of shaping the same mixture; this article shows only the log.
Lollies. Fruit Puffs and Explorers are both named in the source. Other sweets change the texture and sweetness.
Biscuits. Another plain biscuit is allowed by the source, but the flavor will change.
Other versions. New Zealand recipes for lolly cake do not all use the same proportions. Anchor Dairy New Zealand's version uses 120g melted butter, half a can of sweetened condensed milk, about 190g Explorer lollies, about 250g malt biscuits and 2 cups desiccated coconut, chilled for 4 hours. Woolworths New Zealand's version uses 250g malt biscuits, 190g fruit-puff-style lollies, 100g butter and half a can of condensed milk, serves 16 and chills for several hours. Both are separate recipes. Their "half a can" is not converted here, and none of their amounts are combined with the version above.
Bakery Counters and Birthday Parties: Lolly Cake in New Zealand
Anchor Dairy New Zealand presents lolly cake as a Kiwi classic and a no-bake log, and its page recalls the treat in the context of local bakeries and lunchboxes. VJ Cooks describes lolly cake, or lolly log, as a New Zealand party treat tied to children's birthday parties. Woolworths New Zealand also calls it a Kiwi classic and describes the same family of ingredients: malt biscuits, fruit puff sweets, butter and condensed milk, shaped into a log, coated in coconut and refrigerated until firm.
These are each source's own descriptions and memories, not a shared experience of every household in New Zealand. Who first made lolly cake, and when, is not established by the sources used here, so this article leaves the origin open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an oven?
No. The cake is never baked, but the butter and condensed milk are warmed together in the microwave before mixing.
How long does it need to chill?
At least 2 hours, or overnight, until firm enough to slice. The 4 hours in Anchor's recipe belongs to that different version.
Is the condensed milk half a can?
Not in this version. Use 160g. The source lists ½ cup alongside that weight; "half a can" comes from other recipes and depends on the can size.
What if I can't find Explorers?
The source accepts Fruit Puffs, which is what this article uses. Other sweets will change the texture and sweetness.
How many slices does it make?
The source estimates about 20 slices when cut about 2 cm thick. That is the source's guide, not a measured result from our kitchen, and your count may differ.
Sources
- VJ Cooks (Vanya Insull), "Easy recipe for classic New Zealand lolly cake." The recipe followed in this article (July 2026 revision): amounts, microwave warming and resting, mixing order, shaping, coconut coating, chilling for at least 2 hours or overnight, 2 cm slices and the approximate 20-slice estimate; lolly cake and lolly log as a New Zealand party treat associated with children's birthday parties. https://vjcooks.com/lolly-cake/
- Anchor Dairy New Zealand, "Lolly Cake." Lolly cake as a Kiwi classic and no-bake log, with bakery and lunchbox recollections; its own recipe version, used here only for comparison. https://www.anchordairy.com/nz/en/recipes/dessert-recipes/lolly-cake.html
- Woolworths New Zealand, "Lolly Cake." Another New Zealand recipe describing lolly cake as a Kiwi classic and confirming the usual form and ingredient family; its amounts are used here only for comparison. https://www.woolworths.co.nz/recipe/lolly-cake
