Italian Chocolate Salami: the Original Recipe for the Easiest, No-Bake Dessert

Chocolate salami is one of the most popular no-bake desserts. Simple and super greedy, it is made with a mixture of dark chocolate, bitter cocoa powder, dry biscuits, eggs, butter and sugar, then shaped like a sausage. The shape and the coating of icing sugar make it look like a real sausage. It is a delicious dessert that takes us back in time and to the flavors of childhood.

Easy to make, it is one of the most popular desserts that win over children and adults, ideal for a or a birthday buffet. Garnished with a sprig of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream, it is an irresistible dessert at the end of a meal, even for special occasions such as Christmas and Easter. Just chop the dry biscuits finely, mix all the ingredients together and form the salami with the mixture. Let it rest in the refrigerator and it will be ready to enjoy. Like any classic recipe, there is not a single version and each family has its own variant, so customize it as you want according to your taste. We offer you, however, the original version, easy and quick to prepare in just a few minutes.

Chocolate Salami's Origins

Also known as Viking salami – as it was called in "Grandma Duck's Manual", the 1970s cookbook in which it first appeared – or Turkish salami in reference to its characteristic dark color which recalls the skin of the Moors , the dessert is defined as "salami" because of its appearance, featuring a cylindrical shape and often sliced into rounds for serving. Its origins are somewhat debated, but it is commonly associated with Italy and Portugal, with variations also found in other European countries. The visual similarity extends to the inclusion of biscuit pieces or nuts, which mimic the fat found in traditional salami.

The Italian version, "salame di cioccolato," typically includes cocoa, broken biscuits, butter, eggs, and sometimes a splash of alcohol like port wine or rum, which helps to meld the flavors together. In Portugal, "salame de chocolate" shares similar ingredients, though recipes can vary widely with personal or regional touches. The dessert is believed to have originated in the mid-20th century, though specific details about its creation are hard to pinpoint. It became popular as an easy-to-make treat that didn't require baking, making it accessible for people to create with readily available ingredients. Over time, chocolate salami has spread in popularity across Europe and beyond, appreciated for its rich taste, no-bake simplicity, and the fun visual pun of its presentation.

Chocolate Salami VS Lazy Cake

Chocolate salami and lazy cake share a delightful premise as no-bake desserts, known for their convenience and delicious blend of chocolate and biscuit bits. Both desserts leverage the appealing contrast between the creamy or fudgy chocolate texture and the crunch of biscuits, making them favorites for easy, quick sweet treats that appeal to all ages. The primary difference lies in their presentation and texture. Chocolate salami is molded and served in slices, mimicking the appearance of traditional salami with its speckled cross-section, often from the biscuits or nuts within. Lazy cake, on the other hand, is typically pressed into a pan and cut into bars or squares, offering a more straightforward approach to assembly and serving. While chocolate salami often includes a mix of ingredients like eggs and sometimes alcohol to enhance flavor and bind the mixture, lazy cake recipes lean towards simplicity, frequently using condensed milk or melted chocolate to bind the biscuit pieces together. Despite these differences, the core joy of both desserts lies in their rich chocolate flavor, ease of preparation, and the playful use of biscuits to add texture and heft.

Tips and Variations for Chocolate Salami

– The ingredients have to be at room temperature, so remember to take them out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before starting preparation.

– You can use your favorite biscuits, but make sure they are not very buttery, to avoid the dessert being too greasy as butter is already present among the ingredients.

– You can replace butter with seed oil.

– For a less intense flavor, you can use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.

– You can enrich the dough with dried fruit, such as almonds or pistachios.

– If you choose to use eggs, make sure that they are very fresh, precisely because they are used raw.

– You can use decaffeinated or barley coffee.

– You can also enrich the taste of chocolate salami with some rum or another liqueur of your choice. For a non-alcoholic version, if you're making chocolate salami for children, you can replace the alcohol with an equal amount of orange juice.

Other No-Bake Recipes You Might Like

No-Bake Biscuit Cake

No-Bake Cereal Bars

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

4-Ingredient No Bake Lotus Glass Dessert

How to Store Chocolate Salami

Chocolate salami can be stored in the refrigerator, covered with cling film, for 3-4 days. It can also be frozen for about a month, taking care to let it thaw in the fridge and then keep it at room temperature for an hour before serving.

How to Prepare Chocolate Salami

Firstly, break up the biscuits and place them in a large bowl.

Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie and pour it over the biscuits.

Add the melted butter.

Add the coffee.

Add the cocoa powder.

Finally, add the icing sugar (If you prefer you can also enrich it with chopped hazelnuts, almonds or pistachios!)

Stir well to mix all the ingredients until you obtain a sticky mixture (To make it suitable for kids too, you can use decaffeinated or barley coffee).

Spread out the dough on a sheet of baking paper and slowly make it into an elongated shape similar to a sausage.

With the help of the baking paper, shape your salami and then put it straight in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Once firm, sprinkle with lots of icing sugar. Your delicious salami is ready to be served as a snack or dessert.

Cut it into slices and all you have to do is share it or give it as a gift.