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Home » Cakes » Nanaimo Bar Cake

Nanaimo Bar Cake

By Olivia, 82 Comments

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This Nanaimo Bar Cake takes the classic Canadian treat and transforms it into a delicious layer cake! Chocolate cake layers with a vanilla custard frosting and chocolate coconut crumble.

Nanaimo Bar Cake! Chocolate cake, vanilla custard and a chocolate coconut crumble.

There’s a good chance you are probably reading this right now and thinking – what the heck is a Nanaimo bar?! Rest assured, you are not alone. Unless you grew up in Canada or have a passionate Canadian in your life, you likely won’t have heard of this amazingly delicious treat. Those who do know it though, know that it is ubiquitous around here. You’ll be able to find Nanaimo bars in every grocery store and every local bakery across the country.

Chocolate cake with vanilla custard frosting.

What is a Nanaimo Bar?

A Nanaimo bar is a no bake treat made of a chocolate graham cracker/coconut base (sometimes also with almonds), followed by a yellow custard filling and finally a layer of chocolate. According to Wikipedia, there seems to be a bit of controversy as to where the bar actually originated, but to avoid any potential wrath, I’m going to stick with saying it was in Nanaimo, BC.

Did you KNOW (and this is news to me) that you can  do a self-guided tour in Nanaimo and try over 30 different variations of Nanaimo bars?? They have a map with all the delicious locations you can hit up. Amazing. That Nanaimo bar milkshake is calling my name.

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Nanaimo bars are known for their signature yellow custard layer. There is really nothing like it. There’s also not much to it, to be honest. It’s basically butter, powdered sugar, and custard powder (which is what gives it that signature yellow color). I’ll fully admit that the only things I’ve ever used custard powder for are this cake and actual Nanaimo bars. I wish it came in a smaller container! It’s not a bank-breaker, but I don’t like to see things go to waste.

Nanaimo bar cake from the top with ruffle dollops and a cookie crumble.

What can be used instead of custard powder?

I’m not sure how readily available custard powder is outside of Canada and the UK,  but it doesn’t seem too hard to find, as both Amazon and Walmart seem to carry it. The main ingredient in custard powder is cornstarch, so you can try to replace it with that and increase the amount of vanilla for taste. You won’t be able to get that signature yellow color this way, but it would still be delicious.

Ideally though, use the custard powder if you can find it!

Nanaimo Bar Cake with a ganache drip.

When making this Nanaimo Bar Cake, I ran through a few different options. My first plan was to incorporate the graham cracker crumbs and coconut right into the cake batter, but I nixed that for two reasons:

  1. This chocolate cake batter is very thin, so I imagined the coconut would just sink to the bottom.
  2. The graham cracker and coconut flavour would likely be lost in the rich chocolate cake.

Instead, I decided to do a crumble layer to make sure the flavour of that classic Nanaimo bar base came through, but also to add some texture.

Chocolate cake with vanilla custard frosting.

I wanted the decoration of the cake to emulate a Nanaimo bar as much as possible, so I kept it simple — a naked cake so that you would see the layers of chocolate and custard, and a drippy chocolate ganache to evoke that top layer of the Nanaimo bar. If you wanted to, you could put some ganache between the layers too. I think that would be a nice addition, but I would double the ganache recipe if you plan to do that.

If you love Nanaimo bars as much as I do, you will love this Nanaimo bar cake! It’s basically a deconstructed Nanaimo bar with rich chocolate cake layers. What’s not to love?? For my non-Canadian friends, I really hope you will give this one a try. It is totally delicious, and you’ll wonder why Nanaimo bars haven’t infiltrated every part of the world yet.

Slice of the Nanaimo Bar cake showing layers of custard frosting and cookie crumble.

Looking for more Chocolate Cake recipes?

  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
  • French Silk Pie Cake (Copycat Deep n’ Delicious Chocolate Cake)
  • Chocolate Strawberry Cake
  • Mocha Chocolate Cake

Tips for making this Nanaimo Bar Cake

  • The cake batter is very thin and rises a lot. Do not be alarmed by this!
  • If you can’t find custard powder you can try to replace it with cornstarch and increase the amount of vanilla for flavour.
  • For the crumble layer, use fine shredded coconut if you can find it, but it’s not critical.
  • If you like, you can sprinkle more shredded coconut over the crumble layer when stacking the cake.
  • For the ganache, I find that a good quality chocolate makes a huge difference. I use Callebaut because that’s what is available to me.
  • To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my Flat Top Cakes post!

A decorated cake on a cake stand
Print Rate
4.64 from 11 votes

Nanaimo Bar Cake

This Nanaimo Bar Cake takes the classic Canadian treat and transforms it into a delicious layer cake! Chocolate cake layers with a vanilla custard frosting and chocolate coconut crumble.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Cake
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 743kcal
Author Olivia

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

  • 3 oz good quality dark chocolate
  • 3 oz heavy cream

Chocolate Cake:

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 3/4 cup hot water
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Coconut Crumble:

  • 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup fine shredded coconut unsweetened
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp black cocoa powder optional (for color)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted

Vanilla Custard Frosting:

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 1/4 cup custard powder
  • 2 Tbsp heavy cream more if needed
  • 1 tsp vanilla
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

  • Finely chop chocolate and place into a bowl. Bring cream just barely to a simmer and pour over chopped chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 2 mins. Stir with a spatula until combined, smooth, and silky. Set aside to cool completely until thickened but still pourable. See notes.*

Chocolate Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6" round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
  • Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
  • In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour water in slowly as not to cook the eggs if very hot).
  • Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
  • Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed. Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. A total of 35-40mins.
  • Cool 10 minutes in the pans then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Coconut Crumble:

  • Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Whisk all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour in melted butter and stir until it begins to clump. 
  • Spread evenly on baking sheet and bake for 15mins. Cool completely before using on cake.**

Vanilla Custard Frosting:

  • Prepare a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk butter until creamy, scraping bowl as needed.
  • Reduce speed to low and add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until well blended, add custard powder. Increase speed to med and beat for 3 minutes.
  • Add vanilla and 2 Tbsp cream and continue to whip on medium for 1 minute.
  • Add more cream as needed until desired consistency is reached (I added all 4 Tbsp). Whip until the frosting is smooth and silky.

Assembly:

  • Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving dish. Top with about 2/3 cup buttercream, spread evenly. Sprinkle some of the crumble on top. Repeat with remaining layers, but don't sprinkle crumble on the very top layer.
  • Frost and smooth the outside with a thin crumb coat (thicker on the very top). Chill for 20mins.
  • Using a small spoon, place dollops of ganache around the top edges of the cooled cake, allowing some to drip down. Fill in the top of the cake with more ganache and spread evenly with an offset spatula.***
  • Use a 1M tip to pipe dollops on top with remaining frosting and sprinkle some crumble in the middle.

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Notes

* For the ganache, I let mine set overnight (with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface). It will be too thick at this point, so I microwave it for 5-10 secs and stir it until it's the right consistency.
** You will have some crumble leftover after using it in the cake. You can use this as a topping for ice cream or a crunch layer in another cake.
*** You may have some ganache left over.
Calories: 743kcalCarbohydrates: 91gProtein: 5gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 427mgPotassium: 261mgFiber: 3gSugar: 70gVitamin A: 1040IUCalcium: 74mgIron: 2.9mg
The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.

Nanaimo Bar Cake Collage

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April 28, 2018

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Bonnie says

    December 18, 2020 at 9:50 AM

    This is delicious! The chocolate cake is one of the best I have tasted. I did ‘paint’ the top of the layers with Kahlua (1/3 cup) prior to assembling which added another flavor layer. I won’t lie, it’s time consuming but the cake is very nice to look at and even better tasting. I’m a west coast Canadian girl snd have lived my life eating Nanaimo bars…this is great!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 18, 2020 at 2:31 PM

      Hi Bonnie! I am so happy you loved this one 🙂 Thanks for your feedback!

      Reply
  2. Julie says

    November 29, 2020 at 6:18 AM

    Hi Olivia,
    I am so excited about this Nanaimo Cake, being a Canadian and all!
    Can you please tell me how deep your 6 inch pans are? I found a pKg of 5, that says to use one cake mix. It’s for a rainbow cake, but they are super shallow.
    Your help is greatly appreciated!
    Happy baking!
    Julie

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 29, 2020 at 4:27 PM

      Hi Julie! All my pans are 2″ deep, but 3″ will work too. I know the pans you mean. As long as they are a total of 6″ deep then I think it should work ok (though I’m not sure they are). Note that the batter here is very thin and rises a lot, so don’t fill your pans more than half full. That could be tricky with the super thin ones.

      Reply
      • Julie says

        December 1, 2020 at 7:16 AM

        Thank you so much for your reply Olivia 🙂
        Yes, these shallow pans look like they’re better suited for an easy bake oven 😉
        I was able to find some 3” deep, now let the baking begin! ….once they deliver 😀
        Also, I’m a huge fan of the cake pan strips for even baking. I immerse them in cold water and then put them in the fridge until I’m ready to put the pans in the oven. Works like a charm every time!
        Be well, and happy baking!
        Julie

        Reply
        • Olivia says

          December 3, 2020 at 4:13 PM

          I love the cake strips too! I never thought about putting them in the fridge! Great idea. I’ll have to try that!

          Reply
          • Julie says

            December 7, 2020 at 4:11 PM

            Does the cake need to be refrigerated once made?
            Mine turned out a little different than yours… the big taste test is tomorrow. 🤞

          • Olivia says

            December 8, 2020 at 2:35 PM

            Hi Julie! It will be ok at room temperature for a couple days, but I tend to refrigerate mine.

  3. Helen says

    November 22, 2020 at 7:21 PM

    Is it possible to add chopped almonds , pecans or walnuts to the crumble like the nanaimo bar base?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 23, 2020 at 4:57 PM

      Hi Helen! For sure! I think that would be a delicious addition. For ease, and the make sure the crumble isn’t too dry, I would probably just sprinkle the chopped nuts on top of the crumble when frosting the cake.

      Reply
  4. Shirley says

    September 7, 2020 at 3:32 PM

    Hi I’ve read through the comments and prepping for the recipe, and I noticed the cake pans are only 6” – can I double this and use larger pans like 8”?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 8, 2020 at 5:17 PM

      Hi Shirley! For three 8″ cake pans you can 1.5x the recipe.

      Reply
  5. Violet C says

    September 4, 2020 at 5:50 PM

    5 stars
    Everyone loved this cake when I made it, just wondering but can you turn this one into cupcakes?!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 8, 2020 at 4:52 PM

      Hi Violet! Yes for sure. All you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so. Don’t fill them more than half full because the batter rises a lot.

      Reply
  6. Sandra Hussey says

    August 13, 2020 at 5:32 PM

    I made this cake for my daughter’s 23rd Birthday, everyone seen to like it. I am presently making your blueberry banana cake for my grandson 1st birthday 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 14, 2020 at 11:59 AM

      Hi Sandra! So happy everyone liked it. The Blueberry Banana one is delicious! I hope you love that too 🙂

      Reply
  7. Deborah beaton says

    July 18, 2020 at 12:28 AM

    Thank you for this recipe. I made it for my grandchildren , it was lovely . Decorated the cake the same as the picture. It really looked impressive. Everyone loved it.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 20, 2020 at 9:17 AM

      Hi Deborah! Yay! So happy everyone loved it 🙂

      Reply
  8. Dia says

    July 3, 2020 at 5:21 PM

    5 stars
    Made this last year for a birthday and it was such a hit that my family finished the entire cake within one day – they aren’t cake fans so it was a bit of a shocker!!! I plan on making this cake again real soon but was wondering how much buttercream the vanilla custard frosting makes as my parents are coming over and I would like to make a healthier version by using whipping/heavy cream instead 😋 I know it wont be the same experience but there’s no harm in experimenting

    Hope to hear from you soon,
    Thank you 💖

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      July 6, 2020 at 9:14 AM

      Hi Dia! So happy you love this one. I’ve never measured it but I think this recipe makes about 3 cups of frosting or so.

      Reply
  9. Jane Doyle says

    June 8, 2020 at 2:35 PM

    I grew up in the 1960’s with these bars being called New York Squares . My aunt introduced them to our family at a wedding shower and I’ve been making them ever since ! The recipe called for vanilla instant pudding instead of custard powder. It gives the yellow colour and vanilla flavour.
    These have evolved into Nanaimo bars in my family as we are proud Canadians! Can’t wait to try this cake version of our favourite treat.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 8, 2020 at 2:46 PM

      Hi Jane! Thanks for sharing some of your history with these. I hope you love the cake as much as I do 😀

      Reply
  10. Amanda says

    May 15, 2020 at 4:14 PM

    5 stars
    This is actually the best cake that I have ever had. Seriously.
    There were three things I did a little differently – instead of buttermilk in the chocolate cake, I used sour cream. And I added a full tablespoon of really fine espresso ground beans to help bring out more of the chocolate flavour. I also doubled the crust portion and put it on nice and thick in between the layers.
    SOOO freaking amazing.

    Thanks so much for this.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 15, 2020 at 4:31 PM

      Hi Amanda! That is seriously high praise. I’m so happy you loved it 🙂

      Reply
  11. Pat says

    May 14, 2020 at 10:06 AM

    I am confused? Why would cake not rise just because one changes the pan size? I have never heard of that. Just don’t understand response to the problem of not rising. She is a beauty.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 14, 2020 at 10:55 AM

      Hi Pat! I’m not sure which comment you’re referring to. The cake should rise regardless, but if baked in too large a pan it will be very flat.

      Reply
  12. Darlene says

    April 14, 2020 at 9:14 PM

    I haven’t tried this yet, but I am dying to make it happen. Another use for my custard powder and it’s cake! 😊
    Just a suggestion for using the custard powder: trifles! There are so many seasonal variations that you could use up that whole tin in no time.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      April 15, 2020 at 9:36 AM

      Great tip Darlene! Thank you 🙂 I hope you love this cake!

      Reply
  13. Brianna says

    February 29, 2020 at 10:08 AM

    2 stars
    I have tried making this THREE TIMES and the cake batter has never risen. After the first failure I’ve made sure to test my baking soda AND baking powder, check the freshness of my eggs and I’ve followed each step exactly. Each time I’ve had to resort to using boxed cake mix and then assemble with the frosting, crumble and ganache. The assembled results have been a hit, but the cake bater never made it to the table.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      March 1, 2020 at 1:18 AM

      Hi Brianna! Sorry to hear you’re having trouble with this one. The cake actually rises a LOT (doubles in size), so there must be something off. Are you at high elevation by chance?

      Reply
    • Emmanuelle says

      April 26, 2020 at 10:39 AM

      Hi, I made this cake this morning, and I knew my pans were bigger than 6″, so I had planned to double the batter.. But I forgot and the cakes didn’t rise at all. I redid the cake with a double recipe and now they rose a lot!
      So maybe your problem was not enough batter for the size of your pans?

      Reply
  14. Ingrid says

    February 24, 2020 at 5:55 AM

    I grew up on a farm and the local grocery store (in the 60s) didn’t have custard powder , we used vanilla pudding powder instant or the kind you had to cook. Worked fine

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 26, 2020 at 8:56 PM

      Hi Ingrid! I think that would give the traditional Nanaimo bar a slightly different flavour and color. It would still be delicious though 🙂

      Reply
  15. Whysper says

    February 17, 2020 at 6:25 PM

    I have no clue how I stumbled on this page, but I thank the Google Gods that I did! I really wish I have not already added the cocoa powder to the custard I am about to make for my cake :/ I am in the middle of making a peanut butter and chocolate cake. Each layer edged in peanut butter buttercream and filled with chocolate custard. But I think I know what my next cake is going to be. I am thinking mint though. My favourite version of the Nanaimo bar. Thank you for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      February 18, 2020 at 9:16 PM

      Hi Whysper! Your cake sounds delicious! And thank you for the sweet comment. I hope you love this cake as much as I do.

      Reply
  16. Maggie says

    December 12, 2019 at 4:55 PM

    4 stars
    Excellent cake (but the bars are yummier) Must use “Birds custard powder”
    It is. a do again!
    I live in Nanaimo BC Canada so I have to be careful who I serve this to. LOL
    Mmm

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 13, 2019 at 4:16 PM

      Hi Maggie! So happy you liked my cake version of those delicious bars 😀

      Reply
  17. Ava says

    December 5, 2019 at 10:37 AM

    Making this right now. Question… the custard is usually cooked… that gets rid of the cornstarch flavor. My custard tastes like the powder right now. Will that go away after us sets a bit?

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 6, 2019 at 9:36 AM

      Hi Ava! The filling in Nanaimo bars is not cooked. It should taste like a buttercream.

      Reply
  18. Maika says

    November 7, 2019 at 11:32 PM

    This looks delicious. I think that using a German buttercream would be a good choice if custard powder is not available. For those who don’t know Germain buttercream is made using a base of pastry cream and beating with with butter until it is light and creamy and since it contains eggs it has a golden yellow color.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 8, 2019 at 1:20 PM

      Hi Maika! Thanks so much for the tip about German buttercream — I need to try that!

      Reply
    • Gayle says

      April 23, 2020 at 10:31 AM

      5 stars
      If you don’t use Bird’s you just get farther away from any similarity to a real Nanaimo Bar. Birds is to Nanaimo Bars what butter is to shortbread or similar. It provides both colour and taste.

      Reply
  19. Stephanie McQuaid says

    October 5, 2019 at 9:33 AM

    I made this scrumptious cake this summer and it turned out amazing! My husband and I devoured it I. A couple days. Haha!
    I can’t stop thinking about it and now have another birthday I’d like to make it for. Would the cake recipe be the same if I’d like to make cupcakes? I know something they’re better more dense so they don’t crumble…don’t know if the recipe needs to be adjusted to help that? Thanks so much😋

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 7, 2019 at 9:09 AM

      Hi Stephanie! The cake would work great as cupcakes — just reduce the baking time to 15mins or so and make sure not to fill the liners more than half full as the batter rises a lot.

      Reply
  20. Estelle Grant says

    September 25, 2019 at 6:21 PM

    Does the recipe only take 1/4 cup of oil? Other have much more oil. I’m planning to do this cake for a birthday.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      September 27, 2019 at 4:08 PM

      Hi Estelle! Yes, that’s correct.

      Reply
  21. Joanna Roche says

    June 20, 2019 at 6:21 PM

    The cake sounds fantastic. I will definitely have to make one.
    Born in Montreal, I have lived in the states for many years and have made many a pan of naniamos. At times the custard powder can be found here and at times it is harder to find. On one occasion when I had no custard powder I substituted an equal amount of pudding powder… from a box of Jello vanilla pudding. It worked totally fine.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 21, 2019 at 9:58 AM

      Hi Joanna! Thanks so much for the tip! I hope you love this recipe.

      Reply
  22. Sarah says

    May 7, 2019 at 3:30 PM

    Hi Olivia!

    This cake looks so good! I only have 9 inch round pans so I was wondering if you had a recipe for chocolate cake to fit that or if I should use a different cake recipe to replace this one but use your frosting and crumble? Maybe I should also increase the frosting and crumble to fit the layers? Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 10, 2019 at 11:59 AM

      Hi Sarah! Do you have 3 of those pans? If so you can just double this recipe and it will work fine!

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        May 24, 2019 at 2:22 PM

        Yes, I have three 9″ round pans! Thanks, will definitely make this 🙂

        Reply
  23. Lisa says

    December 24, 2018 at 12:20 PM

    HI there just made the cake for tomorrow for Christmas. Should it be stored in the fridge or at room temp
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      December 24, 2018 at 1:16 PM

      Hi Lisa! I would store it in the fridge, but take it out 2-3 hours before serving to come to room temp. It wouldn’t go bad though if you just kept it on the counter too 🙂

      Reply
  24. Carol says

    November 8, 2018 at 2:15 PM

    5 stars
    While we in British Columbia call these special treats “Nanaimo Bars”, our friends in Eastern Canada (at least in Ontario) call them “New York Specials”. Try substituting the graham crumbs with Oreo crumbs. You can’t have too much chocolate!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 8, 2018 at 4:52 PM

      Interesting! And omg that sounds amazing, I will have to try that.

      Reply
    • Janette Nix says

      December 11, 2019 at 1:49 PM

      I’m from Ontario, and have never heard them referred to as New York Specials. We make, eat and buy them here in Windsor, and have always called them Nanaimo bars.

      Reply
  25. Carol says

    November 8, 2018 at 10:14 AM

    Love this recipe. I’m a Canadian from the West Coast so know Nanaimo Bars well. In fact, many, many years ago when my husband and I had been traveling in Europe and Asia for almost a year the food we missed the most from home was Nanaimo Bars. When my Mom came to join us in Italy for the latter part of our time away, we asked her to bring us those same treats. Which, being a loving Mom , she did
    The only change I made to the recipe was to make 3, 9 inch round cakes (I don’t have 6 inch pans). I used a different, though very similar recipe for the cake.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      November 8, 2018 at 4:45 PM

      Hi Carol! I’m so happy to hear that you liked it. What a lovely story!

      Reply
    • Michelle says

      November 19, 2018 at 6:47 PM

      Hello, I was planning on using 9″ pans as well . Can you please share how you adjusted the recipe?

      Reply
  26. Mel says

    October 25, 2018 at 3:27 AM

    I don’t have 6” cake pans but have two 8”. Do you think using them could work? And, if so, do you have any advice on cook time etc? Can’t wait to try this! 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 25, 2018 at 11:14 AM

      Hi Mel! Yes, it should work fine in two 8″. The layers will be slightly thinner though. Baking time will be similar, but start checking them around 30mins or so. I hope you like it!

      Reply
  27. Lisa says

    October 6, 2018 at 5:31 AM

    Hi there, can this cake be made like Christina Tosi cakes and cut with a disc and then frozen for 12 hours and then put in the fridge. And if so when would you put on the ganache and icing.
    Thanks love your recipes.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      October 9, 2018 at 2:31 PM

      Hi Lisa! Yes, you can make it that way, it should work no problem. I would assemble everything except the ganache and freeze it. Then do the ganache part once you’ve taken the cake out of the freezer and the cake ring & acetate off. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  28. Jamie says

    August 10, 2018 at 4:01 PM

    5 stars
    Living just north of Seattle, we occasionally see Nanaimo bars for sale, and boy are they a treat, but I doubt as delicious and authentic as what’s available in Canada. My husband and I have been back and forth trying to decide what to go do as a mini vacation on our anniversary in Sept. Vancouver Island has been mentioned as a possibility, and now that I know there’s a Nanaimo bar adventure in Nanaimo, I think perhaps that’ll seal the deal! Thanks for all the info in your write up, and I look forward to making the cake!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      August 14, 2018 at 2:21 PM

      Hi Jamie! You’ll have to report back if you do do the Nanaimo bar adventure! It sounds super fun. I hope you like the cake and that it lives up to your expectations!

      Reply
  29. Joanna says

    June 16, 2018 at 1:53 PM

    I was wondering if I could possibly use vanilla pudding mix to sub in for the custard powder, and if so how much would you recommend using? 🙂

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      June 18, 2018 at 4:08 PM

      Hi Joanna! You could definitely try it! I don’t think it would be bad. I would use the same amount as the custard powder 🙂

      Reply
    • Joyce Fingerut says

      January 28, 2019 at 11:10 AM

      I have been making Nanaimo bars (and reverse Nanaimo bars) for years using Jello brand vanilla pudding powder. I don’t know how well they match the originals, but everyone thinks they’re delicious. I spread them around, and haven’t had a complaint yet.

      Reply
      • Olivia says

        January 28, 2019 at 4:47 PM

        Hi Joyce! Thanks so much for the tip, I’ll have to give that a try! Does the pudding give it the same yellow color?

        Reply
  30. akashocd says

    May 26, 2018 at 3:38 AM

    5 stars
    Wow this cake recipe is so good thank you for sharing your recipe

    Reply
  31. Emily says

    May 14, 2018 at 2:15 PM

    5 stars
    Everyone that tried this after I made it loved it! I didn’t have the custard powder, but I had a bag of bavarian cream that I used to flavor the frosting. It has to be one of my top three favorite cakes I’ve ever had!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 17, 2018 at 3:02 PM

      Wow! High praise, thank you! I am so happy everyone liked it 🙂

      Reply
  32. Lucy Mares says

    May 4, 2018 at 1:06 PM

    5 stars
    When making the Nanaimo Bars when I was a child in the late 1950’s, our recipe called for instant vanilla pudding which you can readily find and use in place of the powdered custard. I still have my mother’s original recipe written on an index card. By the time the recipe got to Western Pennsylvania, the name of the bar got butchered into “No Name Bars.” I didn’t find out the real name until I saw the recipe on the Internet. To this day, my friends and I refer to them as “No Name Bars.” The cake looks amazing and I plan to try it soon. Thanks for the recipe and the pics.

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 4, 2018 at 3:38 PM

      Hi Lucy! Great tip about the pudding! I wondered about that. And lol about the No Name Bars!! Sounds like some kind of cheap knock off. Hilarious. I hope you like this recipe!

      Reply
  33. Gentry says

    May 1, 2018 at 8:56 PM

    This looks amazing! I haven’t had luck with from scratch cakes. I live in Utah at 4,600 feet – do you adjust your cake recipes for high elevations? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 3, 2018 at 4:54 PM

      Hi Gentry! It would need to be adjusted for high altitude, yes. I haven’t done so myself. Here are some tips on what you’d need to adjust: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html

      Reply
  34. Nancy Henry says

    April 30, 2018 at 1:16 PM

    Birds custard powder is readily available in Washington State. World Market also carries it! I love Nanaimo Bars and Nanaimo is such a quaint town! I didn’t know there was a Nanaimo Bar map, I’m seeing a trip across the border in my future!!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 1, 2018 at 9:48 AM

      Awesome! So glad to hear that it’s easy to get 🙂 I haven’t been to Nanaimo in ages — I seriously want to hit a few stops on that tour though!

      Reply
  35. Dianne Duncan says

    April 30, 2018 at 9:51 AM

    Question not comment, I would prefer to make bars instead of the cake, is baking temp and time different and what size pan? 13×19? Any help would be great!

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 1, 2018 at 9:48 AM

      Hi Dianne! Do you mean you’d like to make a sheet cake version of this? You could try to bake it in a 9×13 pan, but I think the cake layer would be thinner than what I have. Or you can try to 1.5x the recipe and make cupcakes with any excess batter. Don’t fill the pan more than half full as the batter rises a lot! Baking temp would be the same, but time would need to be adjusted depending on if you increase the recipe or not.

      Reply
  36. Erin Clarkson says

    April 30, 2018 at 9:31 AM

    Yummmmm this looks so good! I have family on vancouver island and nanaimo bars are my faaave!

    You can def get custard powder at whole foods, and we can get it in every supermarket in NZ too!

    x

    Reply
    • Olivia says

      May 1, 2018 at 9:45 AM

      Yesss, so glad to hear that! I wasn’t sure if it was readily available everywhere. You must tell me if you’re ever in the Vancouver area!

      Reply
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I'm Olivia, a professionally trained pastry chef, recipe developer, and photographer from Vancouver, BC. Creating classic cake recipes with a modern twist.
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