Around the World in Seven Cakes: Nanaimo Bars

The next stop on our cake journey is North America. We've previously covered several classic American cakes like red velvet cake, carrot cake, king cake, and angel and devil's food cake. For something a little different, I turned to Canadian Nanaimo bars.

Do Nanaimo Bars Count as Cake?

When I made these bars, it was peak summer here in Denver. Nanaimo bars are a no-bake treat, typically made in a square cake pan, and they include a buttercream layer. I decided these details were enough to qualify Nanaimo bars as cake, especially since they are such a renowned dessert in Canada, and I didn't have to turn on the oven.

History of Nanaimo Bars

This sweet treat is named after the British Columbia city of Nanaimo, located on Vancouver Island. While similar layered bars already existed, the first known published recipe called a "Nanaimo Bar" appeared in a 1953 cookbook titled The Ladies Auxiliary to the Nanaimo Hospital Cookbook. The name stuck, and in the 1980s, the mayor of Nanaimo launched a contest to find the ultimate Nanaimo bar recipe. Joyce Hardcastle's recipe won, and it became the city's official recipe.

The bars became popular across Canada, and are now recognized along with poutine and butter tarts as Canadian cultural food icons.

Making Nanaimo Bars

As the "official" Nanaimo bar was so recently created, it was easy to find Joyce Hardcastle's recipe on Food.com. The editorial at the top of the recipe by the contributor green_sleeves, is worth the read.

The crust for this recipe is unlike anything I've made before. While it is similar to a graham cracker crust, it includes an egg, but it isn't baked. First, mix together butter, cocoa powder, and sugar in a double boiler. Once the butter has melted, remove the boiler from the stovetop and mix in an egg, stirring quickly to keep it from scrambling.

The raw egg in the crust bothered me, so I checked a few more recipes. I found one from Canadian Living that calls for baking the crust. I opted to make this recipe instead.

While I found variations among all the recipes I researched, each one called for custard powder. I'm an experienced baker, but I'd never heard of custard powder. Fortunately, it's easy to find in the baking aisle at local grocery stores.

Custard powder is a starch-based powder with a flavor and color that mimics the taste and appearance of custard when mixed with milk and sugar. Using custard powder was so much faster than making custard, and the custard layer was definitely my favorite part of the Nanaimo bars. I can't wait to try experimenting with custard powder in other recipes.

Cake or Not, Nanaimo Bars Are a Hit

Nanaimo bars turned out to be the perfect no-bake treat for a sweltering summer day, and an interesting stop on our cake journey.

They may not be cake in the traditional sense, but with their layered structure and decadent custard filling, they certainly earn an honorable mention. If you've never tried Nanaimo bars, I highly recommend giving them a go.