Ice Ice Baby

July 22, 2024 10:59 AM

Just because the weather is unbearbly hot (in the Northern Hemisphere) doesn't mean you should go without dessert. Let's look at the magic of the "Icebox Cake" introduced to the US in the 1920's and a staple of summer time for decades to come. Skip the oven and eat your cake too.

The classic concept: take hard biscuit cookies and layer with whipped cream. Allow to sit overnight in the fridge/icebox and watch as the cookies soften into a cakey like confection. The exemplar - The Nabsico Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake. But there's a problem - Nabsico discontinued the classic cookie and people are looking for alternatives. The most available alternative - or for the true DIY spirit: America's Test Kitchen's version or Southern Living's version

But beyond the classic, the variations are endless - even just in America and the Commonwealth Countries (see Australia's Chocolate Ripple Cake or the British Biscuit Cake as prepared for Prince William's Groom Cake or a thousand and one trifle recipes)

As always - this is not intended to be exhaustive of the world's experience with no-bake cakes! Drop your favorite summer time dessert below

This post inspired by Claire Saffitz's Easy Summer Icebox Cake video. (I made one this weekend with roasted white peaches instead of plums. Honestly, use any fresh ripe fruit and your favorite crisp cookie including graham crackers and you have a winner)

posted by drewbage1847 (30 comments total)

I absolutely love icebox cake but I can't really hear about them without Tom Carvel invading my senses. I should get more graham crackers and try one of these.
posted by jessamyn at 11:13 AM on July 22 [5 favorites]

My mom used to make a super super low-effort cake of this type she called eclair cake. It involved layering graham crackers with (prepared) instant pudding in a casserole dish, then topping with either canned cherries or chocolate frosting. I have never made it as an adult, but I get occasional hankerings. I bet my kids would love it. Guess that’s on the list for next week!
posted by Night_owl at 11:19 AM on July 22 [4 favorites]

My mother-in-law made a version of this with Dream Whip and the Nabisco cookies. She hasn't tried it yet, but I got her some Reko pizzelles as a sub. (different size but hopeful it will work)
posted by tubedogg at 11:37 AM on July 22 [1 favorite]

I highly recommend the dulce de leche icebox cake.
posted by knile at 11:38 AM on July 22 [2 favorites]

What about making it with those very thin ginger snaps, the kind that are like a mm thick? Hmm, must try this.

I have a person with a dairy issue in my household - any reason you couldn't use the whipped cream that is made from coconut milk?
posted by joannemerriam at 11:44 AM on July 22 [3 favorites]

I would think as long it's not just whipped fat (which whipped coconut cream wouldn't be), it should work just fine. I make a trifle with ginger snaps all the as well.
posted by drewbage1847 at 11:48 AM on July 22

Everybody liked the thick whipped strawberry cream from Serious Eats, layered with Dewey's lemon cookies.
posted by Marky at 11:53 AM on July 22 [2 favorites]

from Wikipedia: "An icebox cake (also known as a chocolate ripple cake or log in Australia)"
All kids like log!
posted by plinth at 12:37 PM on July 22 [4 favorites]

I make these occasionally and recommend using gingersnaps. You could I suppose mince some crystallized ginger for a topping, but my feeling is that the whole thing picks up a good ginger flavor from the snaps alone.

Also, I like to whip about a tablespoon of greek yogurt in for every cup of cream - this stabilizes the whipped cream and complexifies the flavor a bit.
posted by Frowner at 12:52 PM on July 22 [10 favorites]

Mrs. HeroZero makes this for my birthday, baking her own imitation Nabiscesque chocolate wafers. Oh man so good.
posted by HeroZero at 12:59 PM on July 22 [1 favorite]

These seem to be less related to what I think of as cakes, and a lot closer to trifles, but they do sound pretty delicious!
posted by Jon Mitchell at 1:00 PM on July 22

Y'all have heard about banana pudding, right?
Layer of vanilla wafers, layer of sliced banana, layer of pudding (vanilla, banana, or butterscotch). Repeat once more. Top with crushed or whole wafers.
In theory the pudding will keep for several days in the refrigerator, but that depends on how many people find it.
posted by TrishaU at 1:01 PM on July 22 [6 favorites]

I don’t think of banana pudding as this sort of thing, in part because of the ratio of actual pudding to cookies. Banana pudding also, in my experience also requires a top layer of whipped cream or Cool Whip. But whether it’s in this taxonomic family or not, it’s freaking delicious and if I see it I will always, always eat some.
posted by Night_owl at 2:05 PM on July 22 [4 favorites]

I'm not actually finding a written recipe for this, and I myself concocted it in a pinch so maybe it's not technically a thing, but make an icebox cake in the typical manner using Nutter Butter cookies, one package of chocolate pudding, and one package of cheesecake pudding.

If you live in a house with someone like my husband, the Ganache Monster, pour ganache over it somewhere in the process.

Also, make any icebox cake in the typical manner, and use Anna's Swedish Ginger Thins/Pepparkakor.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:21 PM on July 22 [2 favorites]

I've also made one with ginger snaps and even the thicker ones do just fine.

And yeah, one of the ones I've made also used yogurt in the mix and non-dairy yogurts are easy to find (many are quite good). You'd have to find subs for other ingredients, but non-dairy alternatives have really come a long way.

Now I want to make an icebox cake. I'm just one person, though, so I'd need to a small one.
posted by edencosmic at 2:32 PM on July 22

@edencosmic - one of the best things about an icebox cake (or it's cousins) is you can make them in whatever container you have one hand. I've made plenty of "personal" sized setups in ramekins, for instance.
posted by drewbage1847 at 2:40 PM on July 22 [2 favorites]

Mondomolly discussing Beverly cleary's Jean and Johnny on Lost Classics of Teen Lit: . Take note, ladies! Only a cad skips out on Chocolate Wafer Roll.
posted by brujita at 3:00 PM on July 22 [1 favorite]

Agree w WaPo and others that Maria cookies are pretty close, but I buy Iberia; never Goya
posted by toodleydoodley at 3:50 PM on July 22

For the record, I mucked up the HTML on the post for the most available alternative for Nabisco Chocolate Wafers that's been proposed - Oreo Thins
posted by drewbage1847 at 3:55 PM on July 22 [2 favorites]

My mom used to make a super super low-effort cake of this type she called eclair cake.

I thought I was the only one who remembered this! I made it for a MeFi potluck years ago.
posted by fiercekitten at 4:26 PM on July 22 [1 favorite]

Growing up, my mom made the original Nabisco wafer "zebra" icebox cake for all the family birthdays - a tradition my sisters and I have tried to revive the past few years for my nephews. We have been devastated to discover that Nabisco has discontinued our beloved chocolate wafers, but have made some decent replicas (oreo thins work pretty well, we also did a "strawberry shortcake" version with graham crackers and fresh strawberries). I'm loving the suggestions in this thread, though. Ramekins for individual portions! Banana pudding! Ginger snaps! Nutter butters with chocolate pudding! I think I'm going to try a cheesecake twist with graham crackers, a scoop of greek yogurt and/or cream cheese added to the whipped cream, and fresh or canned cherries. Yummmmmm.
posted by sleepingwithcats at 5:12 PM on July 22 [2 favorites]

My absolute favorite icebox cake, one that I learned about on MeFi:

Kenji's Lime Cracker Pie

Tastes like a key lime pie without all the work. So good.
posted by cozenedindigo at 5:26 PM on July 22 [5 favorites]

Wet soggy cookie log.

Yet it manages to transcend the state of matter and be delicious.
posted by Keith Talent at 8:29 PM on July 22 [1 favorite]

Trying to think of a third flavour/topping that would work with a digestive cookie and pistachio pudding/whipped cream fluff cake.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:42 PM on July 22

Pistachio and strawberry are good friends, but if you wanted something more subtle, almond or cinnamon would work great too.
posted by Night_owl at 2:01 AM on July 23 [1 favorite]

The gingernut kind is excellent with each biscuit having a wee dip in sherry before the cream step!
posted by slightlybewildered at 4:20 AM on July 23 [1 favorite]

Sympathy to those enduring hot temperatures. I can recommend the UK at the moment - minimal rain, low 20s celsius/low 70s fahrenheit, sunny spells, plus a sprinkling of optimism (undoubtedly temporary but who cares) as the new government gets to work.

But fridge cakes are welcome anyway. I'm fantasising about a grownup one with really dark chocolate and gingernuts.
posted by altolinguistic at 10:11 AM on July 23 [1 favorite]

What inspired the icebox cake was driving around this weekend and the thermometer was between 36-43°C / 96-109°F depending on which part of the region I was in. In any system, that's a giant raving pile of "oh hell no" to the idea of using the oven. :)
posted by drewbage1847 at 10:23 AM on July 23

It defeats the purpose but you can make your own chocolate wafers. The recipes call for “black” cocoa and espresso powder. The best part is, after rolling out the dough, you can cut the cookies into square shapes. The round ones were always annoying to line up.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:18 PM on July 24

Hmmm... I just bought some black cocoa powder....
posted by kathrynm at 7:54 AM on July 25