Icebox cakes
Rainbow Sprinkle Icebox Cake
Everyone's favorite birthday cake gets an icebox makeover. Shortbread cookies are layered with sprinkle-studded cream-cheese-and-whipped-cream frosting and assembled in a springform pan. The cream cheese helps to cut down on the sweetness and adds a lovely tang to the cake. Once released from the pan, the entire cake can be coated in more sprinkles.
A cake this festive calls for a scoop of ice cream on the side.
Recipe notes: The cake will keep loosely covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen, after it has set up in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, for up to 1 month. Defrost the cake in the refrigerator overnight before you plan to serve it. Once you cut the cake, leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated, and are best within a day.
Nonstick cooking spray or softened butter, for the pan
1½ cups (340 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups (225 grams) rainbow sprinkles, plus more for decorating (optional)
80 (560 grams) thin shortbread cookies, preferably Lorna Doone
Grease the sides of a round 9-inch springform pan that is 3 inches deep with cooking spray or softened butter. Line the sides with a strip of parchment.
Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed, about 3 minutes, until smooth. Add the heavy cream, increase the speed to medium-high and continue to whisk until incorporated.
Add the sugar and vanilla, and whisk the mixture, about 3 to 5 minutes, until it holds stiff peaks that stand upright when the whisk is raised. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the rainbow sprinkles and mix just to incorporate.
Spread a thin layer of whipped cream (about 1¾ cups) on the bottom of the pan and cover with a layer of cookies, filling any gaps with broken cookies (breaking them yourself, if necessary.) The pieces should touch; the goal is a solid layer of cookies. Continue layering until you reach the top of the pan, ending with a layer of cream.
Cover the top of the cake with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
To serve, remove the sides of the pan and peel away the parchment strip. Place on a serving plate and lightly press sprinkles onto the top and sides of the cake, if desired. Slice as you would a layer cake and serve.
Serves 16
Nutrition | Calories: 520; Total Fat: 35 g; Saturated Fat: 17 g; Cholesterol: 85 mg; Sodium: 260 mg; Carbohydrates: 49 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugars: 27 g; Protein: 3 g.
(From cookbook author Jessie Sheehan.)
Peach Melba Icebox Cake
30 minutes, plus at least 6 hours chilling
12 servings
Peach melba (poached peaches drizzled with raspberry sauce and served with scoops of vanilla ice cream) is what summer icebox cake dreams are made of - seasonal and perfect to fight the sweltering heat. Here, peach jam is folded into almond-flavored whipped cream, which is studded with chunks of ripe peaches. The cream is layered with fresh raspberries and thin, crispy almond wafers, then topped with a toasted almond slices for flavor and texture.
Peaches are lovely when paired with almond extract, but feel free to flavor your cream with vanilla extract instead, and to substitute a different flavored cookie for the almond ones. In place of nuts, garnish the cake with crushed cookies.
The author prefers Bonne Maman peach jam. You may want to add more jam, depending on the sweetness of your peaches.
Recipe notes: The cake will keep loosely covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen, after it has set up in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, for up to 1 month. Defrost the cake in the refrigerator overnight before you plan to serve it. Once you cut the cake, leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated, and are best within a day.
Ultrathin Anna's Swedish Thins are available in grocery stores nationwide. If using a different brand of crispy almond cookies, keep in mind that you will need the same number of cookies, but they will weigh more.
Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned, shaking the pan to avoid scorching. Cool completely before using.
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup (185 grams) peach jam, or more as needed
1/3 cup (80 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ to ¾ teaspoon almond extract
2 medium peaches, halved, pitted and roughly chopped into ½-inch pieces (about 140 grams)
5 cups (595 grams) fresh raspberries
25 (120 grams) crisp, thin almond wafer cookies, such as Anna's Swedish Thins, or 70 (285 grams) vanilla wafers or 20 sheets (285 grams) graham crackers
Toasted almond slices, for garnish
Add the cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium to medium-high speed, 2 to 3 minutes, until the cream begins to thicken. Add the jam, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract, to taste, and continue to whisk on medium to medium-high speed for about 3 more minutes, until stiff peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the peaches into the cream.
Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread a layer of cream, about 1½ cups, on the bottom of an 8-inch square pan. Cover the cream with a layer of raspberries and then a layer of almond cookies, filling any gaps with broken cookies (breaking them yourself, if necessary). The pieces should touch; the goal is a solid layer of cookies.
Continue with additional layers of whipped cream, raspberries and cookies, ending with a layer of whipped cream. Gently cover the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the cake for 6 to 8 hours, or preferably overnight.
Peel off the plastic wrap. Garnish the top of the cake with the toasted almonds.
Serves 12
Cut the cake into slices while in the pan and serve.
Nutrition | Calories: 330; Total Fat: 16 g; Saturated Fat: 10 g; Cholesterol: 55 mg; Sodium: 160 mg; Carbohydrates: 42 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 25 g; Protein: 2 g.
(From cookbook author Jessie Sheehan.)
Dark And Stormy Icebox Cake
A dark and stormy cocktail is made with dark rum and ginger beer, garnished with a slice of lime. The drink's flavors translate beautifully when refashioned as an icebox cake. Layers of crispy ginger snaps replace the beer and are alternated with two flavors of whipped cream - dark rum and lime. The cake is assembled in a loaf pan, and once sliced, every layer is charmingly displayed.
For an alcohol-free cake, use rum extract to taste in place of the rum.
Recipe notes: The cake will keep loosely covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen, after it has set up in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, for up to 1 month. Defrost the cake in the refrigerator overnight before you plan to serve it. Once you cut the cake, leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated, and are best within a day.
3 cups heavy cream
½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 to 3 tablespoons finely grated lime zest, plus more for decorating
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more as needed
About 56 (400 grams) gingersnaps, preferably Stauffer's, or other crisp ginger cookie
Line a 9-by-5-by-2-inch loaf pan with a large sheet or two of plastic wrap so the wrap overhangs the pan on all sides.
Put the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium to medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cream begins to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk about 3 more minutes, until stiff peaks form. Transfer half of the cream to a small mixing bowl. Add the rum to the cream still in the stand mixer bowl and whisk on medium-high speed about 30 seconds, or until combined. By hand, gently whisk the lime juice and zest (to taste) into the remaining whipped cream.
Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread a layer of rum cream, about 1 cup, on the bottom of the pan. Cover as much of the cream as possible with a layer of gingersnaps, filling any gaps with broken snaps (breaking them yourself, if necessary). The pieces should touch; the goal is a solid layer of cookies. Add a layer of the lime whipped cream, about 1 cup, and cover with another solid layer of snaps.
Continue layering, alternating flavors of whipped cream and cookies until you run out, ending with a layer of lime-whipped cream that rises slightly above the edge of the pan. Cover the cake with the overhang of plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, or preferably overnight.
Invert the cake onto a serving platter. Lift the pan off and peel away the plastic wrap. Sprinkle the top of the cake with additional lime zest.
When ready to serve, slice the cake with a long serrated knife and garnish with additional lime zest grated on top.
Serves 12
Nutrition | Calories: 390; Total Fat: 25 g; Saturated Fat: 15 g; Cholesterol: 80 mg; Sodium: 190 mg; Carbohydrates: 36 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugars: 17 g; Protein: 3 g.
(From cookbook author Jessie Sheehan.)