E8 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7 , 2019
The elements
The caky layers give an icebox
cake its structure and, well, caky-
ness. This element can take many
forms, such as cookies, graham
crackers or ladyfingers. Cookies
should be thin and crispy, and are
best layered with whipped cream.
(Thicker cookies, such as biscotti
and some shortbread, remain a
bit too toothsome even after the
requisite rest in the fridge.)
Graham crackers and ladyfingers
(either the soft or crispy variety)
work well with both whipped
cream and pudding. If you’re feel-
ing frisky, layer your icebox cake
with chocolate graham crackers
or cinnamon ones, peanut butter
cookies or even ginger snaps.
The creamy layers soften the
caky element and provide the
icebox cake with its signature
“creaminess.” Whipped cream,
pudding and even pastry cream
will work in an icebox cake, but
whipped cream is best whisked
until stiff peaks form — a bit
longer than you would if topping
a piece of pie — as the stiffer the
peak, the more stable the finished
cake. When sweetening whipped
cream, I tend to add about 1 to 2
tablespoons of sugar to every cup
of heavy cream. And if going a bit
rogue, by adding zest, juice,
booze, spice or fruity preserves to
your cream or pudding, let your
taste buds guide you.
The assembly
When choosing a pan or shape
for your icebox cake, the possibili-
ties are deliciously endless, pro-
vided you remember this: Cakes
made with pudding or runny add-
ins, such as caramel or ganache,
do best in vessels with sides to
contain oozing and spillage. Can
you attempt a cake with ganache
in a springform pan and hope for
the best upon removal of the pan’s
sides? Of course. But to be safe,
you should assemble those kinds
of cakes in your prettiest pottery
or a Pyrex dish.
When layering, I always begin
with the creamy element, as it
anchors the cake to the serving
dish or platter, followed by a caky
layer and then, if using, I spread
or sprinkle something playful. I
like to keep my layers thin — just
enough of the creamy element to
completely cover the caky one,
with no holes or gaps between
cookies or crackers (this usually
requires breaking them into piec-
es), and vice versa. Continue to
assemble in this order until you
reach the top of your pan or run
out of an element, finishing the
cake with something creamy.
To ensure your cake properly
sets up, I recommend chilling it in
the refrigerator, lightly covered
with plastic wrap, for at least 8
hours, and preferably overnight.
Cakes made with very thin cook-
ies may be ready in less time.
After it has rested, decorating
your cake with sparkling sugar,
crushed candy, citrus zest, choco-
late curls, sprinkles or toasted
nuts is a lovely way not only to
finish the cake but also to add
texture.
Final notes to chill by
DIYing: Assembling an icebox
cake can be nearly effortless, but
if making homemade crispy, thin
cookies (or graham crackers or
ladyfingers) is your thing, by all
means, go for it. An icebox cake
made with homemade caky layers
is undoubtedly something spe-
cial, as is one made with home-
made pudding, caramel or jam.
Seasonality: There is no ques-
tion that an ice-cold icebox cake is
the perfect summer entertaining
dessert. I mean, parties need
cake, and who wants to turn on
the oven when the kitchen is
already beyond toasty? It c an also
serve as the ideal showcase for
your latest haul from the farmers
market, via layers of fresh straw-
berries or tiny chunks of juicy
black plums or nectarines. But
icebox cakes are truly fantastic
any time of the year — think
ginger-chai for Thanksgiving,
peppermint-chocolate for Christ-
mas, or Black Forest for Valen-
tine’s Day.
Making ahead and freezing: I f
its ease and flexibility haven’t
persuaded you to join Te am Ice-
box Cake, perhaps this will. Not
only do icebox cakes have to be
made ahead — ideal for that
barbecue next Wednesday night,
the potluck this weekend and for
those hosts among us (um, me)
who like to have as much of the
meal and all of the dessert fin-
ished before her guests’ arrival —
but they freeze beautifully. Follow
the tips for wrapping and refrig-
erating your cake, and after 24
hours, cover it in aluminum foil
and freeze for up to a month.
Defrost overnight in the refriger-
ator before serving the next day.
[email protected]
Jessie Sheehan is a Brooklyn-based
food writer and the author of “The
Vintage Baker.”
ICEBOX FROM E1
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[email protected]Cheers to a simple, adaptable summer cake that won’t heat up your kitchen
Peach Melba
Icebox Cake12 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 — sea-
sonal 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 rasp-
berries and thin, crispy almond
wafers, then topped with toasted
almond slices for flavor and tex-
ture.
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 Ma-
man peach jam. You may want to
add more jam, depending on the
sweetness of your peaches.
Ultra-thin Anna’s Swedish
Thins are available in grocery
stores nationwide. If using a dif-
ferent brand of crispy almond
cookies, keep in mind that you
will need the same number of
cookies, but they will weigh more.
MAKE AHEAD: 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 alu-
minum foil, for up to 1 month.
Defrost the cake in the refrigera-
tor overnight before you plan to
serve it. Once you cut the cake,
leftovers can be wrapped in plas-
tic wrap and refrigerated, and are
best within a day.
Recipes from cookbook author
Jessie Sheehan.Ingredients
l2 cups heavy cream
l^1 / 2 cup (185 grams) peach jam,
or more as needed
l^1 / 3 cup (80 grams) sugar
l2 teaspoons vanilla extract
l^1 / 2 to^3 / 4 teaspoon almond
extract
l2 medium peaches, halved,
pitted and roughly chopped
into^1 / 2 -inch pieces (about 140
grams)
l5 cups (595 grams) fresh
raspberries
l25 (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
lTo asted almond slices, for
garnishSteps
lAdd 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 al-
mond extract, to taste, and con-
tinue 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.
lUse a small offset spatula or the
back of a spoon to spread a layer
of cream, about 1^1 / 2 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 gapswith broken cookies (breaking
them yourself, if necessary).
The pieces should touch; the
goal is a solid layer of cookies.
lContinue with additional layers
of whipped cream, raspberries
and cookies, ending with a layer
of whipped cream. Gently cover
the pan with plastic wrap. Re-
frigerate the cake for 6 to 8
hours, or preferably overnight.
lPeel off the plastic wrap. Gar-
nish the top of the cake with the
toasted almonds.
lCut the cake into slices while in
the pan and serve.
Nutrition | Per serving: 330 calories, 2 g
protein, 42 g carbohydrates, 16 g fat, 10 g
saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 160 mg
sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 25 g sugar
Recipe tested by Sophia Nguyen; email
questions to [email protected]Dark and Stormy
Icebox Cake12 servings
A dark and stormy cocktail
is made with dark rum and
ginger beer, garnished with a
slice of lime. The drink’s fla-
vors translate beautifully
when refashioned as an ice-
box cake. Layers of crispy gin-
gersnaps replace the beer and
are alternated with two fla-
vors 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 rum.
MAKE AHEAD: The cake
will keep loosely covered with
plastic wrap in the refrigera-
tor for up to 3 days, or frozen,
after it has set up in the
refrigerator, tighly 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.Ingredients
l3 cups heavy cream
l^1 / 2 cup (100 grams)
granulated sugar
l4 teaspoons vanilla extract
l2 tablespoons dark rum
l2 to 3 tablespoons finely
grated lime zest, plus more
for decorating
l2 to 3 tablespoons fresh
lime juice, or more as
needed
lAbout 56 (400 grams)
gingersnaps, preferably
Stauffer’s, or other crisp
ginger cookieSteps
lLine 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.
lPut the cream in the bowl of
a stand mixer fitted with the
whisk attachment. Whisk
on m edium 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 mix-
er bowl and whisk on medi-
um-high speed about 30 sec-
onds, or until combined. By
hand, gently whisk the lime
juice and zest, to taste, into
the remaining whipped
cream.
lUse 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 cov-
er with another solid layer
of snaps.
lContinue layering, alternat-
ing 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 over-
night.
lInvert the cake onto a serv-
ing platter. Lift the pan off
and peel away the plastic
wrap. Sprinkle the top of the
cake with additional lime
zest.
lWhen ready to serve, slice
the cake with a long serrated
knife and garnish with addi-
tional lime zest grated on
top.
Nutrition | Per serving: 390 calories, 3 g
protein, 36 g carbohydrates, 25 g fat,
15 g saturated fat, 80 mg cholesterol,
190 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 17 g
sugar
Recipe tested by Jacob Brogan; email
questions to [email protected]Rainbow Sprinkle Icebox Cake
16 servings
Everyone’s favorite birthday cake gets an icebox makeover. Short-
bread 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.
Lorna Doone shortbread cookies can be found in grocery stores
nationwide and work well in an icebox cake. They are dry and crumbly,
but are also thin, so they easily soften when layered with whipped
cream.
MAKE AHEAD: 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.Ingredients
lNonstick cooking spray or
softened butter, for the pan
l 11 / 2 cups (340 grams) cream
cheese, at room temperature
l3 cups heavy cream
l1 cup (200 grams) sugar
l1 tablespoon vanilla extract
l 11 / 2 cups (225 grams) rainbow
sprinkles, plus more for
decorating (optional)
l80 (560 grams) thin shortbread
cookies, preferably Lorna
Doone
lIce cream, for servingSteps
lGrease 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.
lAdd the cream cheese to the
bowl of a stand mixer fitted with
the whisk attachment. Whisk
on medium speed, about 3 min-
utes, until smooth. Add the
heavy cream, increase the speed
to medium-high and continue
to whisk until incorporated.
lAdd the sugar and vanilla, and
whisk the mixture, about 3 to 5minutes, 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 incor-
porate.
lSpread a thin layer of whipped
cream (about 1^3 / 4 cups) on the
bottom of the pan and cover
with a layer of cookies, filling
any gaps with broken cookies
(breaking them yourself, if nec-
essary). 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.lCover the top of the cake with
plastic wrap and place in the
refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, or
overnight.
lTo s erve, remove the sides of the
pan and peel away the parch-
ment 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
with the ice cream.
Nutrition | Per serving: 520 calories, 3 g
protein, 49 g carbohydrates, 35 g fat, 17 g
saturated fat, 85 mg cholesterol, 260 mg
sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 27 g sugar
Recipe tested by Kathleen O’Boyle; email
questions to [email protected]PHOTOS BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG FOR THE WASHINGTON POST; FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTTOM MCCORKLE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
FOOD STYLING BY LISA CHERKASKY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST