It may be August, but there’s no end in sight to our warm weather so there’s still lots of time to enjoy the coolest summer treat — the ice box cake.
An icebox cake is an easy — and retro — summer dessert that comes together inside your refrigerator, no oven required! And that’s perfect when temperatures are scorching and something cool and creamy — that doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare — is the perfect way to add some chill to the heat.
The origins of this dessert are up for debate. The carlota — or charlotte — is a French dessert that can adapt to many ingredients. It’s a no-bake dessert with a biscuit or sponge base, usually served cold. It alternates layers of jam, fruit compote, cream or ice cream with cookies or bread. One theory claims it took its name in the 19th century from Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of the United Kingdom. Another theory is that chef Marie-Antoine Carême adapted the recipe to a cold dessert made of ladyfingers and Bavarian cream and gave it the name Charlotte à la Parisienne, in honour of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, the only daughter of King George IV.
Back in the 19th century, carlotas were so pricey that only the rich could afford them. Usually, chefs covered carlotas with ice after assembling them and served them as soon as possible to avoid them melting as there were no refrigerators back then.
The icebox cake was first introduced to the United States in the 1930s when companies started promoting the icebox as a convenient kitchen appliance. This is where the name “ice box cake” originated. It became popular very quickly since it used shortcuts and pre-made ingredients, saving time in the kitchen. And who wouldn’t love that? In response to this popularity, companies that manufactured ingredients for the cake, like condensed milk and wafer cookies, began printing recipes on the backs of their packaging. Carlotas became one of the most popular desserts among the housewives of that era, and are popular with everyone today.
The recipe for the original icebox cake, still printed on the back of the Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers package since 1929, doesn’t even require a pan for assembly! All you do is arrange cookies, “glued” together with generous dollops of whipped cream, horizontally in one row to form a free-standing log on your serving platter. But you can get as fancy as you like. Stack them for individual desserts, or arranged them in a flower pattern.
Many cultures have some version of this dessert, from Australia’s Chocolate Ripple Cake to the Phillippines Mango Float. In its simplest form, an icebox cake is a layered dessert of crisp cookies and whipped cream that’s transformed in the fridge as it firms up, the cookies absorbing the cream and softening into something rich and cake-like. With the addition of fresh fruit, it becomes something truly decadent and fit for summer.
The Original Chocolate Ice Box Cake
Still the gold standard and the easiest to make. Get the kids to help! Just be prepared for a lot of finger licking and clean-up.
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. chocolate wafer cookies
Directions:
1. Beat cream with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir in vanilla.
2. Spread 1½ tsp. whipped cream onto each wafer; stack, then stand on edge on platter. Frost with remaining whipped cream.
3. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Cut into diagonal slices to serve.
Optional: It’s also possible to create individual servings by stacking 5-6 wafers, with whipped cream between each, and pipe a whipped cream flourish on top to be fancy. Decorate with fresh berries, grated choclate and mint leaves, or even sprinkles for the kids.
Peach Melba Ice Box Cake
This one is fancier and great for when you’re expecting guests. Perfect all year round.
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup peach jam, or more as needed
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 medium chopped peaches
5 cups fresh raspberries
25 thin almond wafer cookies or 70 vanilla wafers or 20 sheets of graham crackers or ladyfingers (as many as you need to fill the pan)
Optional: Toasted almond slices for garnish
Directions:
1. Whisk the cream on medium to medium-high speed with a mixer for 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 until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the peaches into the cream.
2. Use a small 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 some if necessary). The pieces should touch so you have a solid layer of cookies.
3. 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.
4. Peel off the plastic wrap. Garnish the top of the cake with the toasted almonds.
5. Cut the cake into slices while in the pan and enjoy.
To make serving this dessert effortless, put individual portions into small, clear plastic drinking cups and pass them around on a serving platter. You can plop some extra fruit right on top and stick a disposable spoon in each one. Instant summer delight!