Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
How to make an icebox cake
Beat the heat with the coolest no-bake dessert
An icebox cake, for the unfamiliar, is an easy summer dessert that comes together in the chilly confines of your refrigerator. The oven plays no role — and that’s a good thing when temperatures are high and something cool, creamy and sweet seems like the perfect antidote.
I love old-fashioned icebox cakes, as is evidenced by the fact that I wrote a book about them, and I’m eager to spread the word about just how marvelous these versatile desserts can be. Semifreddos and no-churn ice cream get a lot of the no-bake-dessert attention, but a retro icebox cake is equally deserving and delicious.
In its simplest form, an icebox cake is a layered dessert of crispy cookies and fluffy whipped cream. But it is one that transforms into something truly magical and complex when placed in the fridge to firm up, as the cookies absorb the cream, softening into something downright caky and luscious.
The recipe for the original icebox cake, still printed on the back of the yellow Nabisco Chocolate Wafer Cookie package, does not even require a pan for assembly: Instead, you stack cookies, nestled with dollops of whipped cream, vertically (domino-style as it were), and form a freestanding log on your serving platter.
Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to icebox cakes, both in terms of staple ingredients and preparation, and I love them for that. But I also appreciate an icebox cake’s infinite riffability, as with this take on peach Melba. Featuring poached peaches drizzled with raspberry sauce and served with scoops of vanilla ice cream, it’s a classic dessert. In this icebox cake adaptation, 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 toasted almond slices for flavor and texture.