icebox cake
It is also, I am so sorry to say, a bit of a sham. Like the 1-2-3-4 cake recipe (1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour and 4 eggs) as well as the back-of-the-box shortcut buttercream frosting that they bakeries combined to form a “cupcake trend,” they have neither invented the icebox cake nor made it any better than the American home cooks that first concocted these simple desserts — they’ve just got better marketing.
The National Biscuit Company — later shortened to Nabisco and whose original factory now houses Chelsea Market, OXO products and the Food Network — introduced their Famous Chocolate Wafers in 1924, along with a ginger and a sugar variety. The chocolate ones, lighter, thinner and more crisp than an unfilled Oreo but with a noticeably similar taste, and would have likely faded into obscurity when the non-chocolate varieties did had some ingenious 1930s housewives not figured out that if you stack them, separated with a layer of sweetened whipped cream, they soften overnight and become a glorious chocolate cake, with layers as thin and wisp-like as ribbons. One thing I will hand to the bakeries that have trendified this dessert — and sell it for $3.50 per slice — is that two years ago, I’d have been hard-pressed to find these cookies in any store (seriously, I still can’t even find the product on Nabisco’s website) and now, not only do they hold some shelf-space at my local Gristedes, I can order them from Amazon.
Of course, none of this holds any interest to my husband, who in suffering the ultimate act of cruelty on Thursday night, had to witness me throw together the cake (in about 30 minutes, to boot), pack it away and then serve it to other people. I wanted to make something for my chocoholic coworker’s last day of work, but not actually have to burn the midnight oil or worse, skip the gym, to do so. Though Luisa and I (whose significant other is also a Billly’s icebox cake fanatic) had schemed a few weeks ago to make one completely from scratch in the near future, icebox cake’s temptation wore me down sooner. You simply cannot lose when you make this cake.
If you can get past this one thing: THREE CUPS of heavy cream! Mon dieu! This, plus two packages of cookies, a few tablespoons of sugar and possibly, a heart doctor, is all you will need (though I suggest buying a third package, as many of these humble, unlovable wafers, wedged into a bottom shelf in your grocer’s cookie section will inevitably arrive broken), though in the future I may toy with whipped cream flavorings from mint extract to raspberry liquor. Or homemade chocolate wafers. But there’s no reason for you to be that kind of crazy; I’ve got more than enough for all of us.
Update: Want to make your own chocolate wafers for this cake? Now you can!
Icebox Cake
Adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
3 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (9-ounce) packages chocolate wafer cookies [or, make your own!]
Unsweetened cocoa (or chocolate shavings)
In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
On a flat serving plate, arrange 7 cookies side by side in a circle, keeping 1 cookie in the center.
Spread with 1/2 cup whipped cream, making a 7-inch circle. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream (there will be a few cookies left over). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, dust top lightly with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.
Gorgeous presentation of a classic. I freaking love Nabisco Famous wafers–they make outstanding crumb crusts too. Sadly, I’m having more and more trouble finding them in stores. Look like I’ll have to buy online in bulk to get my fix.
That is so beautiful, I want to cry :)
It’s gorgeous and I’m not showing the pictures to B, because he’ll just say, “Make that for me now!”
It was the perfect thing to look at first thing in the morning!
Yum! I will definitely have to make this. I bet a little Kahlua in that filling would be divine.
I, too, have searched for the chocolate wafers. Good to know that Amazon has them. Thanks for the tip!
ooooooooooooh the presentation! I’ve been making a boring “tube” for years!
My boyfriend has always sworn he doesn’t like whipped cream (part of growing up in the south where he was overwhelmed by sickly sweet desserts). But when I opened up this entry and the picture popped up, he said, you know, whipped cream is growing on me. Bring on the chocolate wafers, I’m making an ice box cake!
I’ve been on the look-out for those wafers for years! Thanks for the Amazon source … I think this post has SlashFood written all over it!
That looks beautiful and delicious.
Oh yum! It’s like the ultimate Oreo! So dramatic and yet so easy, this is my kind of dessert. And thanks for the tip on Gristedes…I’ll have to brave a trip there to pick up some boxes of chocolate wafers.
I’ve heard about this cake and googled it, but don’t remember seeing a photo.
It’s beautiful!
That’s the prettiest icebox cake I’ve ever seen. My sister makes this a lot although hers is loaf shaped — built with the cookies stacked on their side and whipped cream covering everything. When icebox cake was first described to me, cookies coated with whipped cream that sit overnight in the refrigerator, it seemed completely sketchy but this stuff is delicious.
And may I just say, poor Alex!! I hope he gets an icebox cake of his own soon.
Weird. I had a customer ask me yesterday if i made an “ice box cake”.. I admit, i had no idea what it was.. I called Mom and she then when on a 30 min journey into her childhood and explained why these cakes were so popular “back in the day”.. i was like.. who would want a “cake” made from cookies and wip cream when they could have a beautifull 4 layer chocolate cake thats sitting in the case!! I was somewhat insulted by his request.. i was like.. omg, look at all the options I have here.. cakes, cookies, and CUPCAKES.. and this schmuck wants cookies and wip cream? OY (in my snarky inner voice i was like, go buy some oreos pal and call it a day)
Yeh, so this morning, i wake up, see this and caught myself drooling..DUDE im impervious when it comes to cakes and stuff like that now.. i can totally do without sweets… and now this? It’s like i have to race to the shop now and make this just so i can have a slice. Soooo not cool deb!
Fortunately this guy is a very regular customer of mine and i will oblige him and make it..
This is a case where simple is best.
Man-o-Man does this look tasty..
what does it look like after its sat?
WOW! Good morning to me! Its my first day at your blog, and it won’t be my last. Thank you for inspiration!
This looks so good, I am weeping with love for it!
There’s a version of this doing the rounds in NZ, which involves chocolate chip cookies, dipped in port, stacked together and covered liberally in whipped cream. Called Nessie’s wicked desert, after the evil perpetrator…it sounds perverted, and is extraordinarily tasty.
I also remember when I was a child, my mother’s friend Susan coming to stay and making her “naughty pudding”, which I’m pretty sure involved ginger nuts, sherry and whipped cream.
mmmm. this is my dad’s favorite cake from his childhood–and his mother is an a-one baker.
Man, I could go for some icebox cake myself!
My husband would LOVE that cake. Very homey, too! I heart you.
This is my father’s favorite cake. He always had it as a boy on his birthday, and my mother continued the traditon. She always makes the tube, or log, and tops it with berries of some sort. Yours is very pretty, but I think I’ll stick with the log when I make it next, as part of the charm of this cake for me is the nostalgia. Those wafers are really hard to find, though.
You know, I’ve been making this cake since I was a kid (in the 80’s) – a friend’s mom made it for her birthday party, and my mom begged her for the recipe. The woman just laughed and went, “buy a box of Nabisco Chocolate Wafers and look on the back of the box – it’s just cookies and whipped cream!” We were flabbergasted how easy it was (although we too always made it tube-shaped… like an oreo log!)
You’ve definitely got to make it the night before and let it sit for 8 or more hours – the longer it sits, the softer and more decadent it gets. The only caveat is that you MUST use real whipped cream – do not use the stuff in a spray can! My sister tried that once and though it was very fast to put together and looked good when she put it in the fridge, when she took it out a few hours later the cream had “deflated” and disappeared!
As for finding the wafers, I’ve never had a hard time getting them at my local big-chain grocery stores (in California, Massachusetts, and North Carolina – I’ve moved a lot!); the difficulty is often finding them in the actual store! Many stores carry them but the average checkout boy/girl doesn’t know what they are or where to find them. Over the years I’ve found them languishing on shelves in the sections for cookies, baking supplies, crackers, or sometimes even on a special end-of-the-ice-cream-aisle section for ice cream sundae supplies (syrups, cherries, etc.)!
p.s. the fragile, broken cookies you always find in the box are the best part – the cook gets to dip them in the fresh whipped cream and much on them while s/he works! :-)
My eyes just went O_O
I’m still waiting for that orange flavored cake with the chocolate chips. It’s been a long wait. N’est pas?
Holy wow! That is an incredible looking cake. I can’t wait to make it!
Thanks for sharing this delicious looking recipe. Mmmmmmmm!
These photos are just delectable! Thanks for sharing… I bet it is as tasty as it looks.
Brent and I are both drooling over the pictures of that cake…. Mom, if you’re reading this (which I know you are) make that for the next time I come home!
This is incredible. I’ve never even heard of these before. Definitely sounds good to me right now after I made the Chocolate Stout cake yesterday for my husband’s birthday. That was really time consuming!
Oo, that looks glorious. Can you actually slice it without making a giant mess?
And, as a fellow ny’er, I totally stand by my offer for some middle eastern cooking. Felafel is sort of fast food, something more like makloubeh or an okra stew maybe?
Yum, that looks amazing. So much prettier my usual attempts. But these days I’m making it with Oreo 100 calorie packs and Cool Whip Light…not quite the same but a delicious substitute.
My family makes the log version of this and has for years. We find that Albertsons (large grocery store chain) carries the cookies off and on. If I am really desperate I will buy a bag of Oreos and painstakingly scrape the filling off and use the cookies to make the dessert. Last time I decided to add a little extra and I melted Andes mints and put a thin coating of melted Andes on each cookies so it was a chocolate mint cookie.
This cake looks so amazing! Sorry, a little off topic here. I’m thinking of the baklasagne. It’s time for me to get a pasta machine. Does anyone have recommendations? Good deals? Ones to stay away from.
Try flavoring the whipped cream with Bailey’s Irish Cream (or your favorite liq)- it can’t be beat and makes it FEEL more grown up.
Dang! That is my fantasy cake! I’ve never heard of this one before. Does it stay together nicely when frozen? I can just see myself making this only to have it fall apart upon slicing.
you WILL make this and bring it over on Sunday, to my Superbowl party that you have yet to RSVP for. Pretty please? ciao
I really really really really really want to make this because it doesn’t involve baking and looks beautiful (well, yours does, mine will be one of those that “taste good but look ugly”, you’ll see) but I don’t want to buy it from the Amazon merchant (was hoping it was an Amazon item). pout. I’ll have to check, scour my groceries for that. Thanks!!! It looks amazing!
wow, that is some cake! but 3 cups of heavy cream… you’d have to have juuuust a tiny tad of it, but it looks so good that would be impossible!
This cake, log version, is a favorite childhood dessert. I used to have trouble finding the wafers, but have found in the last few years that they are in all of our grocery stores. I made a buche de noel with this last year and it was such a hit. No one wanted to believe how easy it was.
Wow – that looks amazing! I’m thinking maybe some low fat substitute for the heavy cream if that is an issue – but totally gorgeous either way!
Hello ice box cake! This is my first visit but not my last!
This is the cake that could render me speechless. Wow…:)
Thanks so much for posting this. This cake was one of my childhood favorites. My mother made it in a log version with the cookies on edge and we called it “zebra pudding”. Delicious.
I made something (mildly) similar to this a while back – it’s a thousand layer crepe cake (gateau de crepes) – actually, I may have gotten the inspiration from The Smitten, come to think of it, but I made a few additions, added some raspberry puree, and will never, never forget the taste of the pastry cream inside (http://rebalala.blogspot.com/2006/07/tasty-treat.html). This sounds yummy and reminds me of those random, halfway store-bought desserts my grandma would sometimes make, things like Pistachio/Chocloate swirl cake…desserts I like to call 1950’s American Military Housewife Desserts.
my mom and granma used to make these ….OoOoO so yummy . Thanks for the memoery , now my kids want me to make them one , lol . I love your site and keep up the good work
Annie — This is kind of ridiculous, but one time, I was unable to find these wafers to make a crumb crust and stumped, bought chocolate teddy grahams instead… those horrifying smiling toy-looking chemistry sets of a baked good that boast “a days supply of calcium” Anyway, it was the best crust ever. Er, that is all.
Janssen — Ha! That’s what Alex said. And then I took it away. Mwa-haha.
Jenifer from Houston, Alanna, C, Patricia Scarpin, Hank’s Mama, Jill, Abby, Christine, Kristen, Jennpal, Pebbles, Patty — Thank you.
Jennifer — Kahlua sounds brilliant. In fact, I am shocked, SHOCKED that I didn’t booze up the whipped cream. It’s like I don’t know me at all.
Newgrandma — I should have given credit to those trendy bakeries for the presentation. I hadn’t realized until later that they’re the ones that whipped up that doily-like shape, making it seem all the more cake-like. So pretty, indeed.
Carly — Tell him that the whipped cream is barely sweetened. Seriously! But all together with the cookies, it’s just the right level of sweet.
Lisa (Homesick Texan) — Gristedes is truly the worst. And yet… some things I can get nowhere else. Like the full Goya bean collection. And the seltzer that’s 2/$1 with paper towels in the next aisle. But for these cookies, they really redeem themselves.
Julie — I agree. Cookies and whipped cream? Artificially-flavored NABISCO cookies? Thank goodness it’s good enough to be worth suspending disbelief for.
Cupcakes — This is actually what it looks like after it has sat; I had made it the night before and waited until the apartment was lit again to take a picture. It looks deceivingly firm, but those cookies are all soft. Not soggy, but soft and bendy and, uh, awesome. Hungry again.
Samphire — Sweet lord, those sound good. You’ve got to figure that the history of this cake came from trifles or other cream and booze soaked cake/cookie combos. I wish to try them all.
nyjlm — I pretty much don’t know why I ever bake after the response this cake gets. ;)
Amy — I had the worst time finding them until recently, and now I will pretty much always worry that they’ll run out. It’s never a good sign that even Nabisco doesn’t mention them on their website.
Abbey — Not only do you have to use the real stuff, but you have to use more than it seems it needs, because a bit of it absorbs as it sits. I ended up with extra whipped cream and MANY extra layers (we’d bought three packs of cookies, so I kept going) and it could have, in the end, used a little more squish inside. Not that anyone complained.
SantaDad — Blah blah. I hate making the same thing twice, or at least in the same year. But, maybe for your birthday…
Lauren — Hi Lauren and Jocelyn’s mom!
Tammi — Hooray for stout cake. Did you like it?
Mercedes — Surprisingly, you can, but it is more delicate than a regular cake. Makloubeh sounds interesting but okra is totally on my too-stubborn-to-get-over-my-dislike-for list. Do you make the makloubeh with lamb?
Jo — Ha! I was wondering if those 100 calorie packs would be a good-stand in, if things got bad. Do they get as soft?
Denae — Did the Oreos get soft? I’m almost afraid to ask, in case Alex reads this. “How come you never make it with REAL OREOS Debbie?” he’ll say. Groan.
Madeline — After doing NO research, no comparison shopping and relatively no planning — responsible, eh? — I bought an Atlas pasta machine because it was what Bowery Kitchen Supply near us sold. (They had one other brand but it was $200! Wha? This was about $65.) I lucked out; it’s wonderful and I highly recommend it. (Though, not a total moron, I fully intended to return it if it was in anyway dissatisfying. I have no room for an appliance graveyard here!) I had for a long time been torn over whether to get the KitchenAid pasta attachment, but seeing as it is motorized and I’d hate losing that control AND I’d have to have the KA out each time I wanted to make pasta, I opted against it.
Chris — Baileys? I’m so in. I’d put Baileys in my cereal, if I could.
Maggpie — It’s not frozen, but refridgerated and stays together fairly well for a stack of cookies. No trouble slicing it, but you do of course have to be slightly more careful, but barely so. I trucked it to work slipping inside a cake carried with no problem.
Jocelyn — Oooh, cupcake icebox cakes would be cool. Not sure about Sunday yet, hence the not-yet reply, but if I’m there, you know I’ll bring SOMETHING.
Yvo — I didn’t realize that either. Amazon merchants are very annoying.
connie — 3 cups of heavy cream is a LOT, but you also take a very thin slice of the cake because it’s unbelievably filling. No one-eighths on this baby.
AngAk — Hooray for trendification! Still, I have to talk myself out of stocking them by the caseload because there’s nothing I hate more than not having what I need when I need it.
tanya — Not sure low-fat would work, but like I said, a tiny piece goes a LONG way. It’s a tall cake.
Ann Marie — Zebra pudding! I love it. A much better name.
Sarah — I know that cake! I am eager to try it again. I skimped too much on the filling — again — though it was otherwise to die for. I love the raspberry sauce you put on top! I must find an excuse to make this again, especially because this time I will not be making crepes for the very first time, adding stress to the already inherent madness of the cake. It was another cake that even the thinnest slice could leave you full for hours.
I was looking at this the other night and thinking about where i could get the wafers/cookies, when today while I was working (I’m a cashier at a grocery store) a lady bought them! I was very excited. I think it scared her a bit. They’re much cheaper where I work than on Amazon, $3.09 Canadian dollars!
The photographs on your site are absolutely beautiful! All the recipes sound fantastic! I find these wafers are available locally, but they can be ordered online at HometownFavorites.com, the hard-to-find grocery items company. They will ship to you.
I decided to make this cake for a Christmas Eve party this year, but wanted to make something with raspberries…so i decided to just add the raspberries to the whipped cream, it added just the right amount of raspberry flavor. And a nice color.
“SantaDad  Blah blah. I hate making the same thing twice, or at least in the same year. But, maybe for your birthday…”
I don’t get no respect!
I wonder if this could be made using Anna’s Ginger crisps??
Wow. That looks heavenly. Now tell me it won’t go straight to my hips and I’ll eat it daily! Pop by for a visit to dish about what you love about condiments.
It looks interestingly delicious, but how do you cut it without it coming apart??
An excuse to make the gateau de crepes? Breakfast for dinner! It’s a theme! I’ve also considered trying it as a “savory” dish with the saltier crepes and some mushy, more dinner-appropriate fillings, like soft cheeses….I haven’t done it yet though.
OMG Sarah — I have been eyeing this since it first graced my January Gourmet cover. It’s so beautiful, I am willing to throw a party just for an excuse to make it. Doesn’t it look fun?
SUPER BOWL PARTY! Oooh, this looks tasty. I can totally make this in between commercials. And it’s sort of social, too. Someone ca nbe stirring the sauce while someone else watches the broccoli…oooh, interactive cooking!
http://tinyurl.com/3bczqa
That is the tinyurl for the Nabisco wafers. They are on Krafts site, but I also could not locate them on Nabiscos site. I know they carry them by me in Stop & Shop in the cookie asile right up next to the vanilla wafers and arrowroot cookies of the Nabsico section TOP SHELF… Bought 3 boxes yesterday at the market to make this or perhaps the chocolate indulgence cake, also on the package…..YUMMY!!!
That looks incredible! My sister made a small log shaped cake with those wafers for us when we were young and I still remember that it was delicious… SURPRISINGLY delicious! I’m looking forward to having it again soon.
Long delayed reply, but yes, in my experience the 100 calorie packs do get as soft.
How do you slice it?!
oh that looks amazing. yes i agree how everything which seemed to be taken for granted has now become so trendy with marketing. my family make something similar called a biscuit pudding which includes dipping simple tea biscuit in a weak coffee and layering it with cream and shaved chocolate. absolutely tacky but so comforting. reminds me dinner parties in the 80’s when it was all the rage amongst expat sri lankans in australia!
I have been making this cake for years but in a different shape.
I take a LONG serving platter (fake plastic or even poster board cut thin and covered in foil). I put a thin layer of whip cream down. Then take put cream on each cookie and stand it up, then again and again. Eventually after 7-8 squeeze them together…fill the entire plate with a long looking cake and cover (generously) with all the whip cream. When you slice it, angle the cut and voila…you can’t tell it was cookies. BTW..I usually save a few broken cookies and just crumble them on top.
Lovely! We do a version here in Australia with Chocolate Ripple biscuits, and you stack them next to each other to form two logs. Yummy either way!
I made this for a friend’s birthday last week and it turned out great! Thanks so much for the recipe! read about my verison here: http://randomaccessbabble.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-to-make-friends-and-influence.html
I don’t know where some of you live, but Super Stop n Shop seems to carry the cookies. At least you don’t have to wait for Amazon!
I’ve never seen an icebox cake stacked like that. Usually, it is in a roll/loaf sort of shape, with the wafers lined and cream sandwiched between, and the whole thing wrapped in saran wrap to keep the shape while it sets. The recipe is the same, though, thank goodness because I lost my copy! Thanks!
hi i think this is a good sit to find out what good and what bad
This is the first time I’ve seen this cake. It is beautiful! Can’t wait to try it. How do you store it or cover it while it sits in the frig?
Hi Samanana — I usually keep it in my cake carrier, which has a dome, but I’m sure any cake dome would do. If you don’t have a cake carrier or dome, perhaps some loose plastic wrap would work, but you’d want to be careful to make sure it didn’t stick to the cake. Good luck!
For you Angelenos, Gelson’s in L.A. carries these cookies.
OMG that just looks so utterly mouthwatering. I know I want to go and make one right now. I’m a huge fan of puddings. I’m going to make mini ones though so we don’t argue about who’s got most! Looks fantastic – your photos are dreamy! :)
Thanks
Your pictures are fantastic and after reading your post and all the comments, I just had to make this. After searching four different stores here in town, I finally found them (and stocked up just in case they decide not to carry them). It was excellent! Thank you for sharing!
I stumbled onto your website through “StumbleUpon!”. I saw your picture and absolutely had to make this. Using my husbands family at a family-get-together as guinea pigs… ;)
Everyone absolutely loved it!!! It was the greatest dessert hit of the day and I can’t believe how easy it was to make. I have the feeling, that I will be making this cake a lot more often.
Thank you so much for posting it!
I too can not find these local, but there is a wonderful woman on ebay who just recently began selling them….I think she may be my new best friend lol. sooo since I am not wanting to buy 9 boxes…the only listing that I found on amazon, I am going to go to EBAY and get two boxes from her….then this baby is mine! (OK I *might* share with my kids, if they can be good….IF lol
that cake looks so good, i want to take it back behind the building and get it pregnant.
i just made this cake. mine was quite a bit uglier than yours though. i think i’ll need some practice until i can make it quite as spectacular! thanks for sharing!!!
the most inspiring piece of cake .massive argument .I ‘ ll make an effort this time to follow each and every step to presumably end up with another crumble.Thank you for contributing to my education.
My British Grandmum used to make a version of this, individual glass bowls stacked with alternating layers of ginger snaps and whipped cream, that sat in the fridge overnight. Oh my, was that good.
My best friend’s mom used to make this EVERY year for her birhtday! I have since made it occasionally… and last time, i used fat-free cool whip… it turned out great! (mind you..without the “real” whipped cream taste… but it was quick, fat free and easy!) My friend’s mom always made is as a round cake, like yours, but she covered the whole thing in whipped cream, like icing… yours is prettier :)
I have frozen this using the cool whip, and it turns out great! now I’m craving it….hmm…what’s for dessert tonight?
I made this and it turned out so beautifully, but to be completely honest the tastebuds were not overly thrilled. I had huge expectations coming into this because it was going to turn out so pretty, but that was it, it was just pretty. I kinda felt jipped. Sorry Oprah.
How beautiful! I t looks delicious!mmmm!
Thank you. I’ve been trying to find these wafer cookies for years. They just disappeared one day. This was the birthday cake in my husbands’ family for years.
Thank you for answering some questions. It has been ages since I have made Chocolate Ice Box Cake as my mother use to make it simple with the Nabisco Chocolate Wafers and heavy cream which was whipped. I hope I can find the Chocolate Wafers
I love this cake, but I’d really like to make the chocolate wafers myself. I’m trying hard to get away from industrial cooking and make my own baked goods. they are so much better, it is truly worth it.
Does anyone have an idea about how to duplicate./imitate the Nabisco Chocolate Wafer?
Tito, was that you – on the 20th of November?
Don’t know if you’ve seen this, but the December edition of Martha has this Gingerbread Icebox Cake that looks great for the holidays. I kind of want to make it using those Anna’s Ginger Thins and some kind of candied-ginger studded cinnamon whipped cream.
I have been looking for chocolate wafers for a recipe. Where do I find them?
They are available through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nabisco-Famous-Chocolate-Wafers/dp/B0002QF1NS/ref=smitten-20 In NYC, I find them at Gristedes as well.
Great idea, but the whipcream looks overbeaten… or is that what it looks like after sitting overnight?
Hi, I’m from New Zealand and here we make a similar thing in log form using chocolate chippie biscuits (choc chip cookies), soaked in liqueur and stuck together with whipped cream. It is a Kiwi favourite but I am now keen to try and make your cake version…yum!
OMG I did break your site!!!!
After blogging a “chilling” morning with Thomas Moore and the the inventing of the ice-box, I was more than delighted to rest my eyes upon your Wafer Wonderland Cake. I hope you don’t mind, I told my visitors about it. It looks absolutely “heavenly.”
Smitten Kitchen is on my list for more visits. Thanks:)
Could you use the cookies from your homemade oreos recipe? I live in a rural area and our grocery doesn’t carry the wafers.
I know it is frustrating to not be able to get the wafers, but I don’t recommend the homemade recipe I have. The trick with the store-bought wafers is that they get very soft and cake-like once nestled against the whipped cream for a few hours–most homebaked cookies do not. I have tried and tried to come up with a homemade version of them, but unfortunately haven’t come close yet. In the meanwhile, Amazon.com does sell them, though you’ll be stuck with six packages. That said, they keep (eerily) forever and I bet one taste of this and you’ll be eager to make it again soon.
Sounds great. Thanks Deb! I absolutely love the site! It helps keep this college girl sane!
I am about to make this today for a friend’s birthday/superbowl party tomorrow… he’s an oreo freak so I think this will make him happy. Just wanted to let everyone know that I did end up having to order the cookies online, but I figured out that the amazon merchant has their own site (hometownfavorites.com) they require you to order $20 worth of stuff in order to ship to you but you can round out your order with other hard to find grocery items (hello Wolf Brand Chili from Texas!) and they ship pretty fast, I ordered last Sunday and had the cookies by Wednesday… Anyway just thought I’d let everyone know that you don’t have to settle for ordering 6 boxes from them via amazon if you don’t want to. Thanks for the inspiration Deb!
I can’t believe it’s already been a year since you posted this! I think it looks amazing and I’ve been wanting to try it and still haven’t gotten around to it. Shows you how fast time flies, eh? Cheers!
Even having read all 94 comments I still feel I can not move on in my day with out saying…. oh lordy! That picture stopped me in my tracks!!!! Yum!! I live in Sydney and really have no idea where I will find these biscuits or even anything close to a substitute , but oh my, it looks so amazing.
Thank you for that simple simple treat I will begin my search for a suitable chocolate wafer immediately.
So glad I found you!
http://www.thechefbite.blogspot.com
I check in on your site daily, but this is the first time I’ve commented. I made this cake in the cupcake version yesterday for my book club tonight and just had one question…for the chocolate shavings on top, would that be with unsweetened chocolate or no? I feel like a dork for asking, but I don’t want to ruin these before serving them. Thanks! :)
Hi Deirdre — I typically use semi-sweet or, honestly, whatever I have on hand. Enjoy!
My grocery store recently moved everything around on every aisle, much to my dismay, BUT some good did come out of it because I finally was able to spot these wafers! I snatched up two boxes, but I think I’ll get some more. I’m going to make this cake in two weeks, can’t wait.
:)
Omg, I love these photos of the ice box cake! I’m a huge fan of this dessert. I’ve had it both at Magnolia and at Billy’s and I’m a fan. I’m in love, actually. My fiancee has made the ice box at home using this recipe and it’s heavenly. My mouth is watering just looking at the photos!
This is a show stopper – ordinary ingredients made to look extraordinary – good job!!
mm yumm! I’ve tried the cake from the bakery….i think it looks better than it tastes, but boy does it look good!
Please tell me where I can find the Nabisco Chocolate Wafers. I can’t find them anywhere.
THANK YOU
JUDY
This is the best cake! I’ve made it several times, though mine wasn’t quite as thick or pretty. Even so, people gasp when I bring it out!:) I live in a Swedish town in Kansas :) and we have different wafers at the local store…I’ve made a lemon one and a ginger cookie one too. They all taste amazing and I’ve never encountered the person who doesn’t agree. :) I thank you for one of my favorite recipes of all time. :) I love your website!!! :)
I have been dying to try this receipe since you first posted it but I’ve been looking all over to find stores that carry the wafers and just when I was about to give up I happened to find them at a local grocery store. I made the mini icebox cupcakes instead because I was not sure if we would be able to finish them all but I wanted to ask you how do you get the cream to spread smoothly and perfectly? The ones you have made look so much better than mine!!
I made mine last night with chocolate chessmen for a work potluck today. We’ll see how it goes! :)
My Mom made this cake when we were kids and I’ve taken over. Of course, we make the log version. I’d never seen it in any other form. Alot of people have never heard of it — but boy is it delicious and a big hit in our house. We’ve never had a problem finding the cookies (in Massachusetts). And I love eating the broken bits with the whipped cream while I bake. The biggest problem is waiting for it to set. I have to admit to cracking into the cake before it had sat completely. It was still delicious but definitely worth the wait for it to set!!!
I HAVE BEEN MAKING (AND, UNFORTUNATELY, ENJOYING) ICEBOX CAKES SINCE I WAS A CHILD. MOST GROCERY STORES DO CARRY THESE WAFERS…ONLY NOT ON THE COOKIE AISLE. LOOK FOR THEM IN THE FROZEN FOODS SECTION. THEY ARE USUALLY FOUND WITH THE ICE CREAM TOPPINGS. AND, THEY ARE EXPENSIVE…CLOSE TO FOUR DOLLARS A BOX. BUT, ADDING IN FOR WHIPPED CREAM, STILL A GLORIOUS DESSERT FOR ABOUT FIVE BUCKS.
We make this in Australia also, though here it’s called Chocolate Ripple Cake and uses chocolate ripple biscuits (made by Arnotts). It is the richest and tastiest and easiest thing to make ever.
I’m surprised the wafers are hard to find as I see them in pretty much every grocery store near me. A coworker of mine made the infamous recipe and I was dubious, but it was pretty good when she made it. I made it again recently and honestly, I wasn’t that impressed. Give me real oreos or a real cake anytime. P.S. It scares me that this bakery is promoting a recipe that is an American staple – Sex and the City changes things again, I guess, after promoting their cupcakes as well.
which gristedes have you found them at?
I had never had this before and whipped it up last night because it looked so good and it truly was DELICIOUS! thank you for opening my eyes to such a wonderful and easy cake!
I wanted to make this for my sweet-toothed boss (it was her birthday), but my fancy grocery store didn’t have the cookies. Why can I find them at the regular store and not the fancy one?
The fancy store *did* have a line of equally thin and delicate cookies from Sweden (iirc). There were several flavors. I selected the “cappuccino” ones. I then added rum, cocoa, and a little more sugar to the cream. It was a *huge* hit. There were also chocolate mint, ginger, and lemon flavors of these cookies (which have a nice “flower” shape to them), so other combinations might be worth exploring.
I remember this as one best desserts my mother made (she hated to cook) – always a great success.
Oh my god.
I want this.
I am making this bad boy.
*falls over dead from simultaneous diabetic shock and apoplectic longing*
Wow. Those pics are killer!
Deb, my nephew adores this cake. I am making it for his 11th birthday party on Sunday afternoon. I was wondering if you think that it’s too early to make it on Sat. morning considering I have a jam-packed Saturday already planned and didn’t really want to start it at midnight although I’ll probably be awake watching unfunny reruns of SNL. I appreciate the help :-)
Definitely can make it early–in fact, it’s best that way, so all of the cookies get extra-soft. He’s going to love it; you’re a great Aunt!
I made this for my sister’s baby shower last weekend. When I told my mom I was making it, she said “OH! Your grandma used to made that for her club nights and we would sit home and pray there were leftovers.”
Everyone was thoroughly impressed by the presentation and of course, there were no leftovers to my husband’s dismay. Thank you!
My mum (and I) have been making a modified log version since I was a little kid — I could tell the adults that I “made” this cake at my parents’ dinner parties since I was 6 and they were always in awe! We do 4 stacks of 10 wafers (with w. cream in between) then lay the stacks down side by side, with a little w. cream in between the stacks and cover with the rest of the w.cream. Takes a litre of w. cream with sugar and vanilla (or Grand Marnier, etc) as you describe. Always allow overnight to soften. Then you slice across the stacks, it looks like a ten layer cake (vertical layers). Always a hit. I also do the same with ginger snaps, with crystalized ginger chopped into the w.cream — our usual Christmas dessert. Even more delicious to me…
I am intrigued by the presentation here! Do all the cookies get soft — even the exposed edges? Wonderful.
And I must say, the Nabisco wafers are easy to find here in any grocery store in the cookie aisle, although often on the top shelf. I live in Ontario, Canada.
Simply stunning!
I make a different version of icebox cake. It has been a tradition in my family for years. I use Nabisco Graham Crackers and layer them in a deep roasting pan.
I also use Chocolate Pudding (only the cooked kind because it is hot to soften the graham crackers)and layer the pudding on top of the Graham Cracker layers, like you would lasagna making 4 or 5 layers. Then I would whip up a big box of Dream Whip and put it on top. Then crush some Graham Crackers and sprinkle it on top.
Then refrigerate till ice cold. I also make a diabetic version using Sugar Free/Fat FreeJello Chocolate Pudding. This cake is so delicious and not as fattening if you are on a diet. The Dream whip is also very little fat and sugar. You can find it in your local supermarkets. Try it and you will never want to bake a cake again!
A few weeks ago, I noticed Nabisco Chocolate Wafers at my local Publix ( Florida) grocery store. They were not on the cookie aisle, but in the same area as ice cream cones and jars of sundae sauce. Seeing the sleeves of cookies made me think about a college buddy of mine waxing poetic about some kind of cake his mom made out of them, but I had no idea how to make one… So, thanks, Deb! You have solved a mystery for me.
I am thinking that this cake in all its’ wicked glory will make it to my Christmas spread, garnished with the very earliest crop of fresh Florida strawberries.
Hmmm.. cupcake style for the dessert buffet? Won’t they be pretty?
Chocolate. Whipped Cream. Strawberries. Oh! The bliss!
We make these as single-wide stacks, and cover them all the way around with the cream so they’re like towering mini cakes. With a wee bit of green food coloring, they’ve been my family’s tradition for St. Patrick’s Day since I was litte.
The hardest part is simply finding the dang chocolate wafers in a store.
Do you have any problems slicing this cake? Or do you just kinda scoop? Without all surfaces slathered in whipped cream, it would seem to me that you’d still have some less-than-cakey cookies in the mix…
We’ve never had an issue slicing the cake precisely because each cookie is swaddled in whipped cream–it goes between each layer of discs.
I squealed with joy over this entry. My mother made Zebra Pudding (what we call it in our family) for every major event of my childhood. It is so beloved in our family that even now, almost 6 years after her death, it remains a staple of every holiday and get together. It’s funny because I am from a family of cooks – those in culinary school, those who spend too much time at the stove and those addicted to the Food Network – but I am the only one who can make this cake. Personally, I think the boys are just afraid of knocking down a tower of cookies so they make me do it every chance they get.
My favorite is a holiday version of this cake! We found gingersnaps that were a similar size and thickness at World Market store. I mix pumpkin and pumpkin spice into my whipped cream and then use the gingersnaps. It’s SO delicious and really pretty!! We used to make the traditional version every christmas, but this is my new favorite!
I first had the Wafers 30 years ago when my mother-in-law made the cake on the box for me. She’s long gone and I was afraid the wafers were….I stopped seeing them at my local Jewel food stores in the Chicago area recently so I went online to see if I could find them and I found this article instead. I’ve made the cake that’s shown on the box and printed on the back since my mother-in-law did 30 years ago but it’s not that large. I can’t wait to try the ice box cake for Thanksgiving this year. Our local Dominick’s food store had about 30 boxes on the shelf when I went last Friday Thank God I can find them again!!!
This has been a family favorite for many many years- but we add bananas to our layers- that’s our family recipe. And it makes the cake so much better. We dont sprinkle chocolate shavings on it either- but trust me….the bananas add that extra bit of YUM to this cake. I can’t wait to eat mine tomorrow- it’s sitting in my refrigerator now ready to go!
We make the Chocolate Choo Choo Train (that’s what we call it) every holiday and my uncle and aunt fight over the first piece! My Nana made it as long as I could remember until my Mom took over the job – she makes her’s in a long train, any extra cookies get made into individual ramekin versions.
It is tough to find the cookies in the stores – in Stop and Shop just look UP! They are always stashed on the top of the isles.
Our Albertson’s here carries the wafers. I stocked up the last time I was there.
This cake is out of this world. I completely cover mine with whipped cream though so it looks like a gigantic snowball. Make this for your friends/family and tell them you made it. It’s unbelievable how such an easy recipe can be so kick butt! This is a keeper for sure – Thanks Nabisco! This recipe rocks!
Also folks, you should always check out recipes on food product boxes/cans because the manufacturers put those recipes on there because the recipes are GREAT! They wouldn’t put a crappy recipe on their products.
did you use regular sugar or powdered sugar? if you use regular sugar, can you feel the sugar once it is whipped or do the crystals dissolve?
i can’t wait to try this recipe for my bf’s birthday!! thank you :)
Either will work. All of the whipping does end up dissolving the regular sugar.
Oh yum! This looks like the perfect dessert for oven-less me!
Thanks for the bit of history too, I found it fascinating.
This was the best dessert I had as a child, and I only had it once at a party at my Aunt’s house. She didn’t make it, and didn’t have a recipe for it, but i loved it and dreamt about it for years.
Thank you for not only solving a childhood mystery, but for bring back great memories, and for creating such an extraordinary looking version – wow!
Gorgeous photo! I will be making this very soon.
Thanks again!!!
~ Paula
Does it have to be overnight or wold 6 or 7 hours work?
I live in a town of 10,000 and we have the nabisco cookies. Try looking in the goumet cracker/ cookie section of your grocery store. They are about $4 a box, cheaper than amazon!!
I woke up at 3:30am. A random memory of this favorite childhood cake wafted into my thoughts as I lay there trying to fall back to sleep. I decided to google it and wa-la! Here is an amazing photo of it, presented so beautifully! My eyes popped out on stalks and a ray of light shone through the livingroom ceiling onto my laptop! I am so going to make this (with fresh raspberries). Thank you thank you thank you!
These cookies are now available in Harris Teeter grocery stores (I live in NC). I found them this morning when I was shopping and almost yelled with excitement. Then I realized that two boxes of these suckers cost me $10. I am now looking to buy an off brand of some sort.. But the price is almost worth it just for the cake. It is amazing!
My daughter wants to use this as her wedding cake. How to cut it would be my first question. How many servings from the traditional recipe. Does anyone have suggestions on how to accomplish the wedding cake?
It cuts like a normal cake but I can’t even imagine how to turn it into a wedding cake, I guess unless you bought some sort of tier set. It’s not very physically stable and whipped cream wouldn’t keep very well at room temperature for many hours.
The icebox cake we always used to make when I was a kid (so, 20 years ago) was chunky applesauce layered with cinnamon graham crackers, then served with a liberal dollop of whipped cream or ice cream. I forgot about it until reading this recipe! Sweet!
p.s. Chocolate sounds way better, though.
omg. i must have this. but my first instinct was to flavor the whipped cream. orange? amaretto?! MINT?! it all sounds too good.
This is the cake that my husband requests on random occasions. It kills me to make it for him, though, only because he grew up with his family using Cool Whip, and not real whipped cream. He only wants it with cool whip. I REALLY want to use whipped cream. Maybe I’ll attempt the homemade wafer cookies, and then I’ll use the real whipped cream because this will be MY version, not his :)
this cake was SOOOOOOOOOO good! i made the cookies per your recipe and they turned out perfect. next i’m going to try them dunked in mint chocolate as one commenter suggested. homemade thin mints. yummmmm.
I am getting away from vanilla extract. I have found a great substitute. An online business called Juliet Mae Spices makes vanilla sugar. It has vanilla infused raw sugar and a whole vanilla bean that can be scraped for the pure gooey vanilla seeds inside. I believe it is much better than vanilla extract.
Hello there! I found your blog while doing some research on this recipe. I am originally from Australia (lived here 6 years) and this cake (though it is called chocolate ripple cake) was my favorite dessert growing up. We make it a little differently in Australia however. I think your way of assembling the cake is much much prettier but my question is how do all the cookies soften and become cake like when they are not completely covered by the cream? Do the exposed cookies stay firm? Our version (I posted it today) is in the shape of a log and is completely covered in cream so that the cookies all soften. I was just interested. Love your blog. I added it to my fave’s and can’t wait to explore it.
As long as there is whipped cream on each cookie, they will soften.
That looks fabulous! I love things that can be assembled easily and look that great!
That looks absolutely fabulous, thanks for sharing!
Oh my gosh! The amazon link said that a box of 12 wafers costs nearly $70! I can’t believe it. This cake looks SO good. The box on Amazon looks familiar though, I think I may have seen those cookies at the grocery store but they didnt interest me, I will have to check again. I wonder if they would have them at the actual Nabisco factory though? I used to pass it on the freeway every day when I drove to school.
Hey Christina!
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday a couple days ago. it was a huge hit, involving several girlfriends mumbling profanity. resembles a giant oreo. who can say no?
I baked the chocolate wafer cookies myself. What i did was WAY too time consuming because i thought it might be cute to roll and stamp pretty fluted shape cookies for the cake. NOPE. the flute shapes didn’t come out that well because it did spread somewhat. I rolled the scraps in a log and cut as directed and they turned out almost identical to the cookie cutter ones. Turned out to be around 150 cookies… 11 layers, 10-11 cookies each, extra cookies are great with ice cream or lunch boxes
My mom used to make this ..sideways! 2 “logs” of sorts but I think the stacked version is much prettier.
I haven’t had this cake in probably 25 years and, if I can find the wafers, I am going to make one tonight!
Thanks for the reminder (and the nostalgia.) I love your site.
Happy Birthday to me!
This is the first recipe that was up when I found your blog in an article in Real Simple last year and went online to check you out! This was so irresistable, I went right out and got the ingredients and made the cake the next day–2-week-old infant and all!
Ever since, this has been at the back of my mind, and when my hubby asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday this year, this was my one answer: make this cake!
P. S. My usual grocery didn’t carry these wafers last year, and I mentioned it to the manager. . .now they’re always there!
So, my friends insisted that I post that I served it with a fanned strawberry on top, and included one with each piece of cake. They LOVED it!
I tried this recipe with some mint chocolate wafer cookies. They were Anna’s brand chocolate mint thins. Since I hadn’t seen the Nabisco wafers lately, I decided I had to try it. The cookies had a pretty scalloped edge that looked great for the cupcake-sized version. They are less chocolatey than the Nabisco ones and very lightly minty. I garnished with mint leaves.
Hi Deb! Love the site! I made this this weekend with mint extract instead of vanilla and a hint of green paste color. It looked amazing and tasted even better. I made the leftover wafers into sanwich cookies and those are a hit as well. Congrats on the baby on the way! I’m Preggo as well and it’s so exciting! Thanks for the yellow cake recipe today…cross that one off the list!
can i do this in a spring form so that the sides will all be even? just curious if it would hold up after popping open the pan. im a bit of a perfectionist….:)
i found i had to “glue” the cookies to the plate with a little whipped cream at the beginning–they kept sliding around when i was trying to put on the first layer of whipped cream!!
Anna — There’s no reason why you can’t.
I just used your idea to make, instead, sandwiches with homemade vanilla ice cream. So yummy! Thanks for calling my attention to these tasty little wafers.
Deb, I made this over the weekend and scored MAJOR points with every person that consumed any of it. Thank you. I’m still hearing raves about it! And I never had to turn the oven on, which is perfect for this northwest heatwave. It was awesome, I didn’t really know what to expect but MAN. It was like a whole new flavor after everything sat together overnight… so good! And really cake-like.
So I don’t want to brag, or anything :), but I kinda thought mine looked a lot like your picture when I was finished. Sadly, a peek into the cake dome the next morning showed the whole thing slumped over against the side. Cake tower fail. The spring-form pan idea is sounding good for next time!
And I would recommend to all icebox-cake makers to use the whipped cream generously between layers. After cutting into mine, I noticed that the first few layers where I was careful with the cream were almost just solid cookie. When I saw how much cream I still had in the bowl, so I spread it on thick for the later layers. Much better.
THIS IS AMAZING!!! and so very funny! My mom made this cake for us as kids, we make it for our kids, but in that log thingie, i just showed my hubby he couldnt believe it, I love how pretty it looks, i cant wait to make it like this, this was my 1st day on your website, i came on looking for a really good oatmeal cookie recipe (and thank you, yes I found one) and fell in love with your website, I am a compulsive baker, i bake everyday, with 3 kids it somehow helps ke keep my sanity, your site is GREAT!! THANKS!!!!
This is very similar to a frozen oreo dessert that my mom makes. I’m sure she got the recipe off an oreo package or something. It is a bit more involved than your version. About a third of the reg. size oreo package is crushed to make a crust in a 9×9 pan, then the whipped cream is divided in half and a package of melted chocolate chips is folded into half the whipped cream. This is all alternately layered with oreos pulled apart. The whole pan is frozen, then to serve cut into squares. YUM! Probably a bit more sugary than the Nabisco chocolate biscuit version, though.
I had this at a family gathering recently and it was a HUGE success! So beautiful and delicious too. Can’t wait to make it myself.
This may sound strange but I live in a very remote, fly in only, Alaskan bush village. All of our food and what not also has to be flown in and getting heavy cream here is not a possibility. Could you make a substitution suggestion?
This looks absolutely amazing! I just made one (dyed the whipped cream orange for a “halloween” theme) however it is not beautiful as yours is =)
You capture the essence of everything you make on this blog wonderfully! Everything looks beautiful.
Deb,
Love your blog! Found it about a month ago and hooked up ever since. Sometimes I forget that I have work to do (I read it at work, since at home my 3 little kids don’t let me have time to touch the computer, at rare occasions when they do, it is already occupied by my husband).
Congratulations on your cute, cute, cute little baby. He is a real bundle of joy, even though he turns your life upside down.
This cake looks gorgeous! It says straight forward: MAKE ME, but I have a really hard time to find chocolate wafer cookies (not a surprise to you) here in Israel, were I live. Do you think choc tea biscuits like one of these
http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&resnum=0&q=tea+biscuits&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=5aHmSrifM8PG_ga6lsz9Bw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=10&ved=0CCsQrQQwCQ
would make a good substitution (they soften well)?
Thanks for your blog and for your time.
Here in Australia we call it a chocolate ripple cake, and usually just make it in a log. Also just a hint to make sure the cookies are nice and soft when you serve, is to dip one side of the cookie into rum/brandy before wacking the cream on.
This is such a beautiful cake!! I am planning to make it today for the first time. I searched up and down and in vain for the elusive chocolate wafers and decided to make my own- thank you so much for posting a recipe for them as well! I did look on Amazon and they are still listed- for $47.39 a box! Jaw dropping and unbelievable- I would never spend so much on a box of cookies.
Looking forward to trying the cake and considering making several of these for my wedding reception in the spring in lieu of an overpriced gross fondant wedding cake.
kate — It’s $47.39 for 12 boxes on Amazon, or $3.95 each, which is less at least than I pay in NYC. But, of course, that is a lot of wafers to have on hand (but perfect for a wedding reception).
Ha! That’s hilarious- how did I not see that?
So I tried making this, and it was a fiasco- my homemade cookies turned into a spider-webby looking puddle in the oven- not sure what I did.
I went to another store and finally found the storebought cookies, and went home to create the whole concoction, thinking of how my fiance would love it.
I (blushing) don’t own an electric mixer, so I whisked the cream and sugar by hand until I got tired, then I put it in the blender and turned it on. Turned out okay, and I frosted probably three layers until I decided I wanted more airy whipped cream. The second go round in the blender was too much, and I ended up with a watery sweet butter instead. *sigh* I should have known better! Guess I better go pick up a mixer, but the whole thing has made for an amusing morning, anyway, if not for me than surely for some of you reading this :)
My friend made this for me for my birthday while I lived in NY. It became my fav instantly! I have since started making it now that I moved to FL. I can’t find the chocolate waffers either and have used the 100 calorie Oreo packs and they work just fine. But the only differences between yours and mine is that “we” make it in a 9″x12″ baking dish and layer it like lasagna. On top, we drizzle marachino cherry juice over it and poke holes for it to seep into the lower layers, then top it all over with the cherries. It is pure HEAVEN!
FYI to anyone out there who doesn’t have an electric mixer and hopes to make this by hand with a whisk – don’t! It took me 10 minutes using my electric mixer on the highest speed (which is quite high) before I got my soft peaks. By hand it would be impossible, if not rather grueling and quite frustrating. I caved and bought my electric mixer just for this recipe (to make it for my partner’s birthday) – it was $20 and well worth the money. As a broke recent graduate, I believe that damn near everything can be done with moderate labor by fork or whisk, but 3 cups worth of whipping cream isn’t one of them.
Also, this was a favourite cake of mine growing up, and I hate the soft mushiness of cake in general. Nor do I enjoy whipped cream. That’s a testament to how adept this cake is at overcoming obstacles – there’s something about the chilled, softened wafers that lets my brain interpret this cake as “ice cream” or perhaps “mousse” instead of “nauseating mush”. I can’t quite explain it.
Thanks for the recipe Smitten Kitchen!
We asked one of our co-workers to make a cake for someone’s birthday and he made this one.
It was FANTASTIC!
He made it with homemade cookies & homemade whipped cream.
Simple yet delicious!
Lisa Harden
Baltimore, MD
I made this last week with homemade cookies. I had to double the cookie recipe and roll the logs a bit larger to get the proper diameter. I used the Hershey’s special dark cocoa and they turned out yummy. Everyone was super impressed and it tasted great! Thanks so much for inspiring me to bake and cook!
I made this as little five layer cupcakes, with peppermint extract and a few drops of red food coloring to give the cream a gorgeous pink color. They were a huge hit. I don’t have an oven, so I was thrilled to find a recipe for a “cake” that doesn’t require baking. The “cupcakes” were both adorable and absolutely delicious. For those who live in New York City, the wafers are sold at Fairway.
Sixty years ago my parents made this for me, but they used half vanilla and half chocolate and added slices of banana. It is still my favorite birthday cake.
Has anyone made this with Cool Whip? I don’t want to sound like a turd but I thought I might try to reduce the calories just a tad by using fat free Cool Whip. I know I know — if you’re cutting calories, don’t make dessert! But theoretically it should work the same as regular whipped cream, right?
This cake (the log version) has been THE special treat at our family’s summer cabin for more years than I care to say. We have always made it with peppermint candy…smashed into bits with the rolling pin and stirred into the whipped cream.
Hi Deb. Just wanted to say thank you for posting this recipe. My son who turned 6 yesterday LOVED it!!! Oddly enough, he doesn’t like traditional cakes (or chocolate for that matter) but he saw the picture of the Icebox Cake and quickly declared, “Mom, that’s the cake I want!!!”. We’ve been snowed in here in the DC are for a few days now and this cake was a highlight.