Classic Icebox Cake
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Discover (or rediscover!) the magic of the classic icebox cake: a fancy-looking but utterly simple no-bake dessert.
When I was 14, my grandmother taught me how to make the classic icebox cake made with Nabisco chocolate wafers. The method was magic: stack the cookies sideways with homemade whipped cream, cover the “roll” with more whipped cream, and let it chill in the fridge. The pièce de résistance? When you slice the cake at an angle, you get zebra stripes! This recipe quickly became the mainstay of my teenage baking repertoire (although it doesn’t actually involve baking). The same recipe has been on the Nabisco wafer box for generations, and some trendy NYC bakeries have reinvented it, layering the cookies vertically to resemble a traditional cake.
However, there’s been a curveball: Nabisco recently discontinued their iconic chocolate wafers (such a bummer, Nabisco 😩). The good news is that Oreo Thins are a fabulous substitute, and you can skip the fuss of removing the cream. This icebox cake is the ultimate no-bake delight, perfect for making and enjoying with kids. Adults will love it, too — I mean, who can resist the delicious charm of cookies and cream?
Table of Contents
“I made this with my 7-year-old daughter yesterday and we enjoyed it for dessert. She was so proud of her “fancy” creation – it looked just like the picture!”
What You’ll Need To Make A Classic Icebox Cake
Step-by-Step Instructions
Place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or beaters. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form.
Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Beat until medium-stiff peaks form. Do not over-whip.
Pro Tip: When whipping cream, keep a close eye on it – it’s always done before you think it is, and it goes from perfectly smooth and billowy to grainy and curdled in an instant. Whipped cream should have a smooth, creamy texture and dollops should just barely hold their shape. If you’re nervous about over-whipping it, when it’s close to done, finish whipping by hand.
Set aside about 1-1/2 cups of the whipped cream. Place about a 1/2 tablespoon of the remaining whipped cream on each cookie, and stack sideways on a long platter about 1/4 inch apart to make one long roll. (The whipped cream is essentially acting as a glue to hold the cookies together.) Spread the reserved whipped cream over the top and sides of the roll.
Be sure to use a long platter, as the finished “roll” is quite long.
Spread the reserved whipped cream over the outside of the roll. Chill in refrigerator for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Dust the top of the cake cocoa powder and slice diagonally at a 45°-angle. Serve with fresh berries, if desired.
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Classic Icebox Cake
Discover (or rediscover!) the magic of the classic icebox cake: a fancy-looking but utterly simple no-bake dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 25 Oreo Thins, from 1 package
- Cocoa powder, for decorating
Instructions
- Place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or beaters. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat until medium-stiff peaks form. Do not over-whip. (Tip: When whipping cream, keep a close eye on it – it's always done before you think it is, and it goes from perfectly smooth and billowy to grainy and curdled in an instant. Whipped cream should have a smooth, creamy texture and dollops should just barely hold their shape. If you're nervous about over-whipping it, when it's close to done, finish whipping by hand.)
- Set aside about 1½ cups of the whipped cream. Place about a ½ tablespoon of the remaining whipped cream on each cookie, and stack sideways on a long platter about ¼ inch apart to make one long roll. (The whipped cream is essentially acting as a glue to hold the cookies together.) Spread the reserved whipped cream over the top and sides of the roll. Chill in refrigerator for at least 5 hours or overnight.
- Using a fine sieve, dust the top of the cake cocoa powder and slice diagonally at a 45-degree angle. Serve with fresh berries, if desired.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 406
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Sugar: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 198 mg
- Cholesterol: 67 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Delicious and so easy!!
I tried another substitute for this recipe. Ikea sells thin crispy ginger cookies, I used those instead, sprinkled with cinnamon and brown sugar ontop of whipped cream log and it now takes on a new fall flavor.
Delicious and easy to make with grandkids. I made two rows of the cookies next to each other then covered it all with the whipped cream. Cocoa powder and raspberries as a garnish.
A wonderful dessert on a hot evening.
Hi Jen. I made these chocolate cookies last Christmas for the traditional ice box cake. They were delicious and very much like the Nabisco discontinued cookie. Just wanted to bring it to your attention as a better substitute than the Oreo Thins. Maybe you can incorporate it into this recipe somehow. Love your recipes!
Read more: https://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateWafers.html#ixzz8B9xyYrHI
My mother used to make this cake using ginger biscuits. Always was a big hit. I never knew that it actually had a name.
Thank you for all the great recipes. I always look forward to your weekly emails
Kate
I made this with my 7-year-old daughter yesterday and we enjoyed it for dessert. She was so proud of her “fancy” creation – it looked just like the picture!
Icebox cake was easy to make with my 3 grandchildren who love to bake.
So delicious, another Jenn winner.
Thank you!
Oh no! I hadn’t heard that Jenn…that’s awful foodie news. Don’t you wonder how they make those decisions? There really is no competition making the same style wafer, I just don’t get it. I love your peanut butter version using the wafers…have made that numerous times to great reviews.
Hi Cheryl, I know – it’s a head-scratcher! I’ve tried the PB version with Oreo Thins and it doesn’t work quite as well…I’m still trying to figure out a good substitute for that one.
Haven’t tried using them yet, but I bought a couple packages of Goya Chocolate Maria Cookies….
Please LMK how they work out! Also, another reader wrote in and mentioned these as an option.
We have the same cake in Australia using Arnott’s chocolate ripple biscuits. They’re a bit larger by the look. Love your work Jen, would be great if you could do a Winter email to inspire us down under.
Let’s all start writing Nabisco to bring back the chocolate wafers!
I’m confused by your photos. In the photo showing the cookies all lined up side by side without the whipped cream on them, they look like the flat sides are all “glued” together in a long row. But in the final photo showing the cake sliced, it looks like the cookies are turned so that they’re perpendicular to the other photo and there are three cookies side by side. You can see the three cookies in the first slice. Are the cookies supposed to be rotated before it’s frosted with the whipped cream? Am I missing something?
Hi Veronica, It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the cake is sliced at an angle, which gives the zebra effect. There is no need to rotate the cookies.
I’m also confused how this works?? I’ll definitely make it but the cookies are lined up like a log. Even if you angle it my brain is not getting the stripes.
I know it’s hard to visualize! But basically when you cut the log at an angle, you’re cutting through several of the cookie-and-cream layers at once. This results in a series of diagonal stripes, with each stripe representing a wafer or a layer of cream.
This traditional cake has been my family’s favorite for years. I went to make it recently and discovered Nabisco’s terrible decision to discontinue the famous chocolate wafers, which I just do not understand. Like you, I sought an alternative and used Oreo Thins. Just not the same!! I’m still seeking a proper substitute that doesn’t entail baking 50 wafers by hand 🫤