Or, as my son likes to call it: Tornado Cake. This recipe has the innate power to single-handedly save an otherwise hum-drum, chilly, gray weekend. Cookies and Cream Icebox Cake. It’s just got a nice ring to it, I think. This is a second recipe inspired by the lovely Half Baked Harvest Cookbook, and it caught my eye immediately, because I knew my family would love it.
This cookies and cream cake is sort of a “how bad can this be?” type of thing. The components of this classic chocolate icebox cake are just all so safe – so delicious – that even if you totally mess things up as you’re putting it together, you’re still going to wind up with a winner on your hands. How’s that for a selling point? It’s part of the beauty of a great icebox cake, you know?
There’s no serious science involved here, like there is with cake baking. It’s a lovely truth, that cake making doesn’t always have to involve cake baking. It can be as sweetly simple as whipping up some cream, crushing up some Oreo’s and drizzling in some melty, velvety chocolate. Mindless cake-making; it’s a beautiful thing to be sure. Icebox cakes have to be among my favorite types of confections to make.
Kitchen Little Essentials
For this recipe, you’ll need:
This Cookies and Cream Cake, like so many other recipes that I work on, was essentially inspired by a recipe I spotted in a book that I happened to have all of the ingredients for at the time. I was flipping through Tieghen’s book and this just jumped out at me. My kids are obsessed with anything cookies and cream flavored. So, that was that.
After whipping it up, I took one bite and it was so good that it sort of made my eyes get wider and my pulse quicken all at once – that sort of thing.
I’m not even the world’s most loyal lover of chocolate, but good is as good does and this dessert is GOOD. We’re talking stratified layers of crushed Oreos (or you can use minty chocolate cookies for a fun spin), chocolate cream, vanilla cream, and crunchy, buttery toffee bits. This takes only a few easy breezy minutes to whip up and then you let it hang for a spell in the arctic tundra that is your freezer and then, voila – you’ve got one incredibly perfect dessert on your hands, that is somehow much greater than the sum of its already great parts.
If you make this Cookies and Cream Cake you’ll for sure want to check out the entire cookbook. She’s a total gem.
As always, be sure to tag me on social media so I can see what you’re cooking up. #mykitchenlittle
If you like the looks of this recipe, you might also want to try:
One-Bowl Texas Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting
PrintCookies and Cream Icebox Cake
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
25 Oreos give or take
6 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
12- oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooledfor 5 minutes
1 cup chocolate toffee bits, such as Heath
Instructions
1. Process/crush the Oreos in a food processor, until they’re all fine, creamy crumbs. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand-held mixer), whip the cream until stiff peaks form (you can do this in batches, if that’s easier). Transfer half of the whipped cream to another bowl. To one of the bowls, add the vanilla extract and confectioner’s sugar. Gently fold it in to mix. Boom! Now you’ve got vanilla cream. If you taste it and want it sweeter, go ahead and add a little more confectioner’s sugar. No harm, no foul.
3. In the other whipped cream bowl, gently fold in the melted chocolate, until you have a well-mixed, smooth chocolate cream (mousse).
4. Spray an 8 to 10-inch spring-form pan (the size can be a little flexible) with nonstick spray all over (sides included). Begin layering your cake by putting down a thick layer of cookie crumbs. I like to spray a drinking glass with non-stick spray and use that to press down on the cookies to get them really packed in there. Follow with some chocolate cream, then vanilla cream, then a sprinkling of toffee bits. Repeat this pattern and finish the cake with a final dusting of toffee bits and cookie crumbs. Transfer the cake to the freezer to firm/set up for at least 4 hours before serving.
5. When you remove it from the freezer, let it sit on the counter for about 5 to 10 minutes, before removing the pan and slicing. This will make it easier to do so.
Keywords: Cookies and Cream Icebox Cake
