The Ultimate Ice Box Cake

By lorik

Ingredients

• From Food 52

Preparation

Step 1

Cookies of choice:
Nilla wafers, Graham crackers, animal crackers, chocolate chip cookies, gingersnaps, Oreos, amaretti cookies, Milanos, Biscoff, butter waffles—just avoid "coated" cookies (like frosted animal crackers) that will not be able to absorb the moisture from the whipped cream, as they'll remain firm

Whipped cream of choice:
Coffee- and/or booze-spiked; swirled with jam, peanut butter, tahini, caramel, dulce de leche, lemon curd; folded with cocoa powder, grapefruit zest, a splash of Campari; tangy with crème fraîche or Greek yogurt

Add-ins:
Chopped chocolate, nuts, chocolate-covered espresso beans, or Luxardo cherries; cocoa nibs; fresh fruit; pistachio paste

Toppers and garnishes:
Chocolate shavings or curls; marshmallows (brûlée them!); chocolate, strawberry, or caramel sauce; sprinkles; the streusel from your freezer

Once you've picked your materials, arrange a layer of cookies, a layer of whipped cream, a layer of cookies... repeat until you're finished. You can make a freestanding icebox cake on a round plate or tuck it into a plastic wrap-lined loaf pan for the neatest appearance. Finish with a layer of whipped cream if you want softness throughout, or end on a layer of cookies if you're looking for more of a top crust sort of situation. Stick it in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours and the next time you see it, the cookies and cream will have joined in a perfect union.

Other Ideas:
Tirami-icebox:
Biscoff cookies + whipped cream spiked with 1 tablespoon of espresso power and 1 tablespoon amaretto + cocoa powder and chocolate shavings

Birthday Cake:
Animal crackers + vanilla bean-flecked mascarpone whipped cream + rainbow sprinkles

Spumoni:
Milano cookies + whipped cream mixed with pistachio paste + halved strawberries and chopped chocolate
Matcha Mint:
Thin Mints (but we'd recommend Oreos instead—Thin Mints remain firm because of their chocolate shell) + mint-infused matcha whipped cream + sifted matcha

Cherry Chip:
Tate's chocolate chip cookies + whipped cream mixed with chopped Luxardo cherries and miniature chocolate chips + additional cherries and chocolate

Berry Shortcake:
Belgian butter waffle cookies + whipped cream folded with raspberry preserves and almond extract + fresh fruit, confectioners' sugar, and sliced almonds

Lemon Meringue:
Graham crackers + whipped cream folded with lemon curd + marshallow "meringue" topping