History. The icebox cake is derived from similar desserts such as the charlotte and the trifle and made to be more accessible to prepare. It was first introduced to the United States in the 1920s, as companies were promoting the icebox as a kitchen appliance.
From 1920s housewives to TikTok creators, bakers continue to embrace this cold treat.
My first memory of an icebox cake is making a DIY version in my kitchen during summer vacation when I was nine. My native Indian gets extremely hot from April to June, and the only respite when it’s scorching outside is to dig into a bowl of shaved iced, a frozen alphonso mango, or, that particular summer, a DIY icebox cake.
The icebox cake is not an Indian summer norm like the other desserts, but I remember the first time I tried my hands (and luck) at combining cake with ice cream. My cousins and I gathered at the kitchen counter while the adults snoozed to create a dessert that one of my cousins declared as, “My mother learned it from a Martha Stewart cookbook and I learned it from her.”
Sure, what could go wrong with neatly stacking chocolate wafer biscuits on vanilla ice cream and loaves of market-bought chocolate cake? The stash was dusted with local chocolate and frozen for a few hours before being neatly cut and handed out to everyone on paper plates as a pre-dinner treat. And that’s when I knew: This is what summer crushes are made of.
“Icebox cakes first made an appearance in the kitchens of American housewives in the 1920s when the National Biscuit Company—now known as Nabisco—first put their famous chocolate wafers in the market and included a recipe for an icebox cake on the packaging,” says Jessie Sheehan, author of Icebox Cakes: Recipes for the Coolest Cakes in Town. In 2015, Sheehan put together this book of recipes that range from cakes made out of classic biscuits like Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins to Black Forest’s cherries.
Before NBC put icebox cakes on the back of their box or long before Sheehan wrote her cookbook, the first version of a cold layered dessert came around a century prior with Marie-Antoine Carême’s charlotte. He made a cold dessert inside a mould using lady fingers and custard, which was chilled and eaten as a whole.
“It does give off a lot of icebox cake vibes,” Sheehan confirms. Carême is a pioneering chef who is responsible for introducing the world to the elaborate French style of cooking known as grande cuisine, and the charlotte was one such creation.
Of course, the icebox cake became even more of a household staple in America during the ’40s and ’50s, with the rise of Baskin-Robbins and Carvel ice cream cakes. The dessert became so ubiquitous that it was being taught in culinary schools around the country.
“Back in culinary school, when we made genoise sponge for the first time, we had to cut the sponge into circles, and with the leftover cake, we were asked to make a family meal dessert,” says Solanki Roy, executive chef at Cut by Wolfgang Puck. “That was the first time I made an icebox cake. I layered it with vanilla ice cream, chocolate ganache, and cherry syrup. Topped it with loads of chocolate shavings.”
Roy is the former head pastry chef at Gaggan Anand, one of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and chef de partie at the three-Michelin starred Eleven Madison Park. She also has a deep affinity for icebox cakes.
What appeals to Solanki and most icebox cake fans of her generation is the simplicity of the dessert. This raw, DIY approach makes it a go-to favorite for our generation. “Gen Z likes it because it’s not intimidating to make,” she says. “It’s just a simple method of layering.” Besides the fact that icebox cake videos are often gorgeous and rank high on TikTok watchability.
The duo recommend combinations such as chocolate and malt, honey and ginger, graham crackers and marshmallows, hibiscus and lemon, and coconut and pandan. But before you get to your own experiment, here are some things to keep in mind.
Tips for making an icebox cake
According to our experts, don’t ever use soft cookies. Always use crispy ones, as you want them to absorb the cream or pudding but not turn mushy. Do whip your whipped cream to medium or stiff peaks and flavor your cream with zest, booze, or cocoa powder.
Pam spray the box so that it unmolds better or cling wrap it. Always let the cake rest for sometime before eating it. Soak the cakes in a simple syrup of your choice before you begin layering it, this will prevent drying.
A Walk Through History – Iceboxes, Coal, and Icebox Cake!
FAQ
What is the meaning of icebox dessert?
What is the history of chocolate ripple cake?
What is the meaning of refrigerator cake?
How long does cake last in the icebox?
What is icebox cake?
Icebox cake is a no-bake dessert made by layering ingredients such as wafer cookies, cream, condensed milk, and fruit that set in the refrigerator. It’s less of a recipe and more of a technique, because it’s infinitely customizable as long as you stick to a cream-and-cookie base. Why Is It Called Icebox Cake?
How did icebox cake get its name?
As you may have suspected, icebox cake gets its name from the icebox, a non-mechanical form of refrigeration that was popular during the early 20th century. Fun fact: iceboxes were called refrigerators before mechanical, electricity-powered refrigerators surfaced.
Did Nabisco invent the icebox cake?
Nabisco didn’t invent the icebox cake — printed recipes can be found as early as 1920 — but they did make it famous. Nabisco’s original recipe calls for freshly whipped cream sweetened with a little sugar and flavored with vanilla. It promised to give the busy housewife a from-scratch-tasting chocolate cake without having to heat up the kitchen.
When did icebox cakes come out?
Recipes for icebox cakes started showing up in the 1930s, when companies would give out recipes to promote their new kitchen appliance, the electric ice box! That’s right, back then the average home cook didn’t have a refrigerator that plugged in; they had an insulated box that held a block of ice, delivered by truck, which kept food cool.