Although we now call them refrigerators, 100 years ago, kitchen chill chests were kept cool with large blocks of ice. Hence, the name “icebox.” Instead of using an oven, icebox cakes are made by layering whipped cream and cookies together, and then refrigerating the cake for several hours in the icebox.
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.
Easy Icebox Cake l The Recipe Rebel
FAQ
Why are they called icebox cakes?
What does icebox mean in baking?
Where did the refrigerator cake come from?
Why were icebox cakes popular in the 1920s?
What is an icebox cake?
An icebox cake (also known as a chocolate ripple cake or log in Australia) is a dairy-based dessert made with cream, fruits, nuts, and wafers and set in the refrigerator. One particularly well-known version used to be printed on the back of boxes of thin and dark Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers.
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.
Why is icebox cake so popular?
The icebox cake became so popular not only because it was easy to make, requiring no baking, but because it was so delicious. What is an Icebox Cake? Besides being the most ethereal, delicious cake ever, icebox cake is an old fashioned cake that is made from little more than crisp chocolate wafer cookies and freshly whipped cream.
Why is icebox cake called a trifle?
This beloved summer dessert was named icebox cake because it is “made” in the icebox (also known as the fridge) instead of the oven. The classic icebox cake is similar to a trifle because of its layers but is easier to make. This cool treat became very popular when the refrigerator was invented in the 1920s.