I had no clue this was an icebox cake. Everyone kept telling me to make one – I’d nod and smile with an empty look – of this I’m sure. I finally googled it and you know what? It’s my mom’s éclair cake! At least, that’s what we called it. It made appearances in the bride room of many weddings while I was younger. I’d sneak down to the kitchen in the cover of darkness to smooth my fork across it’s many layers lit only by the refrigerator light. It was my guiltiest of pleasures.
And, when you become an adult, it doesn’t mean you don’t need your mom to make it for you the day after a very difficult procedure. It doesn’t mean you stop requesting it for birthday dinners and sack lunches in the park.
My challenge: to make the custard from scratch. My mom makes it from cool whip and instant pudding. It’s really to-die for. Unfortunately, this is not a cool-whip-blog, I am very sorry to report. But, I really love developing recipes, and solving the cool-whip problem was really my pleasure.
Is this easier than a regular cake? Absolutely not. But, there is no need to turn on the hot oven. For me? That’s reason enough.
We first make a custard, yes we can. We add some bloomed gelatin which is needed to keep it’s form and hold the air that we’ll be adding to it by folding in some soft whipped cream. We’re kind of making a vanilla custard mousse of sorts. We then layer that with graham crackers that will soak up some of that excess moisture in the fridge overnight creating the most decadent cake you ever did have.
Maybe the hardest part of this cake is the waiting? I don’t know. What I do know is there are no regrets when it comes to this icebox cake. There are no regrets when tip-toeing down the stairs for a midnight snack. There are no regrets when not turning your oven on in a condo that, I assume is only made of Lincoln logs and cannot protect me from the elements.
Chocolate Vanilla Cream Icebox Cake
Layers of vanilla custard between graham crackers sit overnight in the fridge and become a luscious, cold cake… perfect for the summer months.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 9 hours
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
Ingredients
4 sacks of graham crackers
2 packets flavorless gelatin
2 cups whole milk
1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
7 egg yolks
1/3 cup corn starch
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
For the frosting,
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
Sprinkles for topping
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix the flavorless gelatin and 1/2 cup of very cold water together and let bloom while cooking the custard.
In a medium saucepan on medium heat, pour in the whole milk and 1 1/2 cup of the sugar. In a separate medium bowl, place in the egg yolks, corn starch, and remaining sugar. Whisk vigorously, until a smooth, pale yellow appears. Once the milk mixture has just started to steam, ladle about a cup of the steaming milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Continue to do this until about half of the milk mixture has been used. Then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and cook while continuously whisking until the mixture has thickened. This should take just about a minute longer. Take off the heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter. Continue to stir while off the heat to release the steam for about a minute. Add in the bloomed gelatin and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Place in the fridge or freezer to cool slightly, about luke warm.
Take a 9×9 dish and line with graham crackers.
In a medium bowl or standing mixer, whip the whipped cream just until soft peaks appear. Do not overwhip. Take 1/3 of the whipped cream and mix into the custard gently. This gets the mixture ready for folding. Then, pour the rest of the whipped cream onto the custard and gently fold until a smooth batter appears. You might have a few clumps left but that’s okay.
Place 1/4 of the vanilla custard into the prepared dish on top of the graham crackers and smooth. Place another layer of graham crackers on top. Repeat this step until the custard is finished. The cake should start and end with a layer of graham cracker.
*Note – You may have a little custard leftover depending.
For the frosting, mix all the ingredients together until smooth and glossy. If the frosting doesn’t seem drizzle-able, place in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Pour over the top of the cake and smooth from edge to edge and top with sprinkles. Place in the fridge for about 1 hour before covering with plastic wrap. Place back in the fridge to set for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Serve cold 🙂
