Courier Cookbook Icebox Cake

Old fashioned icebox cake reportedly became popular in the 1930s when refrigerators ("ice boxes") became mainstream. All it took to make this cake was an "icebox." Icebox cake is generally a concoction of chocolate wafers and whipped cream. But we have found some interesting variations which I assure you are easy, oven-free and delicious.

Traditional Icebox Cake

By Alexandra Penfold and adapted from Serious Eats.

Ingredients

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9-ounce) package chocolate wafer cookies, or more.

Directions

Whip cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a cold bowl until soft peaks form.

Cover the inside of a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream on the bottom of the pan.

Stand up a cookie on each of the short sides of the pan. Stand up 3 cookies, evenly spaced, on the long sides of the pan.

Spread the cookies with whipped cream then create three rows of cookies. You'll need at least 9 to 11 cookies per row.

Save some whipped cream for the top.

Cover cookies with whipped cream and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Turn cake onto a platter, remove plastic wrap and cover with remaining whipped cream.

Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until solid. Slice while frozen and serve at room temperature. Store leftovers wrapped in the freezer or refrigerator.

Kahlua Cookie Cake

Submitted by Judith Rosenblatt

Trying to make this recipe low calorie is oxymoronic. But it is so good either way.

Ingredients

1 large bag Chips Ahoy cookies (reduced fat)

1 carton chocolate wafer cookies

2 large Cool Whip Lite®

1 cup nonfat milk 1

1/2 cup Kahlua

Directions

Mix Kahlua and milk together. Line edge of sprayed springform pan with chocolate wafers. Tilt so that they stand up.

Dip each Chips Ahoy cookie in Kahlua and milk mixture (do NOT soak them) and put on the bottom of the pan.

Break some cookies to fill in the spaces between cookies.

Put on a layer of Cool Whip.

Alternate dipped cookies and Cool Whip ending with Cool Whip layer (about 3 layers).

Break three chocolate wafers in half and arrange in a star pattern on top. Refrigerate or freeze. Can be served frozen. Remove outside of springform pan before serving if frozen.

Strawberry Jell-O Cake

Submitted by Albina Maddon

Make 1 box white cake mix in a 13x9 pan (or buy one).

Let it cool.

Make a large box of strawberry Jello with half the liquid on the box directions.

Poke holes in the cake with the end of a wooden spoon.

Pour liquid strawberry Jell-O all over the cake.

Cover with Dream Whip or Cool Whip or whipped cream and decorate with sliced fresh strawberries. Refrigerate.

Next week the Courier Cookbook will explore the culinary world of mushrooms. Send us your recipes for stuffed mushrooms, mushroom soup, mushroom risotto or anything starring mushrooms. Send them to [email protected].