An icebox cake (also known as a chocolate ripple cake or log in Australia) is a dairy-based dessert made with

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

, fruits, nuts, and

wafers A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They ...

and set in the refrigerator. One particularly well-known version is the back-of-the-box recipe on thin and dark

Nabisco Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International. Nabisco's ...

Famous Chocolate Wafers.

History

The icebox cake is derived from similar desserts such as the

charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

and the

trifle Trifle is a layered dessert of English origin. The usual ingredients are a thin layer of sponge fingers or sponge cake soaked in sherry or another fortified wine, a fruit element (fresh or jelly), custard and whipped cream layered in that o ...

, but made to be more accessible for housewives to prepare. It was first introduced to the United States in the 1920s, as companies were promoting the

icebox An icebox (also called a cold closet) is a compact non-mechanical refrigerator which was a common early-twentieth-century kitchen appliance before the development of safely powered refrigeration devices. Before the development of electric refrig ...

as a kitchen appliance. Its popularity rose in the 1920s and 30s, as it used many commercial shortcuts and pre-made ingredients. In response to the dish's popularity, companies that manufactured ingredients for the cake, such as condensed milk and wafer cookies, began printing recipes on the backs of their boxes.

Regional variations

American

The Nabisco version of the icebox cake indicates that the wafers are stacked to form a log with whipped cream cementing them together, and then the log is laid on its side. A second log is formed and the two are set side by side and more whipped cream covers the exterior. The cake is then left overnight in the

refrigerator A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...

(or

). The wafers absorb moisture from the whipped cream and the whole can be served in slices. The dessert is usually served by cutting it into slices at a 45-degree angle, so bands of chocolate and cream are visible across each slice. A variation of icebox cake is made using

pudding Pudding is a type of food. It can be either a dessert or a savoury (salty or spicy) dish served as part of the main meal. In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, ins ...

(usually chocolate) and

graham crackers A graham cracker (pronounced or in America) is a sweet flavored cracker made with graham flour that originated in the United States in the mid-19th century, with commercial development from about 1880. It is eaten as a snack food, usually ho ...

vanilla wafer A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They ...

s layered in a square or rectangular baking dish. Additional variations include alternating layers of chocolate and

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the p ...

pudding, or the addition of sliced

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

s or

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

s between the layers. While this can be done with cold

instant pudding Instant pudding is an instant food product that is manufactured in a powder form and used to create puddings and pie filling. It is produced using sugar, flavoring agents and thickeners as primary ingredients. Instant pudding can be used in som ...

, if given ample time in the refrigerator, the best results come from assembling the dessert with still-hot, stove-cooked pudding, and then refrigerating overnight.

Australian

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

the cake is made from Arnott's Chocolate Ripple biscuits, hence the name in that country of Chocolate Ripple cake. The biscuits are covered in sweetened whipped cream, and placed in a log formation. This dessert is typically made the day before serving and kept in the refrigerator overnight. It is often decorated with crumbled chocolate, fresh berries or grated Peppermint Crisp.

Philippines

In the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

mango float Mango float or ''crema de mangga'' is a Filipino icebox cake dessert made with layers of ladyfingers (''broas'') or graham crackers, whipped cream, condensed milk, and ripe carabao mangoes. It is chilled for a few hours before serving, thoug ...

is a popular icebox cake variant of the traditional ''

crema de fruta ''Crema de fruta'' (Spanish: "fruit cream") is a traditional Filipino fruitcake made with layers of sponge cake, sweet custard or whipped cream, gelatin or '' gulaman'' ( agar), and various preserved or fresh fruits, including mangoes, pinea ...

'' layered dessert. It is made with graham crackers or ''broas'' ( ladyfingers) in between layers of whipped cream, condensed milk, and fresh mangoes.

United Kingdom

biscuit cake Biscuit cake is a type of no bake tea cake, similar to American icebox cake, found in Irish, English, Danish, Arabic, Bulgarian and Jewish cuisine. It is made with digestive biscuits and is optionally prepared with a chocolate glaze. Variatio ...

is an icebox cake commonly served as a

tea cake A teacake in England is generally a light yeast-based sweet bun containing dried fruit, typically served toasted and buttered. In the U.S. teacakes can be cookies or small cakes. In Sweden, they are soft, round, flat wheat breads made with mi ...

in the United Kingdom. At the request of

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educa ...

a chocolate biscuit cake was served as a groom's cake at his

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

. It is made by heating butter and chocolate and whisking in eggs or condensed milk. Some versions also include golden syrup. After the mixture is cooled, crumbled

digestive biscuits A digestive biscuit, sometimes described as a sweet-meal biscuit, is a semi-sweet biscuit that originated in Scotland. The digestive was first developed in 1839 by two Scottish doctors to aid digestion. The term ''digestive'' is derived from th ...

are incorporated into the batter. Optionally other dry ingredients may be mixed in as well such as assorted dried fruits, nuts and candies.

References

{{reflist American desserts Australian desserts Chocolate desserts