If you love an ice-cold coffee on a hot summer day, then this cold brew icebox cake is the no-bake dessert for you. Layers of cold brew cream and Oreo Thins are topped with lofty dollops of whipped cream and chocolate-covered espresso beans for a light and airy dessert that packs a surprisingly strong coffee flavor. Make it for your summer BBQs and potlucks, and watch it disappear in a flash.
What is an icebox cake?
An icebox cake is a retro no-bake dessert that was first made popular in the 1950s. At its most basic, it consists of layers of sweetened whipped cream layered with store-bought cookies and chilled in the refrigerator until the moisture from the cream softens the cookies, creating one cohesive, sliceable cake. The original was made with Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies (no longer manufactured, sadly!) and plain whipped cream, but in the last 70 years, home cooks and recipe developers have expanded the genre to include every flavor profile, from milk and cookies to lemon-blueberry cheesecake.
Flavoring the cold brew cream:
The cold brew cream gets its powerful coffee flavor from two sources: cold brew concentrate and espresso powder. Cold brew concentrate is, as the name suggests, a concentrated form of cold brew that carries a much stronger flavor than regular cold brew; think of it as a cold brew extract. Espresso powder is a much finer texture (and in most cases, a better flavor!) than instant coffee or any other ground coffee product, so it will melt and incorporate with the cream much better. Both of these products, if not available in your local grocery store, are widely available online.
Setting the cake:
Some icebox cakes are ready after only 4 hours in the refrigerator, but during testing, I found that this one really needs the full 12. This is because we’re using Oreo Thins, which, while thinner than a typical Oreo, are still considerably thicker than a graham cracker or other single-layer cookie. Don’t try to rush this chilling process: If the Oreos aren’t softened enough, you won’t be able to cut clean slices. Take it from someone who tried—with disastrous results.
Make ahead and storage:
This cake is perfect for making ahead, since it requires that overnight chill in the refrigerator. I recommend unmolding and topping with the whipped cream just before serving. Leftover icebox cake can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; however, the texture will change as the cookies continue to soften with time. You can also freeze the cake (once it’s had its 12-hour chill time) for up to 1 month.
Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
