S’mores Icebox Cake Recipe

I didn’t develop up going to summer season camp. I did, nevertheless, eat sufficient American media to dream of sitting by a campfire making s’mores. I envisioned myself skewering marshmallows onto twigs, toasting them till puffy and golden, then sandwiching them between two graham crackers with a bit of chocolate, all whereas singing camp songs with my fellow Woman Scouts. The closest I ever received as a toddler was toasting marshmallows over my mother and father’ fuel range, which resulted in both unhappy, under-toasted and unsatisfying marshmallows or singed marshmallows that caught on hearth. (My mother and father weren’t happy, and I used to be completely banned from toasting marshmallows within the kitchen.)

As an grownup, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing an actual campfire s’extra: a gooey marshmallow and heat, simply melted chocolate comfortable between crisp, barely candy graham crackers. As somebody who lives in an residence with no out of doors house, although, the campfires are few and much between, so I’ve to get inventive once I’m hankering for these basic s’extra flavors. That is the place this icebox cake—a “set-it-and-forget-it” dessert that’s enjoyable and celebratory—is available in. I make it by stacking coffee-soaked graham crackers, selfmade chocolate mousse, and whipped cream in a loaf pan, then coating it in a beneficiant layer of Italian meringue, which I hit with a kitchen torch to create a browned, marshmallow-like exterior. It’s a confection that evokes the flavors and textures of a s’extra, no campfire or mosquitoes required. Right here’s how you can make it.

7 Ideas for Making a S’mores Icebox Cake That is Magical, Not Melty

Line your 9- by 4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. This cake is made in a typical loaf pan, like the sort you’d use for fast breads akin to banana bread. For simple, neat unmolding, line your loaf pan with plastic wrap earlier than you assemble your icebox cake. (For seamless unmolding, be sure that the plastic hangs over the sting of the pan so you’ll be able to simply seize onto it when unmolding. To unmold, take away the plastic wrap from the highest of the cake, invert it onto a rimmed baking sheet, and take away the remaining plastic.)

Use layers of graham crackers for a balanced cake that is not too candy. The wheaty, bran-filled crackers are a vital a part of the basic campfire snack, however I additionally use them right here as a result of they lend an earthy taste that enhances the bitterness of the chocolate and sweetness of the Italian meringue. 

Brush the graham crackers with espresso. Most pastry cooks brush their muffins with a layer of straightforward syrup to maintain the sponge moist. Right here, I exploit freshly brewed espresso, which softens the crackers and provides depth of taste with out making the icebox cake cloyingly candy. Although freshly brewed drip espresso is sweet, you should utilize chilly brew, espresso, or no matter you might have available, together with espresso made with instantaneous granules. The espresso could be heat, chilly, or room temperature—all work simply high-quality! (Use decaf when you’re fearful in regards to the small quantity of caffeine.)

Take the time to make your personal chocolate mousse. Not like chocolate ganache, which turns into agency when refrigerated and would make the icebox cake too heavy, chocolate mousse is mild and fluffy when chilly, making it a great filling. Making your personal mousse permits you to modify for sweetness and select the sort of chocolate you’d like to make use of. I like to recommend utilizing chocolate between 64 and 70% cacao, because it leads to a mousse that’s not too candy, however when you choose a sweeter mousse you could possibly go as little as 40%. If you happen to don’t really feel like making your personal mousse, you’ll be able to go for store-bought chocolate pudding, however your icebox cake will doubtless be on the sweeter facet and the feel will not be fairly as fluffy (however it would nonetheless be scrumptious).

Hold it chilly. Refrigerating the cake for at the least eight hours permits the crackers to melt to a cake-like texture and all of the flavors of the chocolate and cream to meld collectively. Freeze the cake for at the least an hour (and as much as one week) after unmolding, as this may guarantee it’s chilly sufficient to frost, torch, and slice with out melting.

Go along with Italian meringue. It might appear a little bit “additional” to make an Italian meringue for an icebox cake, however I choose the flavour and thickness of Italian meringue to marshmallow fluff. (However be happy to make use of marshmallow fluff when you choose to skip this step.) Making an Italian meringue includes slowly pouring a sizzling sugar syrup into whipping egg whites, which cooks the egg whites and stabilizes it. As Critical Eats contributor Marissa Sertich Veile defined in her recipe for Italian meringue, sugar is hygroscopic, which implies it “binds with water and holds it in place,” and “provides viscosity to the liquid whites, making the bubbles extra steady.” 

For the toastiest meringue, use a blowtorch. Utilizing a blowtorch permits you to evenly toast the meringue with out heating the cake an excessive amount of. Although I haven’t tried it for this recipe so I can’t assure success, you’ll be able to take the same strategy to that of a baked Alaska and toast the meringue within the oven with the broiler perform when you do not personal a blowtorch. Simply be certain your cake is sufficiently frozen earlier than doing so, otherwise you’ll danger melting the cake. You may also go away the meringue un-toasted for a barely much less campfire-ish (however no much less scrumptious!) cake. If you happen to’ve opted for marshmallow fluff as a substitute of meringue, you’ll be able to torch it too.