Black Forest Icebox Cake

Inspired by a classic black forest cake, this no-bake icebox cake features layers of chocolate cookies, vanilla whipped cream, and sweet cherries. After chilling in the fridge the cookies soften into cake-like layers that taste surprisingly similar to homemade chocolate cake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 0

Chill time 10

Total Time 10 25

Servings

Calories 415kcal

Author Allison Mattina

Ingredients

Cherry compote:

¼ cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 scant tablespoons (23g) cornstarch
1 pound frozen pitted sweet cherries see note
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

Whipped cream:

1¾ cups chilled heavy cream
8 ounces chilled mascarpone cheese
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
⅔ cup (80g) powdered sugar

Assembly:

25-30 thin crisp chocolate cookies I use Tate's double chocolate chip cookies
¼ cup (45g) mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Cherry compote:

In a medium saucepan, whisk water, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Add cherries and sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, and simmer until the mixture has thickened and some of the cherries have broken down. Set aside to cool completely. You can speed this along by popping it in the fridge or freezer, stirring it occasionally.

Whipped cream:

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Start the mixer slow, then gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to a few hours.

Assembly:

Spread a thin layer of whipped cream on the bottom of an 8x8 square baking dish. Place one layer of cookies on top of the whipped cream. Break the cookies as needed to cover the bottom as much as possible. Top with one-third of the whipped cream, spreading it into an even layer. Top with one-third of the cherry compote, then sprinkle some mini chocolate chips over the top (I use a heaping tablespoon).
Repeat: cookies, half of the remaining whipped cream, half of the remaining cherries, chocolate chips. Then finish with the final layer of cookies and all the remaining whipped cream. Hold off on adding the last layer of cherries and chocolate chips until right before serving (store the cherry compote in the fridge). Cover the icebox cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 hours, up to overnight (see note).

Serving:

Right before serving, spoon the last of the cherry compote over the top of the icebox cake. Garnish with mini chocolate chips. Slice and serve.

Notes

Cherries:

I like to halve some of the cherries before making the compote. This makes for a nice variety of larger and smaller pieces. It's an optional step.

Chill time:

The longer this chills the softer the cookies will become. I like the texture best after about 10-12 hours of chilling. If it chills overnight the cookies will be much softer and more cake-like.

Nutrition