Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Cake
One bite of this No-Bake Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Cake will have you swooning! An easy, luscious layered dessert!
One of my friends brought an Ina Garten chocolate dessert to our annual holiday luncheon. After stuffing myself silly with all the festive savory dishes, I took a small portion of each of the dessert offerings. This No-Bake Dessert Recipe definitely caught my attention!
Why You Must Make
- It’s perfect for the summer as you don’t have to turn on your oven.
- This recipe is from Ina Garten and it’s been a favorite for years!
- If you have a mocha lover in your house, this is an easy, delectable dessert to add to your menu!
It was this mocha chocolate chip cookie icebox cake that won my heart! It’s ideal for my coffee-loving oldest son who has a birthday just days after Christmas. Plus, I love a mocha fix, too! If cheesecake is more your thing, this decadent Mocha Cheesecake also fits the bill!
How to Make
- Make the mocha cream filling.
- Place a layer of cookies in the bottom of a springform pan.
- Using an offset spatula, cover with some of the mocha filling, and repeat until you have 5 layers of cookies and 5 layers of filling (end with the mocha cream)
- Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
- Run a knife around the inside of the springform pan, then release the sides, slice and serve!
After cooking an extensive menu for both Christmas Eve and Christmas, it was time to make my son Tom’s birthday dinner. Thank goodness, I had this easy mocha icebox cake recipe in my back pocket. All five of us loved it—even the mocha-wary hubby!
Expert Tips
Icebox cakes were all the rage back in the ’20s and ’30s. Some smart soul figured out that whipped cream layered with very thin cookies would transform into a marvelous dessert if left in the fridge overnight! So easy. Here are a few tips for making a perfect icebox cake!
- The old-fashioned name “icebox” comes from the days when folks didn’t have electric refrigerators, but instead replaced blocks of ice in their “iceboxes” to keep food cool.
- One of the oldest and still popular icebox cakes is simply Nabisco Famous Wafers stacked on their sides with layers of whipped cream in between!
- Remember, an icebox cake needs hours in the fridge before it’s ready to eat to allow the cookies to soften. So, plan ahead!
- PRO-Tip: Store-bought cookies work best. That’s what makes these sorts of recipes super easy. Do the dunk test by dipping the cookie into a glass of milk. It must soften easily to be best for an icebox cake.
- PRO-Tip: When making this recipe, use a springform pan so you can release the sides and reveal all the beautiful layers. Also, use an offset spatula to spread the filling evenly.
- When making a simple icebox cake with just cookies and cream, I like adding sugar to the whipped cream to make it a most indulgent dessert with very little work!
- Break cookies to fill all the spaces left between whole cookies. This will make the prettiest cake.
- PRO-Tip: Use a serrated knife to slice, wiping it clean between slices. Note that this easy no-bake dessert tastes best if eaten within a couple of days.
Frequently Asked Questions
An Icebox or Refrigerator Cake is a no-bake dessert made by layering cookies, cream, sweetened condensed milk, and/or fruit and letting it refrigerate overnight so that the moisture of the other ingredients softens the cookies.
Icebox is an old-fashioned word for refrigerator. Instead of baking, this “cake” needs to rest in the refrigerator overnight before serving, thus the name.
There must be thin cookies or graham crackers and sweetened or unsweetened whipped cream. Other additions including sliced fruit, dried coconut, cocoa powder, extracts, and nuts are optional.
As long as it’s kept in the refrigerator when you’re not dishing out slices, it will be good for 2-3 days.
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Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Cake Recipe
One bite of this Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Cake and I knew I had to recreate it for my family! This no-bake dessert will have you swooning, too!
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 12 ounces mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup Kahlua (coffee liqueur)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 (7-ounce) packages of thin, crisp store-bought chocolate chip cookies, like Tate's
- Chocolate shavings, curls or shards, for garnish
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, Kahlua, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla.
- Mix on low speed to combine, then whip until firm peaks form.
- To assemble the cake, arrange chocolate chip cookies in an 8-inch springform pan to cover the bottom. Break a couple of the cookies to fill any open spaces.
- Using an offset spatula, spread approximately a fifth of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the cookies.
- Repeat with another layer of cookies and another layer of the mocha whipped cream until there are five layers of each. You will end with the mocha cream.
- Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to plate, run a small sharp knife or your offset spatula around the outside of the cake, then remove the sides of the pan.
- Top the cake with chocolate shavings or make my easy chocolate shards. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's How Easy Is That??
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 511Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 233mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 0gSugar: 20gProtein: 4g
46 Comments on “Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Cake”
Wow… It looks very sweet . I will try to make it. It makes me hungry lol.
Could I make this using Nabisco chocolate wafers?….
Yes, I think that would work (and be tasty, too!). Let me know how it goes!
Liz this sounds wonderful and so easy! I’ve never seen this before but will definitely try it.
I want to make this for my niece and nephew. But I would like to know because they are young children, can I substitute the Kahlua Milk? Thank you!
Hi, Cindy,
Yes, I’d substitute the same amount of cream or milk for the Kahlua. I think that should work just fine. Hope they love it!
I made this for my mocha-loving husband’s birthday! Everyone wanted a second piece!
I have made this lovely desert about four time. Wonderful. I used Ina’s recipe. I use a 9” spring form cake pan. It takes at least three packages of cookies that you can find at Whole Foods ( gets expensive). I have also found a large box of Tate’s cookies at COSTCO. Great price. A must to let sit overnight. Very worth the effort.
Great to know you can find Tate’s cookies at Costco! It’s perfect for summer! Thanks for letting me know!
Going up, Icebox Cake was always my favorite! But this mocha cake is by far the best! I can’t wait to make it again.
A classic!
So pretty! Love the chocolate shavings on top and the layering using the chocolate chip cookies.
Mmmm! I could go for a serving of this right now!
I’m making this recipe right now. I followed the marscapone/Kahlua part to the T and it’s not nearly enough to make five layers. I’m going on with it. I’m just gonna have a short cake…. The cheese mixture is very yummy though! Next time, I’m gonna double it….
More of that creamy goodness certainly wouldn’t hurt! Enjoy!
Ok, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I did get five layers. They’re thin layers though. The cake is awesome! I’m still gonna double the creamy part next time. Like you said, more is better! Thank you for the recipe!
I am licking my lips! This cake looks scrumptious. So glad you share with us at Merry Monday. Sharing this on my social media and Pinned.
Wow, this looks fantastic! I could fall in love with this cake. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I so want to make this for a special dinner I’m planning but the guests don’t like coffee. Is there any way to trade the coffee flavor to an orange flavor. I think there is an orange flavor liqueur and wonder how else it could be changed. I bet you can help in this idea. Thank you for any suggestions (maybe even some other suggested flavor???? This is a winning recipe for us coffee drinkers for sure.
Do you think this would hold up to a ganache topping, or is it too soft?
Hi, Gerry,
The cake holds up pretty well, but I’m thinking a layer of ganache on top might be too much. You could possibly serve slices with some room temperature (pourable) ganache if you’d like that extra chocolate oomph. A drizzle on top might be a lovely addition. Let me know what you end up doing.
Thanks for the reply! I think I will take your suggestion and drizzle the top just a little. Can’t wait to try it.
Hi Lizzy, after nearly 2yrs of absence, I came back to my blog, and while strolling on the pages of Google +, I couldn’t take my eyes off of your magnificent chocolate/mocha cake! I am a ‘hardcore’ chocolate lover, and this creative ice box cake with the chocolate chip cookies layers just ‘sealed the deal’ for making my birthday cake coming up this month! Thank you for sharing this and your other amazing cakes and desserts you’ve created over the years. I will be more active now and will be checking out yours and friends’ latest posts! xoxo
Do you think this could be doubled and made in a sheet pan?
A sheet pan might be too big, but I bet a 9 x 13-inch pan would work. A great idea!
I bet your son was really happy with this cake it sounds amazing!
Absolute perfection – such a dreamy icebox cake!
How on earth do you create such fabulous creations one after another. This cake is totally awesome!!! Happy 2018 Liz!
I love this variation of an icebox cake! So elegant looking!
Wow! 300 Sunday Supper recipes. Congrats. This cake really looks tasty and it’s so pretty. I love the light mocha color of the icing.
Great collections of recipes . Only by looking gives tremendous satisfaction.
Loving the layers!
Love the yummy post, Lina! xoxo
Liz, I meant. Sorry for the typo..
All your desserts look so spectacular, Liz! Wish I was sitting at your #SundaySupper dinner table!
This cake reminds me of tiramisu. I must make it soon. Wow, 300 recipes? What an accomplishment!
Easy and no bake??!! Yes, please! This cake looks absolutely amazing!
I’m intrigued by this cake. It sounds perfectly delicious and the cookies in the middle? Definitely have to try this one.
This is such an awesome cake! I love no bake desserts. And congratulations on 300 Sunday Suppers! I have done a lot, but I know not that many. I am so happy to be a part of the group and have connected with you.
Oh my this looks so good!!! The Sunday supper collection is fabulous too.
Looks great, and love how easy it is.
What a gorgeous cake, my cousin is a mocha lover so I know what I will make for her birthday! I just love the way it looks, the sides are just beautiful and the slice looks gorgeous too. I’m intrigued with the chocolate chips cookies making up the cake part, I’d never heard of that before!
Congratulations on the number of posts for Sunday Supper group, what a huge accomplishment!
In all the years I have made that kind of cake it never looked this good! WOW bravo Ms Liz!
Another delicious dessert! Wow, nearly 300 Sunday Supper posts, impressive. Wonder how many I’ve done…I’m guessing at least a year’s worth (i.e. 50+).
Wow, that looks amazing! I ~might~ even have a slice for breakfast:@)
I would love this one too..well, it’s loaded with mascarpone and who doesn’t its rich creaminess?