Most people dread turning on their oven in the summertime. I, a dessert enthusiast, have never been that person; I’ve always braved the heat so I can take advantage of ripe berries and stone fruit by incorporating them into every cake, crumble, cookie, and pie I can think of. This summer, however, the heat has been unrelenting. And for the first time ever, I’ve decided to fully embrace no-bake desserts like icebox cakes.
The beauty of an icebox cake is that there’s little more to do than wait: You layer cookies or crackers with a creamy filling, then let time and the coolness of the fridge do the hard work. As the confection sits, the crackers soften and the flavors meld, creating a dessert that mimics a classic layer cake, no oven required.
The recipe below features strawberries and cream, a flavor combination that’s especially delicious in the summer when strawberries are at their ripest and juiciest. Strawberries and cream are delicious as is, but serving them with vanilla wafers and a strawberry compote makes it a more substantial dessert.
My inspiration for this was the fraisier cake, a French dessert of sponge cake layered with pastry cream and strawberries. To keep the cake as unfussy and light as possible, I’ve skipped the pastry cream and have opted for a vanilla whipped cream. I use vanilla wafers in place of cake, but after several hours of soaking up the strawberry compote and cream, it tastes just like a delicious vanilla cake. The result is a celebratory dessert that’s easy enough to whip up for weeknights or make-ahead for a special occasion. Here’s how to make it.
5 Tips for Making a Summery Strawberry Icebox Cake
Make your own strawberry compote. When testing with different strawberry fillings, I experimented with jam and found it too sweet and thick for my liking. Fresh strawberries didn’t have quite the sauciness I wanted, and macerating them produced a filling that was too juicy for the cake. The solution? A simple, quickly cooked strawberry compote, which has just the right consistency to hydrate the crackers and also allows you to adjust the sweetness to your liking. A tablespoon of lemon juice adds a pleasant acidity to the compote, making it a more balanced filling for the cake.
Line your loaf pan with plastic wrap. Like my s’mores icebox cake recipe, this cake is made in a standard 9- by 4-inch loaf pan. For seamless unmolding, use plastic wrap to line your loaf pan before you assemble, making sure the plastic hangs over the edge so you can easily hold onto it when you unmold it. To unmold, simply remove the plastic wrap from the top of the cake, invert it onto a rimmed baking sheet, then remove the loaf pan and remaining plastic.
Line the perimeter of the pan with halved strawberries. To recreate the classic look of fraisier cake, press halved strawberries—hulled side up and cut side flush to the sides of the pan—against the plastic-lined sides. When you invert and unmold the cake, it will reveal an impressive border of strawberries.
Store-bought wafers are fine. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make your own vanilla wafers for this recipe. But if time is of the essence, store-bought Nilla wafers will do the trick. The flavor of vanilla wafers most closely resembles the flavor of a classic sponge cake, but you can swap it out for a different cookie like shortbread or creme cookies if you prefer. Just avoid sugar cookies, as they may make the dessert cloyingly sweet.
Allow the cake to come to room temperature after slicing. Though a frozen cake is easier to slice, no one wants to eat one unless it’s of the ice cream variety. Let the cake sit at room temperature for ten minutes so it’s still chilled, but not so cold it’ll give you a brain freeze. Plus: Letting the cake warm up slightly will help the flavors become more pronounced. Delicious things come to those who wait!
For the Strawberry Compote: In a medium saucepan, combine strained macerated strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until strawberries are soft but still intact and beginning to become saucy, about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, set up an ice bath by filling it about halfway with a combination of cold water and ice. Transfer strawberry compote to a medium bowl; place bowl on ice bath to chill until cool to the touch, about 30 minutes.
For the Whipped Cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip heavy cream, vanilla paste, powdered sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. (Alternatively, combine heavy cream, vanilla paste, powdered sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and, using a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on medium speed until medium stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.)
To Assemble: Line a 9- by 4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Using a flexible spatula or offset spatula, evenly spread 1/2 cup (50g) whipped cream on the bottom. Cover surface with 8 vanilla wafers and gently press into the whipped cream. Along the perimeter of the pan, gently place strawberry halves, hulled side up and cut side flush to the sides of the pan, on top of the wafer-layer by pressing the cut side of the strawberries against the plastic-lined sides. (You should be able to fit about 5 halves on each side, with 1 half on each end of the loaf.)
Spoon 1/4 cup (48g) compote over vanilla wafers and around the strawberry halves. Top compote with 1/2 cup whipped cream, another layer of 8 wafers, followed by 1/4 cup (48g) compote. Repeat twice more, until you have 4 layers in total. Top with a thin layer of whipped cream. Press plastic wrap against surface of whipped cream and refrigerate until vanilla wafers have softened, at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
Line a 9- by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Remove plastic from top of cake and invert icebox cake onto lined baking sheet. Transfer to freezer until firm enough to slice, about 1 hour or up to 1 week.
Remove cake from freezer. Hold both ends of the parchment paper and lift to transfer cake to cutting board. Wiggle a large offset spatula under the cake to separate it from the parchment paper, then gently pull to remove it. Allow cake to soften slightly at room temperature for 5 minutes.
Using a hot knife, slice cake into 8 pieces and serve. (For cleaner cuts, run knife under warm water and carefully dry knife with a clean kitchen towel before portioning each slice.) If not serving immediately, place slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment and keep frozen until ready to serve. When ready to serve, remove cake from freezer and transfer onto serving plates; allow cake to soften slightly for 10 minutes before serving.
Special Equipment
Fine mesh sieve, stand mixer or hand mixer, 9- by 4-inch loaf pan, plastic wrap, 9- by- 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, large offset spatula, knife
Notes
Vanilla extract can be substituted for vanilla paste, but its flavor won’t be quite as robust.
The number of strawberries you use will depend on the size of your strawberries; if you have small or medium strawberries, you may have to use 8 to 10 strawberries to fully line the perimeter of the pan.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The frozen, whole icebox cake can be frozen for up to 1 week before slicing and serving.
Sliced icebox cake can be frozen on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment and tightly wrapped with plastic for up to 5 days.
from Serious Eats https://ift.tt/Luy43rh
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