Slice into our refreshing Creamy Pumpkin Icebox Cake, and discover ribbons of crisp chocolate wafers contrasting silken filling. Serve this frozen dessert chilled or thawed to a mousse-like consistency.
Creamy Pumpkin Icebox Cake
Makes 1 (8-inch) cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cups chocolate wafer crumbs*
- 3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 4½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 32 chocolate wafer cookies*
- Garnish: sweetened whipped cream, chocolate wafer crumbs*
Instructions
- Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Cut 2 (3½-inch-wide) strips of parchment to line sides of pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together wafer crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar at medium-low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cream, pumpkin, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves; beat at low speed to combine. Slowly increase speed to medium-high, and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Spread 1 cup of pumpkin mixture over chilled cookie crust. Top with a single layer of 8 wafers, careful not to touch sides of pan. Top with another 1-cup layer of pumpkin mixture and 8 cookies; repeat layers 2 more times for a total of 4 layers of each. Spoon remaining pumpkin mixture over last layer of cookies.
- Smooth top with an offset spatula, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove sides from pan, and remove parchment paper.
- Transfer cake to a serving platter, and let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before cutting. (For a firm cake, serve after 20 minutes; for a softer mousse-like cake, let sit for another 15 minutes after cutting.)
- To garnish, place sweetened whipped cream in a pastry bag fitted with an open-star tip*. Pipe 8 spirals evenly spaced around outside edge of cake and sprinkle with wafer crumbs, if desired.
Notes
*We used Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers and a Wilton 1M decorating tip.
Find more autumnal recipes in our Victoria Classics Fall Baking issue, available at Victoriamag.com.
