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
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Smooth top with an offset spatula, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  6. Remove sides from pan, and remove parchment paper.
  7. 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.)
  8. 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.
Recipe by Victoria at https://victoriamag.com/creamy-pumpkin-icebox-cake-recipe/