Icebox cakes are one of my top favorite childhood treats. It’s the most addictive cake there is, and there’s no way I can have one in my fridge without “stealing” a piece here and there.
This cream cheese icebox cake is so easy to make and perfect for Shavuot. It’s made of layered biscuits filled with cheese cream and topped with chocolate ganache.
Photo: Natalie Levin
Chocolate and Cream Cheese Icebox Cake
For the biscuits:
- 240 ml. (1 cup) milk
- 2 packs (400 grams plain vanilla biscuits or Graham Crackers)
For the cheese cream:
- 500 grams white cheese or Ricotta
- 250 ml. (1 cup) whipping cream, very cold
- 90 grams (3/4 cup) sugar powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 60 grams (6 tbsp.) instant vanilla pudding mix
For chocolate coating:
- 200 grams dark chocolate
- 250 ml. (1 cup) whipping cream
For decoration:
- 100 grams dark or milk chocolate curls
- Put the milk in a convenient container for dipping the biscuits.
- Dip the biscuits in the milk and arrange in an even layer at the bottom of the pan.
- Cheese Cream: in an electric stand mixer with whipping hook whip cheese, cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and pudding at high speed until you get a uniform, stable cream.
- Pour about 1/4 of the cheese cream on top of the biscuit layer and spread to a uniform layer.
- Arrange more biscuits dipped in milk over the cheese cream, top with another 1/4 of the amount of cheese cream, and so on until the cheese mixture is finished. Finish with a layer of biscuits dipped in milk.
- Cool the cake in the refrigerator until the coating is prepared.
- Chocolate coating: chop the chocolate and put in a bowl.
- Add the cream and melt together in the microwave or over double boiler until everything is melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Pour the coating over the top of the cake.
- Cool for 4-5 hours in the refrigerator until set.
- Before serving, decorate with dark or milk chocolate shavings – using a peeler, scrape the chocolate to create a kind of large curls.
- Serve very cold.
- It is recommended to prepare the cake a day in advance for the biscuits to soften properly. In any case it is important to let it stand in the refrigerator for a minimum of 5 hours before serving.
- Instead of white cheese you can use ricotta or cream cheese in the same amount.
- You can also decorate with chopped nuts, ground coconut or finely chopped white chocolate.
- It is possible to freeze the cake up to a week well wrapped.
Photo: Natalie Levin