When it comes to deciding on the perfect dessert to serve your guests, a good icebox cake recipe can always solve the problem, but with so many choices, it can be difficult to pick the right one.
Well now you can relax because this recipe is definitely one dessert that your friends and family will continue to beg you to make for every upcoming occasion.
Courtesy of Deborah Harroun, author of Red Velvet Lover’s Cookbook, this is a step by step guide for creating one delicious treat. Enjoy!
Red Velvet Icebox Cake Recipe
(Makes one 8-inch cake)
FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKERS:
· 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons honey
· 2 1⁄2 tablespoons buttermilk
· 1 1⁄2 teaspoons red liquid food coloring
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
· 1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar
· 1 tablespoon natural unsweetened cocoa powder
· 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
· 1⁄4 teaspoon table salt
· 3 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
FOR THE FILLING:
· 3 cups heavy cream
· 1⁄3 cup confectioners’ sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1 tablespoon miniature chocolate chips
FOR THE FROSTING:
· 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
· 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Directions:
You make red velvet graham crackers, layer them with whipped cream, and then refrigerate until the graham crackers become forktender.
1. To make the graham crackers: Combine the honey, buttermilk, food coloring, and vanilla in a small bowl. Place the flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until rough crumbs form. Add the honey mixture and process just until the dough forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
2. Flour a work surface and roll the dough into an 8 x 16-inch rectangle. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into four 4 x 8-inch rectangles. Transfer to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Poke the crackers all over with a tooth- pick, then bake until they start to brown on the edges, 15 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the cooking time. Cool completely.
4. To make the filling: Whip the heavy cream in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form.
5. Line a 4 x 8-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, making sure the ends extend well over the rim of the pan. Spread a thin layer of the filling over the bottom of the pan. Set a graham cracker on top of the filling, trimming if necessary to make it fit in the pan. Spread one-third of the remaining filling over the graham cracker, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the chocolate chips over the filling. Repeat the layers, ending with a graham cracker layer. Fold the overhanging plastic wrap over the cake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
6. To make the frosting: Whip the cream in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
7. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Pull back the plastic wrap, then invert the pan onto a serving platter. Carefully remove the plastic wrap. Frost the cake with the frosting.
8. To make the chocolate drizzle: Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a small bowl and microwave on High in 10-second increments until the chips are melted. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the cake and serve.
Red Velvet Lover’s Cookbook
Recipe © 2015 by Deborah Harroun and used by permission of The Harvard Common Press