S’mores Icebox Cake Recipe

I didn’t develop up going to summer season camp. I did, nevertheless, devour sufficient American media to dream of sitting by a campfire making s’mores. I envisioned myself skewering marshmallows onto twigs, toasting them till puffy and golden, then sandwiching them between two graham crackers with a chunk of chocolate, all whereas singing camp songs with my fellow Woman Scouts. The closest I ever obtained as a baby was toasting marshmallows over my dad and mom’ gasoline range, which resulted in both unhappy, under-toasted and unsatisfying marshmallows or singed marshmallows that caught on fireplace. (My dad and mom weren’t happy, and I used to be completely banned from toasting marshmallows within the kitchen.)

As an grownup, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing an actual campfire s’extra: a gooey marshmallow and heat, simply melted chocolate cosy between crisp, barely candy graham crackers. As somebody who lives in an residence with no out of doors area, although, the campfires are few and much between, so I’ve to get artistic after I’m hankering for these traditional s’extra flavors. That is the place this icebox cake—a “set-it-and-forget-it” dessert that’s enjoyable and celebratory—is available in. I make it by stacking coffee-soaked graham crackers, selfmade chocolate mousse, and whipped cream in a loaf pan, then coating it in a beneficiant layer of Italian meringue, which I hit with a kitchen torch to create a browned, marshmallow-like exterior. It’s a confection that evokes the flavors and textures of a s’extra, no campfire or mosquitoes required. Right here’s how you can make it.

7 Ideas for Making a S’mores Icebox Cake That is Magical, Not Melty

Line your 9- by 4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. This cake is made in a normal loaf pan, like the sort you’d use for fast breads equivalent to banana bread. For straightforward, neat unmolding, line your loaf pan with plastic wrap earlier than you assemble your icebox cake. (For seamless unmolding, be certain the plastic hangs over the sting of the pan so you’ll be able to simply seize onto it when unmolding. To unmold, take away the plastic wrap from the highest of the cake, invert it onto a rimmed baking sheet, and take away the remaining plastic.)

Use layers of graham crackers for a balanced cake that is not too candy. The wheaty, bran-filled crackers are a vital a part of the traditional campfire snack, however I additionally use them right here as a result of they lend an earthy taste that enhances the bitterness of the chocolate and sweetness of the Italian meringue. 

Brush the graham crackers with espresso. Most pastry cooks brush their muffins with a layer of straightforward syrup to maintain the sponge moist. Right here, I exploit freshly brewed espresso, which softens the crackers and provides depth of taste with out making the icebox cake cloyingly candy. Although freshly brewed drip espresso is sweet, you need to use chilly brew, espresso, or no matter you will have readily available, together with espresso made with immediate granules. The espresso could be heat, chilly, or room temperature—all work simply nice! (Use decaf should you’re fearful concerning the small quantity of caffeine.)

Take the time to make your individual chocolate mousse. In contrast to chocolate ganache, which turns into agency when refrigerated and would make the icebox cake too heavy, chocolate mousse is mild and fluffy when chilly, making it a perfect filling. Making your individual mousse means that you can alter for sweetness and select the type of chocolate you’d like to make use of. I like to recommend utilizing chocolate between 64 and 70% cacao, because it ends in a mousse that’s not too candy, however should you want a sweeter mousse you would go as little as 40%. In case you don’t really feel like making your individual mousse, you’ll be able to go for store-bought chocolate pudding, however your icebox cake will seemingly be on the sweeter aspect and the feel will not be fairly as fluffy (however it would nonetheless be scrumptious).

Preserve it chilly. Refrigerating the cake for at the least six hours permits the crackers to melt to a cake-like texture and all of the flavors of the chocolate and cream to meld collectively. Freeze the cake for at the least an hour (and as much as one week) after unmolding, as it will guarantee it’s chilly sufficient to frost, torch, and slice with out melting.

Go along with Italian meringue. It could appear somewhat “further” to make an Italian meringue for an icebox cake, however I want the flavour and thickness of Italian meringue to marshmallow fluff. (However be at liberty to make use of marshmallow fluff should you want to skip this step.) Making an Italian meringue includes slowly pouring a sizzling sugar syrup into whipping egg whites, which cooks the egg whites and stabilizes it. As Critical Eats contributor Marissa Sertich Veile defined in her recipe for Italian meringue, sugar is hygroscopic, which suggests it “binds with water and holds it in place,” and “provides viscosity to the liquid whites, making the bubbles extra secure.” 

For the toastiest meringue, use a blowtorch. Utilizing a blowtorch means that you can evenly toast the meringue with out heating the cake an excessive amount of. Although I haven’t tried it for this recipe so I can’t assure success, you’ll be able to take the same method to that of a baked Alaska and toast the meringue within the oven with the broiler perform should you do not personal a blowtorch. Simply make certain your cake is satisfactorily frozen earlier than doing so, otherwise you’ll threat melting the cake. You can too depart the meringue un-toasted for a barely much less campfire-ish (however no much less scrumptious!) cake. In case you’ve opted for marshmallow fluff as an alternative of meringue, you’ll be able to torch it too.

July 2024

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