Sagendorph - Icebox Cakes

JEAN:
FOR MOMENDORPH
JESSIE:
FOR OLIVER
AND JACK

Text copyright 2015 by Jean Sagendorph and Jessie Sheehan.
Photographs copyright 2015 by Tara Donne.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in
any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4521-3046-0 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.
ISBN 978-1-4521-1221-3 (hc)

Designed by ANNE KENADY
Food styling by CHELSEA ZIMMER
Typesetting by HOWIE SEVERSON

Andes Mints and Junior Mints are registered trademarks of Tootsie Roll Industries; Annas Swedish Thins, Ginger Thins, and Chocolate Mint Thins are registered trademarks of AB Annas Pepparkakor; Ateco decorating tips are registered trademarks of Ateco, Inc.; Back to Nature California Lemon Cookies is a registered trademark of Kraft Foods, Inc.; Kahla is a registered trademark of Pernod Ricard; Keebler Vanilla Wafers is a registered trademark of the Keebler Company; Maldon Sea Salt is a registered trademark of the Maldon Crystal Salt Company; Microplane grater is a registered trademark of Grace Manufacturing, Inc.; Milk Duds, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Whoppers, and York Peppermint Patties are registered trademarks of the Hershey Company; Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, Nilla Wafers, Oreo, and Grahams Original are registered trademarks of Mondelz International, Inc.; Red Hots is a registered trademark of the Ferrara Candy Company; Sugar in the Raw is a registered trademark of the Cumberland Packing Corporation; Trader Joes Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins is a registered trademark of Trader Joes, Inc.

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IS AN

IN AMERICAN HOMES OF THE 1950S, IT WAS THE DARLING OF THE DESSERT TABLELAYERS OF CHOCOLATE WAFERS AND WHIPPED CREAM ENROBED IN MORE WHIPPED CREAM, THAT, AFTER A SPELL IN THE REFRIGERATOR, MAGICALLY MELDED INTO SOMETHING THAT WAS CREAMY AND WONDERFULLY CAKEY. YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE KNOWN IT WAS CALLED AN ICEBOX CAKEYOU JUST KNEW IT TASTED LIKE A DREAM, AND YOU WANTED MORE.

Icebox cakes did not spring full-blown from mid-century American kitchens. Instead, the cakes evolved from Marie-Antoine Carmes French charlottea luscious chilled and molded dessert of ladyfingers and custards popular a century before. Carme is considered the father of French cuisine and, in our opinion, also of the icebox cake. His Charlottes la Parisienne or la Russe are well documented in his 1815 cookbook The Royal Parisian Pastry Cook and Confectioner.

In the 1920s, the National Biscuit Company (now known as Nabisco) put their Famous Chocolate Wafers on the market and included a recipe for an icebox cake on the packaging. Housewives began layering the wafers with whipped cream and placing them in their iceboxes to set up. No oven was required and a delicious step toward convenience was taken.

Driven by her obsession with whipped cream, Jean came across a recipe for an icebox cake and fell in love. She experimented a little, using store-bought ingredients and her own fillings. She decided to share the love, serving them to friends and posting pictures on her blog and on Facebook. When her results garnered praiseTHIS IS THE GREATEST THING IVE EVER EATEN!she knew she was on to something.

Recognizing a tasty opportunity, Jean started working on this cookbook, but she knew she would need a partner in crime to fully attack the flavor spectrum. A friend suggested that she reach out to Jessie. They made plans to meet up for tea (and cake!) and instantly hit it off.

Jessie has always loved homey dessertsa favorite is her grandmothers lemon velvet cake, replicated herein as the Luscious Lemon so when Jean suggested that she and Jessie write a cookbook about icebox cakes, Jessie was totally on board.

In this book, you will find Jeans and Jessies favorite icebox cake recipes, and we hope that youll make many of the cakes. Were pretty sure you will be rewarded with a big smile and a hug. An icebox cake is really a simple dessert that can be playfully fun or decadently sophisticated. The choice is truly yours. So roll up your sleeves and prepare to wield your whisk.

YOU

WE UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERY KITCHEN IS OUTFITTED WITH FANCY COOKING UTENSILS AND APPLIANCES. JEAN JUST PICKED UP HER FIRST STAND MIXER A FEW YEARS AGOA TOTAL SCORE AT A THRIFT STORE (TALK ABOUT LUCKY!). SO DONT WORRYYOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE ALL OF THE RECIPES IN THIS BOOK USING ITEMS ROUTINELY FOUND IN A BASIC KITCHEN ARSENAL.

An 8-by-8-by-2-in/20-by-20-by-5-cm baking pan (metal or glass) makes the perfect-size cake for a small party (and is the pan we use for smaller cakes); a 9-by-13-by-2-in/23-by-33-by-5-cm rectangular baking pan (metal or glass) creates an ideal icebox cake for a crowd. That is what we use when making the Salty Milk Dud (the sides of the pan contain the ooziness of the combo of caramel and pudding). A 9-by-5-by-3-in/23-by-12-by-7.5-cm loaf pan (metal or glass) makes a comparable-sized cake to the 8-in/20-cm square, but with a slightly more unique presentation: This cake can be popped from the pan before serving to showcase all of its lovely layers.

For baking wafers, graham crackers, and ladyfingers, the default pan is a standard-size, heavy-duty, rimmed baking sheet (also called a half sheet pan), typically about 18 by 13 in/46 by 33 cm. Using two baking sheets is most efficient. Have one sheet prepped and waiting for the oven while your wafers or other baked goods are baking on the other.

You will need a candy thermometer (also known as a deep-frying thermometer) for making Marshmallow-Cream Whipped Cream . The thermometer tracks the rising temperature of the hot syrup. At just the right stage, the syrup is removed from the heat and mixed with beaten egg whites, and the two magically transform into a deliciously fluffy marshmallow cream.

If you bake a lot, a stand mixer is a good investment for its capacity and muscle. That said, a hand mixer will work just fine for these recipes.

Clearly your great-grandmother did not have a food processor, but chances are you do. The Pistachio-Chocolate is the only recipe that requires one.

A Microplane or other fine grater is best for zesting lemons, oranges, and limes. It does a great job removing just the colored zest (a carrier of flavorful oils), leaving the bitter white pith behind. In a pinch, you can use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove ribbons of zest, which you then finely chop. You can also use a peeler to shave chocolate over a finished cake.