Peach and Ginger Icebox Cake with Jaggery Caramel
I have shared so many bakes from scratch kind of desserts but never an easy semi homemade kind of dessert. This icebox cake recipe is exactly that and it only requires few ingredients.
Old Fashioned Icebox Cake is made with layers of cookies (Bischoff) or any other cookies, freshly whipped cream with mascarpone cheese and peaches. I have also added crystallized ginger and it’s topped with incredible jaggery caramel.
You don’t even need to turn on the oven for this no bake dessert. You can use any type of cookies like graham crackers, chocolate chip cookies, ginger cookies or Bischof cookies.
Ideally, ice box cake mostly only has whipped cream, but I have added mascarpone cheese. It holds a little bit better specially during hot summer months. Because peaches are in season so I have used them, but there are so many other fruits that would taste delicious. It’s a fun recipe to make with your kids as they would love to layer the cake with you.
What is an Icebox Cake or Why is it called Icebox Cake?
The classic retro icebox cake became popular in 1930’s as homemakers began using an icebox (a compact, non-mechanical refrigerator) as a kitchen appliance. A well-known cookie company put the recipe on the back of the packets of cookies and it became a famous no bake dessert for lots of household.
The cookies or wafers used in the recipes absorb the liquid and become soft giving it cake like texture.
You can literally make endless versions of it. A classic icebox cake has following ingredients with add in or different flavors in them.
Heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, salt and cookies.
There are couple of ways to assemble an ice box cake.
- Put a parchment or cling film in loaf pan or bake pan, so that once you assemble and layer it you can remove the whole cake with the help of the parchment paper and then slice it.
- Layer it in a baking dish and cut pieces and serve it just like tiramisu.
- Use a spring form pan.
- Layer it freestyle with open sides of the dish or serving platter. I did it this way.
Peach and Ginger IceBox Cake with Jaggery Caramel
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- 2 -3 peaches
- 30 Bischoff cookies
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup crystallized ginger
- 1/4 cup jaggery
- 2 tbsp. heavy cream
- Tiny pinch Sea salt
Instructions
Jaggery Caramel (totally optional)
- In a heavy bottom pot, make the caramel sauce.
- Take jaggery with 2-3 tbsp of water and let it simmer and come to a boil. Do not stir the jaggery. Make sure the water is covering most of the jaggery. Once the jaggery melts away and starts looking thick, add the heavy cream. It will start bubbling. Be careful. Let it simmer few more seconds and as it looks thick. Turn off the heat. Add tiny pinch of sea salt. Leave it aside to cool down or transfer it to a glass container.
Whipped cream and cheese
- In a mixing bowl, whip the mascarpone cheese until it looks smooth using a handheld whisk mixer. Do not over mix it, it can get separated. Remove the cheese in a separate bowl and in the same mixing bowl, start whipping up the cream. Once you get soft peaks, add the powdered sugar.
- Mix the cheese and whipped cream and whip it for few more seconds until both are mixed well in.
- Chop the peaches in tiny bite sized pieces and similarly chop the crystallized ginger too.
Assemble
- On the bottom of the baking dish or pan, spread a very thin layer of cream. Start placing cookies in a row. I used 10 cookies as I went free style in layering them. You need to do it according your pan size. You can break the cookies and adjust them to fill gaps.
- Put a layer of cream mixture and spread it over the cookies, followed by adding some finely chopped peaches and crystallized ginger. Spread it evenly.
- Repeat the layers with cookies and cream mixture and the peach and ginger mixture one more time. I did 3 layers of cookies and 3 layers of cream. I did not add any fruits and ginger to the top layer of the cream mixture.
- I decorated the top layer of cream with sliced peaches and drizzle the caramel sauce. You can also crumble few pieces of cookies as garnish.
Notes
- Leave it in the fridge covered for few hours before serving.
You can serve it cold straight out of fridge or leave it at room temperature for 5 mins and then serve it. - Make sure you do not over whip the cream mixture. Adjust sugar according to your taste. Cookies are already sweet, jaggery caramel will also add sweetness. You can also use any other cookies of your choice; I would recommend ginger cookies.
- Crystallized ginger is optional but taste so good with all other flavors. You can do more than 3 layers too.
- Jaggery Caramel is also optional.
