I love Magnolia Bakery’s Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake because of its simplicity. You don’t need a lot of ingredients or time to make something decadent. Layers of chocolate wafers softened by fresh whipped cream make an impressively humble dessert.
This post for Magnolia Bakery’s Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake was first published August 14, 2014. I’m republishing it today to include my own original photos. My photography skillzz were still in development back then. Heck, they are still in development today! But I’m much better off now, nine months later.
So here’s the rest of the original post, some minor edits included (or excluded):
I’m an icebox cake freak. There. I said it. And I blame Magnolia Bakery’s Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake for bringing out that freak in me.
I love icebox cakes because the Type A in me can savor one slice over a whole hour as I skim off layer by layer. Gently licking thick whipped cream off my fork than munching on crispy bits of sugary cookie. Right now, I hereby promise to make more icebox cakes to eat myself and to share with you, starting with this Gingersnap Icebox Cake.
I love Magnolia Bakery’s Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake in particular because of its simplicity. You don’t need a whole lot of time or a whole lot of ingredients to make something decadent.
You do, however, need steady hands. And two eyes to watch where you’re going. And a smart head to know what you’re doing. Or else this happens:
My camera took a nose dive into the perfect cake. At the VERY LAST SECOND, of course.
This Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake recipe belongs to the famous Magnolia Bakery. It’s one of my top two desserts in New York City. (The other one is Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Chip Cookies.) It just so happens I’ll be visiting NYC this weekend and even though I just ate ridiculous amounts of Icebox Cake (for the sake of the blog, of course), it’s very likely I’ll treat myself to another slice very, very soon.
Magnolia Bakery’s Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake
I love Magnolia Bakery’s Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake because of its simplicity. You don’t need a lot of ingredients or time to make something decadent. Layers of chocolate wafers softened by fresh whipped cream make an impressively humble dessert.
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 packages Nabisco chocolate wafers 9 ounces
- unsweetened cocoa powder optional
Instructions
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In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. On a flat serving plate, spread a thin layer of whipped cream to hold the bottom layer of cookies in place. Arrange 7 cookies side by side in a circle, keeping 1 cookie in the center.
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Spread about 2/3 cup whipped cream on top of the cookie layer, making a 7-inch circle. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream, making 11 or 12 layers of cookies and ending with a layer of cream (there will be a few cookies left over). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
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If desired. Dust top lightly with cocoa powder before serving.
What I liked
It fulfills my obsessive-compulsive eating desires all while being simple and delicious.
What I didn’t like
I gave too many slices away! And FYI — the chocolate wafers can be hard to find, but Nabisco has a product locator! It can be a little tricky, but click on that link, then click on the ingredient “FAMOUS” and the product locator pops up. In the pop-up window, be sure to type in your zip code and type in “famous” to search for these wafers.
My rating: 5/5 stars
Not too sweet, but surprisingly rich. Creamy, but with some crispy edges around the outside. Easy and quick if you have a KitchenAid Mixer – love that thing!
I also gave some to Mom, my pastor, and our youth minister, all of whom said, “I could eat the whole thing!” Agreed!
More Icebox Cake
Gingersnap Icebox Cake with Cranberry Mascarpone Whipped Cream
I recently started making this icebox cake for a few celebrations. It’s very popular and sometimes hard to find those chocolate wafers but there are other types of thin cookies that work well and lots of very creative ways to “build” the cake. I’ve found that adding 1 tablespoon of instant vanilla pudding per 1 1/2 cups heavy cream will stabilize it.
Hi Patricia! Very interesting about the pudding! And yes – the wafers can be hard to find. Harris Teeter if you have one! However, there are a handful of new brands offering “Cookie Thins” and I think those would work well too! So glad you love it. My FAVE dessert ever. 🙂 PS. Try the whipped cream with some peppermint extract for the holidays!
The chocolate waffers are hard to find, but worth the search… I live in oklahoma and I looked everywhere for the waffers. I found them in Indiana while visiting family..
They can be hard to find. I know I’ve seen them at Mariano’s (Midwest) and Harris Teeter (Southeast).
Oh Danielle you are going to get a good laugh out of this! I read the recipe for Magnolia’s Chocolate wafer cake and I thought oh this is perfect! My son in law loves chocolate and homemade whipped cream so I quickly got all the ingredients and started making the cake. I decided to use 8 cookies instead of 7 since I was feeding alot and I was using the Oreo this which are a little smaller. Everything was going great until the last layer and I thought everything seems to be slipping!!!i tried to push it back together and it was just flattening out! I quickly wrapped it with Satan wrap and popped it in the fridge. As I was cleaning up I was trying to think what I had done wrong…I only bought 2 cups of whipping cream but I used a little cool whip on the bottom to make up the difference and then I thought oh! I didn’t adjust the sugar with the 2 cups. I still used the full 2/3 cup. Then I checked the recipe again and realized it was supposed to be 3 TABLESPOONS of sugar!!! Oh well we will just lick it off the plate tomorrow…it tasted good when I was licking the bowl!!! It may not be the prettiest but it was the thought that counts, right?! Happy Father’s Day!😝😘🤓 I’ll send you a picture! 🙈
Oh my gosh, Patti – PLEASE send me a picture. This is amazing. You won’t believe how often I do things like that!!! I hope it still tastes good. It really is my FAVORITE! 😛
My mom made this for my father in the 1960s and all the time I was growing up it was a favorite dessert. There’s no way tha This was introduced in 2014. The recipe has bee on the container of those cookies since before I was born.
I’m sure you’re right, Nina! I was eating this at Magnolia Bakery in 2006, so it’s at LEAST that old. 🙂 In truth, icebox cakes are a very old-fashioned, tried and true dessert and this one is my absolute favorite!
And I see my error – I first published THIS POST in 2014!
This recipe has been around since mid 1920’s. I do like the circular cake style that Magnolia Bakery has created but the cake itself is on the side of the box, like it always has been. I also asked my Kroger manager to please bring them back in stock. For some reason they are usually by ice cream sundae toppings, not the cookies.
“The National Biscuit Company (Nabisco, get it?) started selling wafer cookies in 1924, packaging chocolate with ginger and sugar. They soon switched to all chocolate. In a 1929 ad, Nabisco introduced the idea of layering the wafers with whipped cream. A year later, the recipe was printed on each tin of wafer. Yes, the wafers once came in a tin, which makes me wonder who was the first enterprising cook to tuck the stacks back into that tin to form an icebox cake roll. No matter who was first, you should be next.”
NABISCO! I had no idea! National Biscuit Company. Hm… I also always wonder why they are near the ice cream toppings?!?
Just to clarify, making the whipped cream it’s powdered confection sugar, not white, correct?
Hi Laura, Powdered sugar would be used for buttercream or other icings. This recipes calls for “whipped cream,” so it’s mostly just the whipped heavy cream with a touch of granulated sugar for sweetness.
My Grandmothr made thisfor us when we were kids in the 1950-60’s. And she’d make it inthesummer when it was a terrific treat! I made one at Thanksgiving for these same siblings and cousins a number of years ago and they went nuts to see and have it again! One cousin now often makes it too! For our TG?
This year I cannot find the Nabisco wafers – at all. A Nabisco rep was at a local store when I was there and he said that they weren’t even in the warehouse! Ugh…what’s with Nabisco?
So am trying Archway Dutch Cocoa cookies. They are wider and softer. But worth the try!
I’ve always made the log, so this time I’ll try the Magmolia Bakery style. Looks really neat! Thanks for your post and recipe.
Hi Susanne, Thank you so much for the details! I haven’t noticed the lack of Nabsico wafers… but now that you say it…
I have done similar style cakes with gingersnaps and with oreo thins. Both turned out great! I’d love to hear how it turns out with the Archway cookies.
Can you use ready made whipped cream out of a can instead of making your own? How will this effect the result? Thanks!
Hi Heather –
I don’t recommend using a can of whip cream. It seems to me like it would be too watery or airy almost. The homemade whipped cream is thick and has more of that rich, sweet cream, full fat dairy flavor. If you wanted to try a substitute, I would suggest Cool Whip (from the frozen aisle) as it’s a bit thicker. The flavor will be different than this original version, but I still think it might be tasty.
Made this for a party that needed an egg free cake. Was a little worried, becuase it’s a group that eats healthy but two different people exclaimed how this was their favorite cake from childhood, but they had never seen it in this shape. Looked fabulous with multicolor birthday candles and rainbow sprinkles on top. Served with berries on the side. I have baked from scratch my whole life, but this is my new favorite cake. The work to reward ratio is amazing! Thanks so so much for sharing.
Lissa! Your comment makes me so happy! I LOVE this recipe. Such an easy concept. I’ve made it with Nilla Wafers, Gingersnaps, and Golden Oreo Thins now.You could also add a little mint extract or berry puree to the whipped cream. So glad to hear your crew enjoyed it.
What if I wanted to make the filling chocolate..how would I go about that?
Hi Stephanie, that sounds amazing! All you have to do is add 3 tbsp of high quality cocoa powder to sugar before whipping with the cream!
Can i use oreo cookies (without the cream) as a substitute to the chocolate wafers?
You can, but they are smaller and thicker than the wafers, so the cake will be smaller (not as wide) and may have less layers. Look for Oreo Thins! I made this one with Oreo Thins (kept them intact): https://theeverykitchen.com/rainbow-sprinkle-vanilla-icebox-cake/
The icebox cake is derived from similar desserts such as the charlotte and the trifle, but made to be more accessible for housewives to prepare. It was first introduced to the United States in the 1930s, as companies were promoting the icebox as a kitchen appliance.
That’s so interesting. I had no idea the history behind it. I love calling the freezer the “icebox.” So retro!