Icebox Cake {With Oreos!}

This Icebox Cake is made with layers of Oreo® cookies and Nutella® chocolate cream. It’s topped with whipped cream and crushed Oreos and then chilled in the fridge until ready to eat. No baking required!

This icebox cake is the perfect make-ahead dessert. It stores well, transports nicely, and is the perfect treat to make when you don’t want to turn on the oven!

I have a sister who does not like cake, ice cream, or brownies (I know…. what?!), so that means making her birthday desserts can be difficult. Her birthday was last month, and her husband texted me asking what he should make for her birthday. Knowing how difficult this can be, I volunteered to come up with something new. She’s obsessed with Oreos (Oreo Truffles are her favorite) and anything with milk chocolate, so I decided to combine the two into an icebox cake.

I made it on a whim, not thinking I’d post it on the blog, but after my sister called and begged for the recipe (exclaiming that it was her new all-time favorite dessert), I thought I should share it here after all.

So, before we get down to the details…

Icebox cake is…. what exactly?

An icebox cake (American) or chocolate ripple cake/log (Australian) is a dessert that doesn’t require any baking. It’s usually made with whipped cream, pudding, plus chocolate or vanilla wafers, cookies, or graham crackers. Everything is layered into a baking dish and left overnight in the fridge (or “icebox,” hence the name). The cookies, wafers, or graham crackers absorb moisture from the whipped cream or pudding and become thin cake layers. 

Icebox cakes were first introduced to the US during World War I. They gained so much popularity in the US that companies began printing icebox cake recipes on their products. And here we are a century later, still making these delicious desserts. Cool, right?!

While a lot of icebox cake recipes are made with ready-made ingredients (such as pudding and whipped topping), we’re taking a few extra steps to make this cake from scratch. See the instructions directly below. Trust me, it is worth it. This is easily the best icebox cake I’ve ever eaten!

Chocolate whipped cream

This cream takes a little bit of effort, but I’ve included step-by-step photos and as much detail as possible to make the process a breeze.

• First process photo (see above): Melt chocolate chips in the microwave and add Nutella. Stir until smooth.
• Second process photo (see above): Add Dutch-process cocoa powder and hot water.
• Third process photo (see above): Combine the chocolate-Nutella mixture with the cocoa powder-water mixture. Use a hand mixer to combine the two until smooth. Next, we gently fold in some fresh whipped cream. (Use this tutorial for how to make whipped cream if you’ve never made it from scratch!)
• Fourth process photo (see below): This is how the chocolate cream will look once all the whipped cream has been folded into the chocolate mixture. Chill the cream for an hour and then it’s time to assemble this cake!

How to Assemble

Once the chocolate cream is finished, assembling this Oreo Icebox Cake is a breeze!

• Fifth process photo (see above): Dip separated cookies (no need to separate or remove the creme filling) into milk and create a layer in a pan.
• Sixth process photo (see below): Spread a layer of chocolate cream onto the Oreo layer. Alternate layers of milk-dipped cookies with layers of chocolate cream until you reach the top of the pan. End with a layer of whipped cream and chill until ready to serve!

General Tips

• Allow plenty of chilling time:  For best results, the chocolate cream needs an hour to firm up and the entire cake needs a good 8+ hours to chill and solidify–overnight is best.
• Use quality ingredients: The better the ingredients you use, the more indulgent and delicious this Oreo Icebox Cake will taste! Use real Oreos, heavy whipping cream, Dutch-process cocoa powder, and good chocolate chips. Also, it’s amazing how good this cocoa powder is. I’ll never use anything else from now on!
• Melt the chocolate slowly: To avoid burning or seizing the chocolate, take your time melting the chocolate. Don’t rush this! Melt the chocolate chips in bursts of 15 seconds, making sure you stir between each burst for 15 seconds. Remember, the chocolate is still melting even outside of the microwave.

While I’m quite partial to this Oreo Icebox Cake, here are some ideas if you’re looking to branch out to some different flavors next time!

• Lemon Icebox Cake: Layer vanilla wafers or plain graham crackers with whipped cream and lemon curd.
• Strawberry Icebox Cake: Layer vanilla wafers or plain graham crackers with whipped cream and strawberries.
• Other fun ideas from around the web: Banana Pudding Flavored, Summer Berry, and Peach Flavored

More chocolate desserts:

• Muddy Buddies
• Chocolate Muffins (bakery style)
• Perfect Hot Chocolate
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (reader favorite)
• Mini Oreo Cheesecakes
• Edible Cookie Dough (no baking required!)

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Oreo Icebox Cake

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

This no-baking-required Oreo Icebox Cake is made with layers of Oreo cookies and Nutella chocolate cream. It's topped with whipped cream and crushed Oreos. 

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Oreo Icebox Cake

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

This no-baking-required Oreo Icebox Cake is made with layers of Oreo cookies and Nutella chocolate cream. It's topped with whipped cream and crushed Oreos. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword icebox cake, icebox cake recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes

Chilling Time 9 hours

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 24 pieces

Calories 157kcal

Author Chelsea

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 and 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (if preferred, use semi-sweet or dark chocolate)
• ▢ 1/2 cup Nutella hazelnut spread
• ▢ 1/4 cup Dutch-Process cocoa powder (Hershey's dark cocoa powder works here)
• ▢ 1/2 cup hot water
• ▢ 3 cups heavy whipping cream divided
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar divided
• ▢ 1/2 cup whole milk (1% or 2% works)
• ▢ 2 packages (14 ounces) Oreo cookies (I use around 50-53 total cookies)

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave 1 and 1/2 cups high-quality chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring between each burst for 15 seconds. Be very careful to slowly heat the chocolate and stir it frequently so it doesn't seize when other ingredients are added.
• Stir in 1/2 cup Nutella until smooth and set aside.
• In another bowl, combine cocoa powder and very hot water. Whisk until completely combined. Allow to slightly cool. (Both the melted chocolate mixture and this cocoa powder mixture should be about the same temperature.)
• Gradually add the cocoa powder mixture to the chocolate mixture while beating with a hand mixer until completely smooth. It might look like it's not going to come together, but keep mixing-- it will come together!
• Take 2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream (you'll whip the last cup later) and whip in a stand mixer until it reaches soft peaks. While whipping, add in the vanilla extract and 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Add half of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture and fold in gently.
• Take this mixture and add it all to the rest of the whipped cream. Gently fold until completely combined. The cream may seem a bit thin or even watery. Cover and place in the fridge to firm up for 1 hour. With a spatula, gently fold the cream again after chilling.
• Fill a bowl with the whole milk. Separate the Oreos (No need to remove or separate the creme filling.) and dunk the halved cookies in the milk (no need to soak; just a dip). Place the cookie on the bottom of a 9x12-inch pan. Repeat with each halved Oreo, forming a single layer of cookie halves on the bottom of the pan. Once the cookies are all in an even layer, spread half of the chocolate cream over the Oreo layer.
• Repeat the Oreo layer and the chocolate cream layer, using the rest of the chocolate cream. Add one last layer of dunked and halved Oreos.
• In the stand mixture, whip the remaining 1 cup whipped cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. Whip until you reach soft peaks. Spread evenly over the top of the Oreos. Crush up (with your hands) 2-3 leftover cookies to decorate the top of the cake. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and preferably overnight.
• When ready to serve, remove from fridge and cut into squares. Serve and return any leftovers promptly to the fridge. Icebox cake lasts up to 1 week in the fridge. Unfortunately, this cake doesn't freeze and thaw well.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 446IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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