Recipe courtesy of Carla Hall
Recipe courtesy of Carla Hall
Watch how to make this recipe.
Gingerbread Icebox Cake
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- Level: Easy
- Total: 9 hr (includes chilling time)
- Active: 1 hr
- Yield: 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 651
- Total Fat
- 42 g
- Saturated Fat
- 25 g
- Carbohydrates
- 68 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 46 g
- Protein
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 106 mg
- Sodium
- 297 mg
You’ll want to make this gumdrop-bedecked cake this holiday season not only because it’s stunning and delicious but also because it’s way easier than a traditional gingerbread house. Just layer spicy gingersnap cookies with sweetened whipped cream and chill until the cookies are soft and cakey. Top with a simple cream cheese frosting piped on to resemble the royal-icing snow and icicles on a classic gingerbread house, then garnish with colorful gumdrops, mini candy canes and peppermint puffs.
- Level: Easy
- Total: 9 hr (includes chilling time)
- Active: 1 hr
- Yield: 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 651
- Total Fat
- 42 g
- Saturated Fat
- 25 g
- Carbohydrates
- 68 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 46 g
- Protein
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 106 mg
- Sodium
- 297 mg
Ingredients
Icebox Cake:
Cream Cheese Frosting:
Decorations:
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Directions
Special equipment:
a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan; a piping bag fitted with a medium-round tip- For the icebox cake: Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
- Combine the cream cheese and brown sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the cream, vanilla and salt and continue to beat, starting on medium speed and gradually increasing to medium-high as the mixture thickens and forms stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
- Line the bottom of the loaf pan with 7 to 8 cookies. Evenly spread 1/2 cup of the cream over the cookies with a small spatula. Top with another layer of 7 to 8 cookies, then line the sides of the loaf pan with a single layer of cookies (3 on the longer sides, 2 on the shorter), pressing gently into the cream to adhere. Repeat with another 1/2 cup of cream; spread evenly. Repeat with layers of cream and cookies until you reach the top of the pan, finishing with a layer of cookies. Reserve the remaining cream filling and refrigerate. Wrap the top of the cake with the plastic wrap overhang. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
- For the cream cheese frosting: Once the icebox cake has chilled, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Beat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cream and vanilla and continue to beat until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a medium-round tip.
- When ready to decorate and serve, unwrap the plastic wrap from the top of the cake and invert the loaf pan onto a serving platter; remove the pan and plastic wrap. Spread the reserved filling on the outside of the cake, smoothing out any creases from the plastic wrap. Pipe the cream cheese frosting around the top of the cake so it looks like snow, letting some of the frosting drip off the sides like icicles. Decorate the top with gumdrops, the ends with mini candy canes and the sides with the peppermint puffs. Cut the cake into slices with a sharp chef's knife.
