Insider
Recently, I made Ina Garten's mocha choc icebox cake. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Ina Garten once stated that her mocha chocolate icebox cakes are so delicious it makes grown men weep.
Garten's recipe contains cheese, coffee and Kahlua. Tate's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookies are also included.
The 10 layer cake looks amazing, even though it took almost no time to prepare.
For more stories, visit Insider's homepage.
Since the pandemic, I have made over a dozen Ina Garten dishes.
Me with Ina Garten's lemon ravioli. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
As I have become more comfortable in the kitchen, my greatest inspiration has been "Barefoot Contessa", who taught me many delicious, easy, and delicious, pasta, breakfast, and cocktail dishes.
I have created everything, from a cosmo to suit any hour of the day to a five cheese penne to warm you up on cold nights.
But, I haven't had the chance to try one of Garten's desserts in the last 16 months (what time is left?). I had never tried any of Garten's desserts. Baking was my new world. Desserts are not my forte, unless you count following the directions on a Funfetti mix.
Then I came across an old interview with Garten that completely changed my life.
Garten once stated that her mocha chocolate icebox cakes "make grown men weep."
Garten referred to the mocha chocolate cake icebox cake as one of her favorite recipes. Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversa/Getty Images
Epicurious interviewed the "Barefoot Contessa” star to find out why she loved the mocha chocolate-icebox cake.
Garten shared that she was inspired to make this cake by a friend who was a brilliant caterer. He told her that he had a simple recipe for whipped cream and Nabisco chocolate wafers, which he layered together.
She said, "I thought it was such an interesting concept that I was going with something more exciting." "So I took Tate’s chocolate-chip cookies, and I added Kahlua to it. It was made into mocha cream whipped cream, then I layered it and placed it in the fridge.
Continue the story
She said that the whole thing can be made in five minutes. It can be made the day before so it's quick when entertaining.
How could you resist a cake so delectable it could make men weep, yet was super simple to make? I was determined to break my baking ban and give Garten's recipe another chance.
Garten's mocha chocolate cake icebox cake contains cheese, coffee, and cookies.
Kahlua and cocoa powder are also included in the cake. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
You'll need the following items to make your own cake:
3 (8-ounces) boxes of Tate's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookies
12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese
2 cups of cold heavy cream
cup Kahlua liqueur
Cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa butter
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Semisweet chocolate (for garnish)
Garten suggests that you substitute another thin, crispy chocolate-chip cookie if Tate's Bake Shop is not available at your local supermarket.
To begin, I combined almost all my ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer.
The Garten recipe is very simple and only requires a few steps. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Following Garten's recipe I added the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, Kahlua and cocoa powder to my batter.
It was now time to mix.
I set the electric mixer to low speed. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
I used the whisk attachment of my electric mixer to combine all the ingredients.
Slowly, I increased the speed until the mocha cream formed stiff peaks in the whisk attachment.
The mocha filling was easy to prepare in just a few minutes. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
My filling was done!
My cake was ready in five minutes.
I began by adding chocolate-chip cookies to my bottom pan. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
To begin, I coated the bottom of an 8-inch springform with chocolate-chip cookies.
Garten suggests that you cover the bottom of your pan as well as the sides. She also notes that she will break cookies to fill in any gaps.
Next, I added the second layer of filling.
For the second layer, I spread a fifth my mocha whippedcream over the cookies. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
According to Garten's recipe I spread a fifth mocha whipped cream equally over the cookies.
I added another layer of cookies to the top.
To fill the layer, I cut off pieces of cookies. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
As Garten instructed, I ensured that the cookies were flattened and touched, and then broke off additional pieces to complete the layer.
I kept switching between mocha whipped cream and cookies until there were five layers. Then, I added a layer of cream to the top.
It was a breeze and much more relaxing than my childhood baking efforts. It took me just 10 minutes to finish the task.
I smoothed out the top of my cake using a spatula, and wrapped it in plastic wrap.
Before putting the cake in the refrigerator, I wrapped it with plastic wrap. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
I then put the cake in the refrigerator and let it rest for the night.
The next day, my cake was carefully taken out of its pan and I added the final decorations.
I decorated my cake using chocolate shavings. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Before removing the sides of my pan, I ran a knife along the outside of the cake.
Next, I took my semisweet chocolate bar and used a vegetable peeler for a pile of chocolate shavings that I sprinkled around my cake's edges. How do you get those curls? Take it slow and steady when using your peeler.
After I decorated the cake, I took a moment to look at it from afar.
Although Garten's recipe was simple, the cake looked amazing. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Garten's mocha chocolate cake icebox cake was easy to make and didn't even need a box!
The cake was delicious. The mocha whippedcream was a light brown shade. The chocolate shavings added a decorative touch and a pop of color to the cake.
When I cut the cake, it looked even more amazing.
Each slice shows all 10 layers. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
Garten's mocha chocolate cake icebox cake contains 10 layers. You can see them all in one big slice.
Sprinkled with chocolate chips from Tate's cookies, the layers are invitingly dripping.
It was time for us to get in the kitchen! Garten's mocha chocolate-icebox cake was absolutely delicious.
I loved Garten's mocha chocolate icebox cake. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
The first time I saw Garten's recipe, I thought it would be similar to tiramisu. They share many of the same ingredients. The mocha chocolate icebox cake tastes a lot like the traditional Italian dessert. Thanks to the cookies, the cake was very sturdy and had a richer and more buttery flavor than I expected. The cookies were great at carrying the mocha whippedcream and I loved every single bite of the chocolate chips.
Because Garten claims that this cake makes grown men weep I knew I had got to give it a try. He didn't cry, but he did say that the cake was delicious. However, he would have liked more Kahlua to make it stronger.
The best thing about Garten's cake is that it tastes better when it sits in the fridge.
I would make Garten's mocha chocolate-icebox cake again. Anneta Konstantinides/Insider
My family took several days to finish the mocha chocolate cake icebox cake. Each day, we loved it more. It was similar to the frozen Pepperidge Farm cakes, but with a much more interesting flavor.
I think that Garten's recipe makes a great dessert. The cake can be made without baking and is best eaten cold. It's also rich and buttery enough to be enjoyed in winter. If I was offered a slice, I wouldn't hesitate to have one.
The best thing about Garten’s cake, like all her recipes, is its accessibility. This is a great dessert to make with kids, and it will impress all your guests.
Who knows? It might make grown men weep.
Insider has the original article.
