The six grandbabies (the littles, I call them) are pretty much all about cookies ‘n’cream this and cookies ‘n’ cream that. When we had an upcoming birthday, I seized the opportunity to make a Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake!
Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake
I gotta tell ya, though, when I say seized, I mean I was right on it and this was actually a pre-birthday because I won’t be here for the actual. But lately, my daughter, Jessi has been prone to picking up bakery cakes or cupcakes, thereby depriving me of my right to not only spoil my grandbabies but to mess up the kitchen, lol! I guess when ya have six kids, you learn to pick your battles early on and scratch cakes aren’t always able to be fit in.
About Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake:
But an icebox cake? They’re actually the perfect solution. They need to be made ahead so the layers of cookies and whipped cream can meld into lusciousness and once made, can sit in the fridge for a day or two, just waiting on an occasion!
Never mind that icebox cakes are super easy to make, especially for how impressive they look (and taste.) The kids didn’t help with this one (it was a surprise) but icebox cakes would be a perfect project for the littles.
But let me tell ya about this particular cake. I’m not normally an Oreo person (although I do have Oreo Truffles and some fabulous Peppermint Oreo Bark here on my site!) but I knew I wanted to start with them; I just wasn’t sure how they would work with the whipped cream filling and if they would soften correctly. I was also worried the cake might just be too sweet.
My solution was to come up with a substantial, stabilized, cream cheese/whipped cream filling, barely sweet, with lots of vanilla. That, in combination with Oreo Thins, was divine; the looks were spectacular, multiple layers of luscious chocolate stripes, and Addi, the oldest, loved the looks, the taste, and the texture. The bottom layer of Oreo Thins and the crushed Oreo Thin topping remained crisp, the filling was like soft, fluffy ice cream (her words) and the Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake was a play on contrast and texture.
Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake
The Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Filling:
There were two things on my mind when I make this cake. First of all, I didn’t want to my Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake to be too sweet, especially since I was starting with Oreos, and second, I knew that plain old whipped cream would be much lighter than the filling inside the Oreos. Right away, I decided to use a little cream cheese, use heavy cream and go very light on the sugar, nixing the old standard, powder sugar found in so many recipes.
So, to make the cake, start by whipping 4 ounces (half a package) of room temperature cream cheese, then when soft and fluffy, slowly add in the heavy cream, stopping several times to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. When the cream cheese is fully incorporated, add in the cornstarch (it will help stabilize the finished cake), the sugar, the vanilla, and the remaining cream. Whip until stiff peaks form.
Stiff peaks stand up without bending.
Assembly:
Next, build your cake in a 9″ springform pan, starting with cookies on the bottom, forming the first layer. It’s helpful to know there are 4 layers of cookies and each layer has 19 cookies, so you’ll need two packages of Oreo thins. A package of Oreo Thins has 56 cookies, so you’ll have about 20 leftover cookies. 10 can be crushed to add to the top, and *bonus* 10 can be eaten. Well, maybe I like Oreos more than I thought lol, goodness help me, I ate all the extras!
It was easiest for me to lay 5 cookies down the center of the pan, then a row of 4 on each side, then fit in a row of 3 as best I could between the row of four and the edge of the pan.
After each layer of cookie, add just a little less than 1/4 of the whipped cream mixture. When you get to the last layer of whipped cream, it will be a little taller than the rest which is nice, because there will be good coverage. Smooth the top layer as best you can but know the crushed cookie garnish will cover up any imperfections.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours; we prefer this cake at about 24 hours. Garnish as desired before releasing the cake; to release, run a knife around the edge of the springform pan and then open it.
Alternate Garnish:
My daughter’s springform is just a little higher than mine, measuring from the inside bottom to the top edge, 2 5/8ths inches. If I had just a bit more of the whipped cream I knew I could have easily filled the pan and swept a ruler across the top, creating a flawless finish that would have been perfect for chocolate curls or shavings as a garnish.
If you’re interested in going with a more sophisticated garnish like that, check out how tall your pan is and judge accordingly whether or not you’d like to make just a little more whipped cream to bring it right up to the top. I estimated I would have needed a 1/2 cup more of heavy cream to do so in my daughter’s pan.
How to Store Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake:
Keep this cake refrigerated at all times. It does not have to be bought out ahead to serve and is actually better as cold as possible. The cake keeps very well for several days, although the topping will become softer with time.
We did an experiment and found out we loved a few pieces that had been frozen. Just make sure to allow time to thaw if you decide to freeze any of your cake.
Saving Money:
The best way to save money on this cake is to pick up your Oreos on special. Stores will often have specials where you get a discount off each product when you buy four or five of any designated brand at a time.
It’s worth shopping around and knowing where you can get the best price on heavy cream (you could use whipping cream in a pinch) and that is often at Aldi. Regardless, different stores may have wildly different pricing, and if you’re shopping at your grocery, the store brand will do just fine. Cream is almost always on special around holidays and keeps, unopened, for weeks.
Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake
Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 cups heavy cream (cold)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 packages of oreo thins
Instructions
In the bowl of an electric mixer using a whisk attachment, whisk the cream cheese until soft and fluffy, scraping down as necessary. Add in the heavy cream bit by bit, stopping to scrape down, until the cream cheese is mixed in. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla along with the remaining cream and beat until stiff peaks form.
Crush 10 cookies and set aside for garnish. In a 9″ springform pan, place a layer of cookies (19) then a little less than 1/4 of the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture, smoothing with spatula. Repeat until there are four layers of cookies and four layers of the cream cheese/whipped cream. Smooth the top.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but preferably 24 hours. Garnish the top and remove the springform’s sides by running a knife between the cake and the sides and then releasing.
Keywords: Cake, Cream, Cream Cheese, chocolate, cookies, Desserts, Oreos, whipped cream
7 thoughts on “Cookies & Cream Icebox Cake”