Cranberry & Chocolate Icebox Cake
Yield: 6-10 servings
Cranberry Filling
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 orange (½ rind for the cranberries & ½ zested for decoration)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
1 vanilla bean, split open
½ Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
40 2-inch crispy chocolate wafer cookies
Dutch-process cocoa powder, for dusting (optional)
Chocolate Wafer Cookies
1 ½ cups (6.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (2.4 ounces) dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
14 tbsp (1 ¾ sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
3 tbsp whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
In the bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Mix the ingredients a few times to combine thoroughly. Dollop the butter around the dry ingredients and mix until the butter starts to incorporate and large chunks begin to form. Mix the milk and vanilla together in a small bowl. With the mixer running, pour the milk mixture into the cookie crumb mixture and mix until it starts to form together and ball up on the sides of the bowl.
Transfer the cookie dough to a work surface and knead it a couple of times to fully incorporate all of the ingredients. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a long and narrow log, about 1 ¼ inches to 1 ¾ inches in diameter. Depending on how large you want your wafer cookies to be will determine how thick to form the log. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a week.
Position the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice the dough logs into approximately ⅛-inch thick slices and lay the dough rounds on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart. I formed my dough into 1 ¼-inch diameter logs and was able to fit 24 cookies on each of my baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating pans from back to front and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. The cookies will be finished baking about 1 ½ minutes after the puffed-up dough deflates so try to keep an eye on them.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes then transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely – they will crisp up as they cool
Cranberry filling Instructions
Cook the cranberries, sugar, vanilla bean, orange rind and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture boils. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until most of the cranberries have burst and the liquid has reduced, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before using. To speed up the cooling, transfer the compote to a small bowl and refrigerate. Remove orange rind and the vanilla bean.
Line a 9-by-3-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap so that it hangs slightly over the sides of the pan.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the cooled compote into the cream.
To build the icebox cake:
Using a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread a thin layer of the whipped cream on the bottom of the lined pan. Cover as much of the cream as possible with a layer of wafers, filling any gaps with broken wafers.
Continue layering whipped cream and wafers until you run out or reach the top of the pan, ending with a layer of wafers. Gently cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate
(or freeze) for at least 6 to 8 hours, or preferably overnight.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator prior to serving and peel off the plastic wrap. Place a serving plate over the pan and invert the cake onto the plate. Carefully remove the pan and plastic wrap lining.
For the final decoration, I crumbled some extra chocolate cookies and zested orange on top. Cut the cake into slices with a long serrated knife and serve. The cake will keep, lightly wrapped with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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