Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
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This chocolate peanut butter icebox cake is entirely make-ahead, easy enough for the kids to pitch in, and doesn’t require an oven.
Wondering what to make for Father’s Day this weekend? May I suggest one of the simplest but most impressive summer desserts I know? This chocolate peanut butter icebox cake is entirely make-ahead, easy enough for the kids to pitch in, and doesn’t even require an oven.
You simply layer store-bought chocolate wafers with peanut butter-flavored whipped cream in a loaf pan and then chill the dessert overnight. In the fridge, the cookies soften and meld with the cream, creating a dessert that resembles a fancy layered mousse cake. Can’t beat that!
What you’ll need to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
The hardest part about this recipe (other than waiting for it to set in the fridge) is finding Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers. My local supermarket, Giant Food, stocks them near the Oreos, but they can be tough to spot; be sure to ask if you don’t see them. Some grocery stores don’t carry them, so it’s a good idea to call ahead to be sure. And, though not pictured here, I always buy two boxes for one recipe because the cookies break easily.
How to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
Begin by whipping the cream to stiff peaks; set aside. In another bowl, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt.
Beat until smooth and creamy.
Add about a third of the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture.
Beat until well combined. This lightens the mixture so you can fold in the remaining cream.
Add the remaining cream.
Fold into the peanut butter mixture, turning the bowl as you go.
When the mixture is even in color and texture, it’s ready.
Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap so that it hangs over the edges. Fill the pan with about two-thirds of the cream.
Starting at a short side of the pan, arrange 12 cookies in the cream, standing them on their edge in a row. Do the same with a second row of cookies, slightly overlapping the cookies from the second row with the cookies in the first row. Continue with two more rows for a total of four rows.
Cover the cookies with the remaining cream.
Pull the plastic wrap over the edges and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
Unmold the cake onto a serving platter.
Decorate with cocoa powder, crushed wafers and peanuts.
Slice with a sharp knife and serve cold.
You may also like
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart
- Classic Icebox Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Salted Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
This chocolate peanut butter icebox cake is entirely make-ahead, easy enough for the kids to pitch in, and doesn’t require an oven.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter (I use Skippy All Natural, No Need To Stir)
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 50 Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, from one box (see note)
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
- ¼ cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with two pieces of overlapping plastic wrap, allowing the excess to hang over the edges of the pan.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Do not over-whip. Set aside.
- In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt together until smooth.
- Add ⅓ of the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture and beat with the mixer until smooth. Add the remaining whipped cream and fold with a rubber spatula, turning the bowl as may go, until the mixture is evenly combined and uniform in color and texture.
- Spoon about two-thirds of the cream into the prepared pan. Starting at a short side of the pan, arrange 12 cookies in the cream, standing them on their edge in a row. Do the same with a second row of cookies, slightly overlapping the cookies from the first row. Continue with two more rows for a total of four rows. Save the last two cookies for the topping.
- Cover the cookies with the remaining cream. Smooth the cream with a spatula, gently pressing to make sure any gaps between the cookies are filled.
- Cover the cake with the excess plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours. When ready to serve, peel the plastic wrap from the top. Set a platter on top of the pan and invert the cake onto it. Lift the pan off and gently peel away the plastic wrap. Use a warm offset spatula to smooth the edges, if desired. Dust the cake lightly with cocoa powder through a fine sieve. Crush the remaining wafers and scatter the peanuts over top, pressing down on them slightly so they adhere. Slice with a sharp knife and serve cold.
- Note: I recommend buying two boxes of chocolate wafers, as they tend to break easily. But don't worry if you have to use the broken ones; just try to piece them together as best you can when you place them in the cream.
Nutrition Information
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- Calories: 595
- Fat: 40g
- Saturated fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Sugar: 34g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 12g
- Sodium: 324mg
- Cholesterol: 57mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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i made this for Father’s Day because my husband loves peanut butter. It looked so pretty! We did not like it, and had to throw it out. Thank goodness I had also made a banana cake!
I don’t make desserts EVER, but wanted to do something for a friend’s birthday dinner that I was hosting. This was not only fun and simple to make (even with the breaking wafers!), my foodie friends absolutely raved about it and they all wanted the recipe!
Is it necessary to stabilize the whipped cream before adding the peanut butter mixture?
Hi Jane, There’s no need to stabilize the whipped cream here. Enjoy!
My son and I made this last weekend. His brothers and dad went crazy over it. The hardest part was holding all the wafers together to stack them in the filling (practically every one was cracked even with 2 boxes!). The rest was so easy and incredibly delicious, and looked as wonderful as it tasted. Great recipe!!!
So glad it was a hit, Kim. The recipe still works fine if the cookies are broken but I did call Nabisco to let them know that the wafers seem especially delicate lately. I experienced the same thing with a few boxes when testing this recipe for the site. (I found I had much better luck when I reached all the way to the back of the shelf for the freshest box.) The wafers usually aren’t like that — maybe a bad batch?
My daughter and I made this for my husband for Father’s Day because he loves peanut butter desserts. He said it was the best dessert he has ever eaten and requested it for Father’s Day and his birthday for the rest of his life. Thank you for the note to buy two boxes of the cookies. I bought two and between both boxes, I only got about 15 whole cookies. We still used the broken ones and am so thankful we did as it was so delicious!
Big hit at fathers’s day lunch. Will definitely make again. Went to 2 stores to find the wafers and most were broken, but I just put them in sideways and the cream filled them in.
Can this cake be frozen. I would like to try this, but I could not use it all at once.
Hi Ruth, I’m not certain that it would freeze well– I’m sorry!
It is so ironic that I chose to make my “famous” peanut butter pie for my dad for Father’s Day. The ingredients are the same, but different amounts. I will definitely be making your stunning dessert soon though. Thank you and may all the dad’s in your family have a wonderful day!
Can you use Bischoff instead of peanut butter and just cut the sugar?
Hi Jm, I’d suggest sticking with peanut butter. If you’d prefer not to use peanut butter, you could just use plain ol’ sweetened whipped cream.
I think there is a shortage of the Nabisco Famous Wafers. At least in my hometown. I’ve looked all over! Any thoughts on a good substitute?
Hi Linda, I know those cookies have gotten very hard to find! The last time I checked, there were a number of online retailers that sell them, but if you’d prefer, you could use Oreo cookies but you’ll need to scrape the filling out. A little more labor-intensive, but it should work. Hope that helps!
Could I use almond butter instead? One of my son has an allergy to it.
Sure that should work Sarah. Just make sure it’s the smooth variety. Enjoy!