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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This icebox cake is melt-in-the-mouth delicious! I ran out of unsweetened cocoa powder, so I dusted with Ghirardelli’s Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa. It was perfect.
Regarding the plastic wrap, I agree with Jannette that using Glad Press-N-Seal works great. Place it in the loaf pan with several inches of overlap with the sticky side pressed against the outside of the loaf pan during assembly (this keeps it from shifting). When finished, bring up two sides at a time to seal the top.
Jenn: For years, I have read dozens of food/recipe blogs like others read novels (like I have nothing else to do). Your website is now all I need for daily inspiration and meal planning. The internal search is helpful, too, to get back to a previously read recipe by entering a keyword.
That is so nice to read, Laura – thank you! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes.
Laura, I cannot agree with you more! You are singing my song! Jenn is truly the best!
Luanne 🙂
Have made this three times already and it is simply delicious. The cookies do break easily so I would second that you should purchase more. Additionally, do not try to insert too many cookies or it won’t look as nice as Jenn’s. Be careful to leave room around the sides or the cookies tend to show. The sprinkle of crushed cookies and peanuts on top are necessary to hide any imperfections.
Hi Jenn,
Can I substitute the Nabisco cookies with those homemade chocolate cookies that you gave me recipe once for your another peanut butter pie?
Hi Nargiza, Unfortunately, I don’t recall what that recipe was, so I can’t say for sure– sorry!
What about using chocolate ice cream sandwich cookies? They may hold up and not crack as easily as the Nabisco brand. I have found both the fluted circular cookies as well as the rectangular shaped cookies at several bulk food stores in my area. I bet Amazon would have them. Just a thought. This is day 2 of me enjoying your blog!
Hi Julie, I’m not familiar with those cookies, so I can’t really say for sure whether or not they would work- sorry!
I made this cake this past weekend and we LOVED it! It tastes like a simplified peanut butter pie.
This was delicious and nostalgic too. My grandmother used to make the tranditional ice-box cake and I remember helping her (mostly by eating broken cookies). The addition though, of the peanut butter and forming it in a loaf pan make it extra-special. I had some coffee-liqueur that a friend made so used that instead of the vanilla 🙂
This cake was amazing – a real peanut butter lover’s dream. We did find it a little too sweet: so I think the next time, I’ll reduce the sugar. Just hope that doesn’t affect the setting of the cream. Your tip on the cookies was right on: It is good to have extras; they do break easily.
I’m rating this 5 stars even though I haven’t tasted it yet. I’ve not had a bad recipe yet from you so I’m hopeful, but…what did I do wrong? My peanut butter/powdered sugar mixture would not get smooth….it was very thick and “grainy”. I soldiered on and added the whipped cream but even with the incorporated cream it never got creamy
smooth like your picture. It’s now in the
frig for it’s overnight rest so I’m hoping it
will taste great despite the lumps.
Hi Leslie, It’s strange that you experienced that as there is nothing grainy in the mixture. What kind of PB did you use? Any chance it was an all natural or chunky variety? (That may cause some graininess.)
Thanks for your reply Jenn. Yes, it was an organic peanut butter from Trader Joes – just peanuts and sea salt. Good news though – the initial grainy texture of the ‘batter’ did not affect the finished cake and it was absolutely delicious! Just as I had expected since as I’ve had such great results from other recipes on your site! My dinner guests were very impressed by the presentation and flavor! I also made your Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs and Basmati Pilaf for the same party which everyone really enjoyed as well. Thanks for making my dinner party a great success! I’m really looking forward to your cookbook!
Another great recipe! The family loved it. The one problem I had was serving it. When I tried to slice it, the cake squished and I tried a serrated and non-serrated knife. Any suggestions?
Hi Clare, the two things that come to mind is that maybe the cookies weren’t soft enough yet (that can make this hard to slice), or the cake didn’t set long enough. Bottom line, is it sounds like it needed a little more time before being sliced.
Pllllease, someone take the fork out of my hand right now! Heavens to Mergatroyd – there are no words, too busy humming MmmmmMmm with every forkful. Extremely easy to make (except the broken cookies, & that’s no biggie… so pretty and elegant. Can barely wait to share with friends & family. Any PB & Chocolate fan may just follow you to the ends of the earth for this dessert. Thank you again Jenn for sharing your recipes & passion with everyone. BRAVO to chef- extraordinaire. I am so grateful to you for sharing your passion with the world. THANK YOU!