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Icebox Cake
(recipe, Keri Fisher)
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Introduction
This dessert is like a very rich chocolate-cream pie — with no baking necessary. Read more about no-bake summertime desserts in Keri Fisher's article "Chill out."
Ingredients
Filling
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish (see Note)
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 1 box (14 oz.) graham crackers (see Note)
Topping
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
Steps
- Whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, cocoa, and pinch of salt in a heavy medium saucepan, then gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and butter until melted and smooth. Stir in the 1 tablespoon vanilla and set aside to cool slightly.
- Arrange one single layer of graham crackers in a pie plate or a 9-inch-by-11-inch baking dish. Top with one-third of the chocolate pudding. Repeat with remaining graham crackers and pudding, ending with a layer of pudding. Refrigerate while you prepare the whipped topping.
- Combine the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream in an even layer on top of pudding. Garnish with grated chocolate.
Note
If you have a zester or, even better, a Microplane, use it to create chocolate shavings for the garnish.
Graham crackers that aren't made with hydrogenated oil and high-fructose corn syrup can be hard to find. As a substitute, use any dry, crumbly, neutral-flavored cookie, such as a thin butter cookie. For more even cookie layers, smash the cookies inside a ziplock bag before assembling the pie.