This post is sponsored by Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate and BlogHer.
This indulgent, no-bake summer dessert is assembled ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to serve. An easy dessert to put together for your next summer gathering.
Icebox cake is an old-timey dessert that had a period of popularity in the 20’s and 30’s. They’ve had a resurgence in popularity in recent years and there’s good reason for this renewed interest in these recipes. They’re fast, EASY, require no time in the oven, and they’re downright delicious. They typically involve pudding or some other creamy concoction, sandwiched between graham crackers. The layered dessert is then refrigerated until the graham crackers soften and the cake becomes easy to slice and serve. And, even easier to eat!
I made a departure from the typical pudding filling and instead went with a mascarpone cheese/whipped topping combo, dotted with fresh raspberries and finely chopped dark chocolate. I love the flavor combination of raspberries and dark chocolate so to continue that delicious theme, I used GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC 70% Dark Chocolate to make a silky ganache to pour over the top layer of graham crackers.
Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate is an incredibly high quality chocolate that is beautiful to work with in the kitchen. The company is committed to creating the best tasting organic chocolate bars possible, using exceptional ingredients that reflect socially responsible values. All GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC Chocolates are FAIRTRADE certified and they support farming communities around the world who supply the high quality ingredients that make these premium chocolate bars possible. Not only will you feel good eating it, but you can feel good buying it! Let’s get in the kitchen!
Prepare the creamy filling by beating together an 8 ounce container of mascarpone cheese, an 8 ounce container of prepared whipped topping, 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. For those of you who have adverse feelings towards store bought whipped topping, feel free to whip up your own fresh sweetened whipped cream from scratch.
Spread a thin layer of the filling over the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ dish. Use just enough to lightly coat the dish, approximately 1/4 cup.
Place graham crackers on top of the thin layer of filling – 3 across the width of the dish.
When you get to the end of the dish, snap some crackers in half and then use a knife to trim them down a bit, if necessary, to fit the pan. That thin layer of creamy filling will help the graham crackers to stay in place.
Cover the layer of graham crackers with half of the remaining mascarpone cheese mixture, half the raspberries, and a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped dark chocolate.
Repeat these layers one more time…
…ending with one last layer of graham crackers.
Time to make the ganache. This is a fabulous, foolproof method. Break 1-1/2 bars of GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC 70% Dark Chocolate into chunks and place it in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse the chocolate mixture until it is finely chopped.
Warm 3/4 cup heavy cream and 1 tablespoon light corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. When you begin to see bubbles around the edge of the pan, remove it from the heat.
Pour the hot cream through the feed tube of the food processor and then process until smooth, creamy, and pourable.
Pour the warm ganache over the top layer of graham crackers. Use an offset spatula to smooth it out evenly over the top. Transfer the uncovered cake to the refrigerator to allow the ganache to completely set up. This should take about an hour or more. You can cover the dish with foil or plastic wrap once the ganache has set. Allow to chill for at least 3 or 4 hours, or overnight before serving.
In addition to the 70% Dark Chocolate that I used here, GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC Chocolate has an irresistible selection of flavors available for both baking and snacking. And, I’m not kidding here, I’ve been snacking!
- Dark Chocolate Flavors: Dark 70%, Dark 85%, Hazelnut & Currant, Mint, Maya Gold, Ginger, and Spiced Chili
- Milk Chocolate Flavors: Milk Chocolate, Almond, and Toffee
- White Chocolate
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of GREEN & BLACK’S ORGANIC Chocolate. All opinions are 100% mine.
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- 1 8 ounce container mascarpone cheese
- 1 8 ounce container prepared whipped topping (or 2 cups freshly prepared sweetened whipped cream)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 3.5 ounce bars Green & Black’s Organic 70% Dark Chocolate, divided
- 22 whole graham crackers
- 12 ounces fresh raspberries, rinsed and drained well
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Instructions
- Place mascarpone and prepared whipped topping (or fresh whipped cream) in a large bowl and use a hand or stand mixer to mix until well combined and creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and mix again until combined.
- Finely chop 1/2 of a bar of dark chocolate. Set aside.
- Spread about 1/4 cup of the mascarpone mixture over the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ dish. Only use enough to coat the pan. Line the mascarpone coated dish with graham crackers , placing them lengthwise, 3 across the width of the pan. Break a couple of graham crackers in half to fill the space at the end of the dish, cutting the crackers to fit, if necessary. Top the graham crackers with half of the remaining mascarpone mixture. Dot the mascarpone mixture with half the raspberries and sprinkle on half the finely chopped chocolate (approximately 2 tablespoons). Repeat layers, using all of the remaining mascarpone, raspberries and chocolate and end with one last layer of graham crackers.
- Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, place remaining 1-1/2 bars dark chocolate in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. When heavy cream is heated and just begins to bubble around the edges of the pan, remove from the heat and carefully pour through the feed tube of your food processor. Pulse the chocolate and cream until the chocolate has completely melted and mixture is smooth and pourable. Pour the warm chocolate ganache over the top of the top layer of graham crackers.
- Transfer dish to the refrigerator for at least 1 or 2 hours, or until ganache has set then cover with foil and refrigerate for a total of at least 3 or 4 hours before serving. Can be refrigerated overnight. Best if served within 24 hours and consumed with a couple of days.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
https://twitter.com/eliza_elliott/status/678043454962720768
I love to try the dark chocolate