Sunday S'mores: S'mores Icebox Cake

I'm worn out, you guys. It's the job, mostly. Long hours with hardly a break, mostly alone save for what often seems like the dregs of humanity that call in whining about how they need to speak to a live person and it's urgent and couldn't I just waste my time calling everyone until I find someone who answers? Or leave the phones and go see if that person's at their desk? Because it isn't like I answer the main line for a very large company or anything, and their's must be my most important call of all time.

Now they've got me whining too.

I vote we make weekends three days instead of two. Because it never seems like there's enough time in the weekend. I can relax and do stuff that I need to, but don't have time to do anything fun. I can relax and do something fun, but stuff I need to do gets put on the back burner. I can do something fun and stuff I need to, but I don't have anytime to relax. Three days would be perfect.

How pretty is this cake? I'm very proud.

So when Sunday S'mores time rolled around again, I knew it had to be something simple and fun to lift my spirits without wearing me down. I could have sworn that I had pinned a s'mores icebox cake on Pinterest, and that sounded like exactly what I needed. I'd never made an icebox cake before, so it would be fun to try, and from what I knew of them, they sure sounded easy enough.

So I went on my s'mores board... and it wasn't there. I had imagined it. So I did some research on icebox cakes and came up with my own. I made it in a loaf pan, since that seemed to be the most common method, but I also made a freeform one, in case the other didn't turn out.

Freeform version

I made some marshmallow whipped cream (although I could have used my toasted marshmallow mousse, I didn't feel much like heating the broiler) and my favorite fudge sauce recipe from Betty Crocker. I made my own sauce because I knew that this recipe was nice and thick (and I had all the ingredients on hand), but you could easily use jarred fudge sauce (which I didn't have on hand).

 As I said, I'd never made an icebox cake before. Nor had I eaten one. But now that I have done both, I'm completely astonished that everyone doesn't make them constantly. Graham crackers, whipped cream, and fudge sauce spend the night together in the refrigerator and somehow becomes cake. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about texture since the whole point of this cake is to make the graham crackers mushy, but it's a good mushy. Firm like a cake, but soft enough to slice. It reminds me a little of a half-melted ice cream cake.

The flavor is pretty much what you would expect. Graham crackers, fudge sauce, and marshmallow whipped cream (though I will admit that the marshmallow gets a little lost. Oh well, I was lazy).

I also topped it with some S'mores Sprinkles by Duff. I completely forgot I had those suckers until now, and they add a real nice sweet crunch.

So to sum up, icebox cakes are super yummy, super easy, no-bake, and only as complicated as you choose to make them. Seriously people, make more icebox cakes.

S'mores Icebox Cake {Printable Version}
Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1½ cups whipping cream, chilled
1 cup prepared marshmallow topping or crème (Fluff)
1½ tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
Approx. 2 sleeves of graham crackers (18 sheets or about 72 individual)
Fudge sauce
Sprinkles or crushed graham crackers, to decorate

Directions
Heat the marshmallow topping in the microwave for a few seconds, until it can be drizzled from a spoon.
Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large mixing bowl with electric beaters, whip together the
whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla on high speed until soft peaks form. Reserve about ½ cup of the
whipped cream and carefully fold the marshmallow topping into the remaining cream.

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread the reserved whipped cream evenly in the bottom of the loaf
pan, about ¼ inch thick. Place a row of graham crackers over the whipped cream, filling as much space
as possible. Heat the fudge sauce to spreadable consistency if necessary and spread a thin layer over the
graham crackers. Top with another layer of graham crackers and spread with the marshmallow whipped
cream. Repeat, alternating between the fudge sauce and whipped cream until the top of the loaf pan is
reached, ending with the whipped cream. Refrigerate overnight.

Invert the loaf pan over a serving dish to release the cake (it should pop right out). Frost the sides with
the remaining whipped cream, if desired, and drizzle with fudge sauce. Top with sprinkles or graham
cracker crumbs. Serve chilled.

Tip: You can also make a freeform cake. Just line the serving dish with graham crackers and layer from there (no need to reserve plain whipped cream).

Recipe by Kim

Pretty cake is pretty. XD