Summer cookouts outside mean gathering around the grill and while there’s something scintillating about open flame foods, keep your cool with a lady finger icebox cake.
What is an Icebox Cake
The premise of an icebox cake is simple: whip cream, spread it between layers of cookies and chill. But, of course, we can’t help but jazz it up with a crunchy chocolate drizzle, soft ladyfinger cake-like cookies, and coffee-soaked Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Dried Mission Figs.
Mocha lady finger icebox cake is the kind of cake you can slice once chilled and set, or if you want to dip the lady finger cookies in the fig-scented leftover coffee, letting them soak, plan on chilling in a trifle bowl and scooping the dessert into pretty glasses or bowls.
Chocolate Lady Finger Icebox Cake with Figs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups hot coffee
- 8 ounces Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Misson Dried Figs stemmed and sliced crosswise
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 8 ounces mascarpone
- 5 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips feves, or chopped bar, melted
- 7 ounces ladyfingers
Instructions
- Soak half the sliced figs in the hot coffee for 10 minutes, or while you assemble the rest of the cake. Drain the figs and reserve the coffee.
- Whip the cream, adding in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla once it starts thickening. As you start seeing soft peaks, scoop in the mascarpone and finish whipping.
- Mist the pan with cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of the whipped cream on the bottom. Crumble half a sleeve of ladyfingers evenly over the whipped cream. Cover with a layer of half the remaining whipped cream.
- Dot the coffee-soaked figs across the surface of the whipped cream layer. Drizzle with a fork the chocolate across the figs, reserving 1 tablespoon of chocolate.
- Layer the remaining lady fingers on top. Spread the remaining whipped cream on top of the ladyfinger layer. Using a spoon, dollop the remaining melted chocolate in several places on top, dragging a chopstick or skewer through them to swirl the chocolate. Polka dot the remaining unsoaked fig slices across the top.
- Chill for 4 hours or longer before slicing.
Notes
Recipe and photo by Annelies Zijderveld
Looking for more sweet endings for summer gatherings?
Make a batch of White Chocolate Ice Cream with Spiced Figs or our Fig Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Cake,
