Icebox cake

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Icebox cake
Icebox cake.jpg
An icebox cake in a glass, made of graham crackers, chocolate pudding and topped with whipped cream
Alternative names Zebra cake, Chocolate Ripple cake
Course Dessert
Main ingredients Whipped cream and chocolate
Cookbook: Icebox cake  Media: Icebox cake



The icebox cake is derived from similar desserts such as the charlotte and the trifle. It was first introduced to the US during World War I. Its popularity took off in the 1920s and 30s, as it used many commercial shortcuts and premade ingredients. In response to the dish’s popularity, companies that manufactured ingredients for the cake, such as condensed milk and wafer cookies, began printing “back of the box” recipes.[1]

American variations[edit]

A variation of icebox cake[2] is made using pudding (usually chocolate) and graham crackers or vanilla wafers layered in a square or rectangular baking dish. Ernestine Emanuel, an Italian immigrant from New York, has been credited with creating the graham cracker version. She had originally created the cake after having graham crackers with chocolate pudding, while on her honeymoon in Atlantic City, NJ. Additional variations include alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla pudding, or the addition of sliced bananas or pineapples between the layers. While this can be done with cold instant pudding, if given ample time in the "icebox," the best results come from assembling the dessert with still-hot stove-cooked pudding, and then refrigerating overnight.

Australian version[edit]

In Australia the cake is made from Arnott's Chocolate Ripple biscuits, hence the name in that country of Chocolate Ripple cake. The biscuits are covered in sweetened whipped cream, and placed in a log formation. It is often decorated with crumbled Peppermint Crisp.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Oliver, Lynne. "Icebox Cake." Food Timeline. N.p., 1999. Web.
  2. ^ "Cake Boxes | Custom Cake Boxes | Cake Boxes Wholesale". Retrieved 2016-11-15. 

External links[edit]