One ribbon-tied package (and a winner!)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 10:18PM 
Thanks to my sis-in-law Rene, for not only hosting the dinner tonight, but also being our photographer. She's especially snazzy.
Sorry about this. Really.
I know, we were chatting about chocolate and coffee just a few days ago. And it seems as though I have had sweets on the brain for weeks now.
But, if ever was there a day when maybe, just maybe dear reader, you could cut me some slack for my repetitive ways, I hope it will be today. Because really, who would begrudge a birthday girl her chocolate wish?
That's right, today was my birthday.
Please excuse my sweet tooth and forgive me for being a trifle scatterbrained just now, but I wanted to stop in to share with you the dessert we chose to celebrate.
Our fancy-dress festivities are not for another few days, so today is all about a night just for family. And for me, if there is one dessert that ties together my thoughts of family and nostalgia all in one ribbon-tied package, it would be my Mum's Mocha Dessert.
When I was little, this Mocha Dessert was the often-requested sweet ending to my parents' dinner parties, parties I considered the height of elegance. Silver was polished to perfection, the good china was brought out, and the menu were planned days in advance. When the night arrived, the men were dapper and the ladies were always dressed to the nines; you can surely imagine how my six-year-old self loved the glamour of dark lipstick and dangling baubles.
I remember their conversations lasting into the night. The deep murmur of their voices, often punctuated by peals of sparkling laughter, made its way through the darkness, up the stairs and to my ears as I strained to catch what was surely exceptionally witty banter. I thought it all terribly romantic.
As an adult, I can appreciate why this simple recipe was the subject of such praise. Layers of graham crackers were sandwiched with coffee cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. After a night's rest in the icebox, the formerly-disparate components relax into each other. The graham crackers loose all their crispness, the cream turns thick and luscious. In the end, everything is mousselike, with a delicate delineation of layers that yield to the slightest pressure from a spoon. A cross between an icebox cake and a tiramisù, I strongly believe that it was this ethereal confection that started my love affair with coffee.
This cake is ridiculously easy to make and decidedly old school. It is not about bells and whistles, or technique and the latest trend. Instead, like all fond memories, it simply makes me smile.
Of course I had a little bit of business to attend to today, and that is the announcement of the winner of the giveaway. I am happy to say that Random.org has selected Angela as the recipient of a one-year subscription to the food magazine of her choice. Angela, please contact me at tara [at] sevenspoons [dot] net with your contact information.
Thank you to everyone that entered and a here's wishing a happy day to each and every one of you!
Mocha Icebox Cake
Adapted, with thanks, from my Mum. Hers was made and served like a tiramisù, with more cream and less cookie, scooped out for serving. I have turned the dessert out on its head, and added some chocolate whipped cream.
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups heavy (whipping cream), divided
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, divided
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
45 honey graham crackers, the single kind
1/3 cup chocolate syrup, see note
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
Line an 8-by-8-inch metal cake pan with a cross of clingfilm, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl with a hand blender or whisk, begin to whip 2 cups of well-chilled heavy cream. Once the cream begins to thicken, sift in 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, the coffee granules and salt. With the mixer on medium-high, whip until the cream begins to hold soft peaks. Add the vanilla, and beat until the cream just holds a stiff peak.
Spread a small amount of the cream on the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Lay 9 crackers, in a 3-by-3 grid, on top of the cream. Spoon 1/2 cup of the cream on top of the crackers. Then, using an offset spatula, gently spread the cream to cover the crackers entirely. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the chocolate syrup over the cream, spreading to form an even layer if desired.
Top with another layer of graham crackers, continuing the layering until you have 5 layers of crackers and 4 of the cream and chocolate. Make sure to reserve a small amount of cream to cover the last layer of crackers (no chocolate on this one).
Cover loosely with a piece of clingfilm, then draw the overhanging clingfilm from the sides up to cover the edges. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
About 1 hour before serving, remove the cake from the fridge and peel back the clingfilm. Invert the cake onto a serving plate, removing the remaining clingfilm from the top and sides. Smooth out the sides with an offset spatula if needed. Place the cake in the freezer, uncovered, to chill for 30 minutes.
Prepare the cocoa cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl with a hand blender or whisk, begin to whip 1 cup of well-chilled heavy cream. When the cream begins to thicken, sift in the reserved 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar and cocoa powder. With the machine set to medium-high, whip the cream until holds a firm peak, but being careful not to over beat.
Take the cake out of the refrigerator and gently spread a thin layer of the cocoa cream to cover. Once completely covered, use the remaining cream to decorate as desired. Chill the finished cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then serve.
Notes:
• If you are going for authenticity, my Mum used Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (the dessert topping in the yellow tin, not the brown squeeze bottle). But if you are feeling posh you can make your own using one of these recipes.
• For the sake of honesty, I will say that maybe I went a little overboard and used a full 2 cups of cream for the cocoa frosting. The last 1/2 cup looked so sad in its carton, and heck, you only have one birthday a year. Totally not necessary to the cake, but enjoyably decadent. To follow suit, add a bit extra cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar, to taste.
• A pinch or two of instant coffee granules added to the cocoa cream is also a good thing.
Mum, birthday, chocolate, dessert, graham cracker, icebox cake, mocha, nostalgia, recipe 
Reader Comments (25)
A very Happy,happy birthday to you - and if I had graham crackers here in Australia I would be making this right now, looks terrific :)
Happy birthday! That cake looks so good and reminds me of all those delicious icebox cakes I used to eat as a kid. My birthday treat was Ice Cream Cake. There is something heavenly about the cold cake smashed in between cake. I just adore it!! I hope you enjoy your special day and drink/eat up.
Oh.
My.
Happy birthday! I can't wait for mine. I'll need an excuse to make this before then. Someone must have a birthday coming up...
Wow, that looks so good.
Happy Happy Birthday!!! The cake is magnificent!!
Happy birthday! That dessert looks fantastic - anything approaching tiramisu has my vote :)
Totally totally amazing!!! And so simple. Oh my Lord I want this cake just right now...
Happy birthday ;)
Happy Birthday dear Tara! This cake is lovely, as are the photos. I hope you have a wonderful week!
Hi Tara,
Thank you for giving me a present on your birthday. Beautiful recipe. I will appreciate the magazine. It was such a nice thing winning. SInce I started my blog, I have met the ups guy two times. And, now a magazine. What a generous, lovely community.
Happy Birthday.
Love your photos. Happy Birthday, what a wonderful treat!
I love the last picture when the whipped cream is slightly melty and the chocolate has melted into it. YUM!
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!
Chanel11, this cake would work with most wafer-style cookies instead of the graham crackers. If they are circular, I would probably break come into half to fit any large gaps. Or, if you're feeling ambitious, there are some great recipes around for homemade graham crackers. http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000126.html" REL="nofollow">This one from Nancy Silverton via 101 Cookbooks, is fantastic.
Amanda, I used to adore those ice cream cakes with cake, chocolate crackle and then ice cream on top. Any time those made an appearance at a party, it was the instantly the best birthday ever.
Julie, I say don't wait for a birthday! you can easily halve the recipe for a mini version. I will admit, I'm already thinking of a variation, with a vanilla cream and maybe some berries ...
Knitopia and Jennifer, thanks for the kind words.
Engineer Baker, tiramisu is by far one of my all-time favourite desserts, so I'm glad that I've got company in my adoration.
Egle, it is a ridiculously-simple thing, but ever more satisfying. As I am often the baker of our family, it was a nice thing to "take a night off" and do a no-bake dessert. The cookies become cake-like, so nobody was missing the traditional birthday cake. Benjamin did the cracker layering and chocolate drizzling; all that was left for me was the spreading of the cream.
Andrea, thank you and I will pass on the compliments to my sister-in-law!
You're most welcome, Angela. Thanks for taking the time to enter, and congratulations on winning. I hope you enjoy the subscription.
Thank you, Maria.
AnticiPlate, that photo was totally spontaneous. We were all chatting around the table after dessert and I just grabbed my brother's camera and clicked. Glad you like it!
Wow!!! Chocolate and coffee. My favorite.
I followed the link love here from flickr and am in love with your blog, your food and the photography! I have also enjoyed looking at you links......really great stuff!
I'm adding you to my favorites!
Happy Birthday and I suppose that you had a wonderful day , just looking for this delicious cake
Happy birthday. I really wish it was my birthday so I could, without guilt, tuck into this cake. So delicious. YUM. Graham crackers, chocolate and coffee? Does it get any better than that?
Happy belated birthday! This cake looks absolutely divine- so rich and fulfilling!
amateurinthekitchen, mine too!
knack, I am such a fan of your work, I must admit that I've bookmarked many of your projects for inspiration. So glad for your visit!
Sylvia, thanks so much.
Julia, the cream thickens as it sits, giving it an almost marshmallowy texture - but without that over-sweet heaviness. So lovely.
jodye, thank you! Dangerously, this cake doesn't taste rich, despite the obscene amounts of cream. The texture makes you think (and so wrongly so) that it is something light. So dangerous.
Happy belated Birthday! That cake looks very special! I love the idea of using crackers to form the layers.
My birthday was May 2nd and I saw this recipe on Food Gawker. I, like you, am the baker in the family and found this to be the easiest cake ever! Next time I'll have my 9 year old son make it! It was loved by every single person who had it. I had several comments like, "I make one with boxed pudding and cool whip but this is SOOO much better when made with the real thing." Thanks so much for the recipe.
That cake looks delicious :-)! Happy belated Birthday to you!
this is kind of a late post, but the photos of this cake are gorgeous. well, all of your photos are pretty amazing.
hello, i love your site & thank you for posting!!
2 questions:
1. what do you do with the leftovers of this ice-box cake: in the refridge or the freezer?
2. do you have a published book of recipies? i'd love 2 get one :)
many thanks,
jo
I just found your blog this week and made this dessert today. Wowee! For being so simple and easy, it packs a punch! Thanks--I plan to share and link back to you on my blog next week.
I just love the first picture you present. It’s great, you can see each layer of the cake and it’s truly looks amazing. The surface is just nicely balanced and smooth. Wish I can make deserts as perfect yours.
Thanks for the amazing recipe
Regards
Sam.F
werbegeschenke weihnachten