Icebox Cakes: Simply Irresistible No-Bake Desserts

by Lauren Chattman

50 no-bake cake recipes in full color.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 27, 2007

Reviews

[Gina Schaarschmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a basic icebox cake, with chocolate wafers and whipped cream. Super simple, super yummy. And it looks like you put hours into baking a cake with sliver thin layers.

I picked this book off of a display at the library on an impulse (those crafty librarians, enticing us with books we might never search for). I was looking forward to a whole book(!) of icebox cakes that can wow a crowd. First disappointment: there is only a handful of traditional icebox cakes. It's a book full of no-bake desserts, including several ice cream cakes, no-bake cheesecakes, and some fancy dessert terrines.

The first chapter highlights "icebox classics", mostly based on chocolate wafers, ladyfingers or pound cake. One surprise is a Rice Pudding Mousse Cake with Rum-Raisin sauce. Huh. This is not a cake at all. It's moussed up rice pudding in a cake pan.

The second chapter includes some clever refrigerator concoctions made with store-bought snack cakes. How fun! I can only imagine what Twinkie Tiramisu looks and tastes like.

Which brings me to my second disappointment. There are photos for only about a quarter of the cakes, and the photos are not on the first page of the recipe. So, thumbing through the book, you come to a beautiful full-page photo and then you need to turn back one page to see what that pretty cake is made of. I was super disappointed to learn that there was no photo of the Checkerboard Ice Cream Terrine.

While this review might sound a bit negative, I did find a few recipes that I will definitely try. The book has expanded my idea of refrigerated desserts.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of great recipes...….

[Corinna · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this cookbook has some really great sounding recipes (Brownie Sundae Cupcakes), it also has a few that are very strange. It also lacks pictures, which may have helped to visualize some of the stranger recipes (like "Frozen Armagnac Sabayon Terrine".) There are also a few typos and some other publishing problems like, pages not being cut apart on the bottom and one page of the index is missing.

I ordered this online, had I seen it in the bookstore and glanced over it ...I probably wouldn't have bought it.

[Nieca · Rating 4 out of 5]

How perfect is this for summer?!!!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can hardly wait to make the chocolate peanut butter cheesecake- the crust is made out of Nutter Butters! Also want to try the ice cream cupcakes- I have a co-worker who will love them.