Icebox cake with chai caramel, gingersnaps and whiskey for two. Made in a mini 6" cake pan.
Did you eat all of that salty caramel sauce? I told you not to! Fine, I did, too. But then I made another batch, and drew skull and cross bones on it so no one would touch it.
You see, I had big plans for that salted caramel. This icebox cake. More specifically, this icebox cake with gingersnaps, salted caramel drizzle and chai whipped cream. See, told ya it was worth it!
I scaled this recipe down from the book Icebox Cakes: Recipes for the Coolest Cakes in Town. This book is the only dessert book you need this summer! I love it so much because it appeals to the foodie in me with recipes for all of the cookies, grahams and wafers to make from scratch, but it also appeals to the last-minute dessert baker in me with plenty of store-bought substitutions.
I made the homemade gingersnaps for this cake, because I'm an overachiever, but store-bought ones are fine. There's a bag of crispy gingersnaps that I frequently buy at the store that I adore. Heck, you could even use store-bought salted caramel for this cake, too. Icebox cakes are approachable like that.
Let's revisit the layers: chai whipped cream (spiked with whiskey, my god!), a layer of gingersnaps, and a drizzle of salted caramel. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
I made this icebox cake in a mini 6" springform pan. This is the exact one I used, and I love it because it has high sides to hold in all of the delicious layers!
Are you a chai latte lover like me? I'm such a chai fan that I always order them hot, no matter how hot it is outside. Making this cold and creamy chai icebox cake was my gateway into iced chai lattes. And now, there's no going back!
You can absolutely double the recipe and make a larger version of this in your regular 9" springform pan.
Eat, eat, eat! And celebrate Summer with me! You would also like my chocolate mousse cake.
Chai Caramel Ice Box Cake
No bake ice box cake with caramel and gingersnaps.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Salted Caramel Sauce (8 ounces, 1 cup)
For the homemade gingersnaps:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ tablespoon dark corn syrup
For the chai whipped cream:
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon Bourbon whiskey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- First, make the salted caramel sauce recipe. You should have approximately 1 cup of caramel.
- Next, make the gingersnaps: Whisk together the flour, spices and salt in a small bowl.
- In a medium bowl, cream the sugar and butter together at medium speed with a hand-mixer until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Mix the milk and corn syrup together in a small bowl.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat until just combined. Add half of the milk-corn syrup mixture and beat until combined. Repeat, ending with the flour.
- Scrape the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap, and using your hands, roll it into a 1 ½" perfect cylinder. Freeze for 2 hours (or overnight).
- Unwrap the dough, and slice it into 4mm slices, rotating the cylinder of dough as you go to prevent a flat edge.
- Place the dough disks on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet, and place back in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Bake the cookies on the center rack until golden brown around the edges, about 12 minutes.
- Let cookies cool on the sheet for 3 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely. They will crisp as they cool.
- Next, make the whipped cream: Beat the heavy cream on high speed until it starts to thicken. Add all remaining ingredients, and beat until soft peaks form.
- Spray a 6" round springform pan lightly with cooking spray.
- Spread a generous layer of whipped cream on the bottom. Top with gingersnaps, breaking them to fit to form a solid surface. Drizzle caramel on top.
- Repeat the layers: whipped cream, cookies, caramel, until all is used up.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12-24 hours.
- Remove the plastic, release the springform pan, and serve the cake dusted with extra cinnamon
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 3441Total Fat: 219gSaturated Fat: 127gCholesterol: 591mgSodium: 1068mgCarbohydrates: 337gSugar: 172gProtein: 25g
Heather says
This looks so delicious! I bet that chai whipped cream would also be fabulous in some hot cocoa once the weather cools down!
Christina Lane says
Thanks, Heather! I actually have a small-batch recipe just for that purpose! Recipe here: https://www.dessertfortwo.com/2015/06/espresso-granita-chai-whip/
Erin@WellPlated says
Please say you saved me a slice!
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
Wow that looks amazing! Love that it is totally from scratch, the gingersnaps and all :) The chai whipped cream sounds delicious too!
Christina Lane says
Thanks for appeasing the overachiever in me, June :)
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Loooove the flavour of this cake! And it's so pretty too!
Sarah @ Sarah Cooks the Books says
Caramel and chai in the same recipe? This one will be a must for me! :0)
Heather || Heather's Dish says
I need my face to be IN THAT. Looks amazing!
Jessica @ Sweetest Menu says
Chai spiced whipped cream? I am SO there!
Shawnna says
Oh yummy!! This looks so good!
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
That looks amazing!! I'd like a piece right now!
julianne @ Beyond frosting says
What a delicious looking icebox cake! It is my favorite!