Deb Perelman’s Icebox Cake

My husband will tell you that his favorite dessert is my chocolate caramel cheesecake, the orange-chocolate bundt cake, Mom’s chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake or the bourbon-pumpkin cheesecake but don’t believe him—he lies. Alex’s favorite cake looks comes from either Billy’s or Magnolia bakery, looks to him like “opened Oreos” and is called an icebox cake.

If you can get past this one thing: THREE CUPS of heavy cream! Mon dieu! This, plus two packages of cookies, a few tablespoons of sugar and possibly, a heart doctor, is all you will need (though I suggest buying a third package, as many of these humble, unlovable wafers, wedged into a bottom shelf in your grocer’s cookie section will inevitably arrive broken), though in the future I may toy with whipped cream flavorings from mint extract to raspberry liquor. Or homemade chocolate wafers. But there’s no reason for you to be that kind of crazy; I’ve got more than enough for all of us.

Photo by Deb Perelman

Makes 8 to 12 servings

3 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 (9-ounce) packages thin chocolate wafer cookies (or, make your own!)

Chocolate shavings, to finish