Chocolate Matzo Icebox Cake

A no-bake, chocolate matzo icebox cake, layered with whipped cream and chocolate is the Passover-friendly, no-bake dessert I should have thought up years ago. I am mean seriously, with all the many things I have made with matzo over the years, how the heck did I not think of this sooner?

This matzo icebox cake is a modern play on a classic retro dessert I have come to love over the years. I have been making a chocolate version for years and just last winter introduced a new Biscoff mascarpone icebox cake I’m still smitten with. All three of these cakes require no baking, just whipping, melting, and stacking, so anyone, even those non-bakers out there, can easily make these cakes.

Serving Icebox Cakes

Although icebox cakes are typically a go-to for warm weather, I’d like to change that. These “cakes” are great year-round, especially during holidays when time is limited. Prep-ahead icebox cakes, like this chocolate matzo icebox cake, can truly be a life-saver, as icebox cake needs to be prepped and assembled the day before.

In its simplest form, an icebox cake is merely a layered dessert of some type of crispy cookies and sweetened whipped cream. But it transforms into something wonderful and complex when placed in the refrigerator to firm up. Cookies absorb the whipped cream, softening into caky deliciousness. And an icebox’s cake’s infinite adaptability makes it an ideal dessert go-to for me.

Icebox Cake Elements

• The Cream Layers: The cake-like element provides the icebox cake with its signature “creaminess.” Whipped cream, pudding, and pastry cream can all work in an icebox cake as well.
• The Caky Layers: These give an icebox cake structure and texture. But this element can take many forms; thin or crispy cookies, graham crackers or ladyfingers are great options.
• The Add-Ins: These are optional elements to enhance the icebox cake if desired. Lemon curd, caramel sauce, ganache, fresh fruit, melted marshmallow, peanut butter, jam, you name it.
• Shape: The options are endless. Keeping in mind that cakes with pudding, caramel, or ganache, tend to do best in pans/dishes to help with spillage. I recommend lining your vessel with parchment paper on some occasions, especially if you are going to finish the cake before serving, as is the case in this recipe.
• Assembly:  Always begin with the creamy element, this prevents movement. The cookie or “cake” layer should follow.  The add-ins would come next. And just like a crepe cake, icebox cake layers should be thin. This formula gets repeated for as high as you wish the cake to be. But just remember to always finish an icebox cake with something creamy on top.

This Passover, if you find yourself scrambling to think of an easy dessert everyone will want to eat, look no further, this chocolate matzo icebox cake is worthy, so-much-so, even those who aren’t Jewish, may start eating matzo because of it.