This easy, no-bake dessert, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Icebox Cake, is rich and all held together by chocolate cookies.
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This recipe is pure indulgence. Indulgence in the form of a rich and creamy peanut butter cheesecake filling, plus banana pudding, and chocolate.
Sudden random thought: isn't peanut butter amazing? Filling and full of protein. Plus, you can eat the stuff for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, AND dessert! (Random thought complete.)
This dessert also indulges your desire to NOT turn on the oven!
What's an icebox?
Why it's your fridge, of course! I like that name though—icebox, because I'm a sucker for anything vintage or retro.
Starting in the late 1920s, more and more households were buying the coolest new appliance (literally)—the electric refrigerator. Before that, families had to make do with iceboxes, which were essentially tall cabinets that held large blocks of ice to keep everything stored inside the icebox cold.
Despite the upgrade, for many decades folks still referred to their refrigerators as iceboxes. Remember in 1984's "Ghostbusters" when Dr. Venkman tells Dana Barrett about the evil deity named Gozer? (He was very big in Sumeria.) "Well, what's he doing in my icebox??" she asks. Dana's talking about her fridge!
So, what's an icebox cake?
Icebox cakes are old-fashioned, no-bake desserts made by layering ingredients into pie plates or baking pans and letting them set up overnight into firm, sliceable treats.
In reading through my vintage cookbooks I found many different recipes for these cool cakes. Though there are numerous variations, in general, icebox cakes are made with layers of:
- Something already baked (like leftover cake, cookies, or crackers)
- Something sweet and creamy (pudding, custard, whipped cream)
- Very often layers of fruit (like berries, mango, and peaches)
The overnight chill allows the layers to meld, forming a firm, chilled dessert that's easy to slice and serve!
Why you'll love this recipe
That's right: Peanut Butter, Banana, and Chocolate Icebox Cake is a no-bake dessert, an indulgence that's especially appreciated in the midst of the hot and humid summer. However, since these flavors are craved and appreciated year-round, you can feel free to roll this recipe out any old time.
This icebox cake can be assembled quickly—it's layers of cookies, pudding, and whipped cream. And because it needs to set up overnight, it's a perfect make-ahead dessert.
🔪 How to make Peanut Butter, Banana, and Chocolate Icebox Cake
Ingredients:
- Chocolate Cookies: Pick up a package of soft, old-fashioned cookies at the store
- Sugar: Powdered sugar, to be precise, to sweeten the fillings
- Whipping Cream: In just minutes this will become the whipped cream layer
- Vanilla Extract: Choose a good quality vanilla like Nielsen-Massey
- Banana Cream Pudding: Be sure it's the Instant variety
- Milk: To make the pudding
- Peanut Butter: Just the good, creamy peanut butter you know and love
- Cream Cheese: Combined with the peanut butter, it's another layer of the dessert
Step 1: Make the whipped cream
Use a mixer to whip the cream and sugar into clouds of sweetened whipped cream.
Step 2: Make the pudding
Blend the pudding mix with cold milk to quickly make the banana pudding.
Step 3: Make the filling
Blend peanut butter with sugar and cream cheese to make the peanut butter filling.
Step 4: Assemble:
Layer the cookies, peanut butter filling, pudding, and whipped cream in a prepared dish to create the icebox cake.
Step 5: Chill
Wrap the pan tightly and pop it in the fridge for at least eight hours or overnight.
Step 6: Serve!
Unmold the icebox cake and slice it up. Serve the icebox cake with sliced fresh bananas!
FAQs
The recipe below tells you how much of each ingredient to add to each layer. This, plus taking time to smooth out the fillings and lay out the cookie pieces neatly, will give you the evenest layers possible.
Keep in mind though that this is a casual, relaxed dessert. It doesn't need to look perfect to be delicious!
So save that oven time for the casserole, the turkey, or the meatloaf. And think about how awesome it will be when you're fixing dinner to know that dessert is already done, waiting in the icebox!
The recipe is below! And here are more no-bake treats to tempt you:
💬 Have you tried this cool, creamy dessert? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- 8 soft chocolate old-fashioned cookies, such as Archway brand, 1 package
- ¾ cup of confectioner's sugar, divided
- 1 cups very cold whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 box instant banana cream pudding & pie filling mix
- 1½ cups cold milk
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- Fresh bananas, peeled and sliced
Instructions
Make the whipped cream:
- Place the bowl and whisk attachment for your stand mixer in the freezer to chill 30 minutes. Have ready a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan ready, 1.5 quart size. Line the pan with parchment or plastic wrap, to be able to lift out the cake once chilled.
- Once the bowl is chilled, assemble it and the whisk on your stand mixer. Pour the whipping cream into the bowl and turn the mixer on high. Whip the cream for about 2 minutes, then pause it to add in the vanilla or vanilla bean paste and ¼ cup of the confectioner's sugar.
- Continue to beat the cream on high for another 3 to 5 minutes or so—watch it carefully it the last few minutes. Beat the cream until it forms and holds stiff peaks, but do not overbeat it.
- Transfer the cream to a bowl, and wash the mixer bowl. Stash the whipped cream in the fridge until you need it later in the recipe.
Prepare the pudding:
- Pour the cold milk into a medium-sized bowl. Pour the banana cream pudding mix over the milk. Whisk them together for 1-2 minutes until the pudding is smooth and thickening. Set the bowl aside.
Finish the filling:
- Beat together the peanut butter, the remaining ½ cup of confectioner's sugar, and the softened cream cheese until the mixture is well-combined.
Assemble:
- Break four of the cookies into pieces and fit them into the bottom of the prepared pan. There will be a few gaps but it does not have to cover the bottom perfectly. Lightly press the pieces into place.
- Spoon half of banana pudding over cookies in bottom, and spread it into an even layer.
- Spoon half of the peanut butter filling over the pudding and carefully spread it.
- Spoon a half-cup of the whipped cream over the peanut butter filling and spread it evenly.
- Repeat the layering steps, with another layer of broken cookies, followed by the pudding, then the peanut butter filling, and then the remaining whipped cream. Crumble the reserved cookie over the top of the cream.
Chill:
- Cover the top of the icebox cake loosely with plastic wrap. Very gently press the top of the cake down, just to compress the layers a little. (But don't squish out the fillings!) Place the pan in the fridge, and allow the cake to set overnight.
Serve!
- When you are ready to serve, remove the cake from the fridge. Use the edges of the parchment or plastic wrap to help unmold the cake.
- Cut slices of the cake, and serve them immediately, topped with sliced, fresh bananas.
- Makes about 8 servings. Leftover cake can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Note: this icebox cake needs time to chill in the fridge overnight before serving, so plan for this step! Also, allow time for your mixing bowl to chill in the freezer for 30 minutes before starting this recipe. (See step 1.)
- Be sure that the banana cream pudding mix you choose is instant... sometimes the packages of instant and cook-and-serve puddings look very much alike!
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