Raspberry-Nectarine Icebox Cake
Updated October 10, 2023
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 35 minutes, plus overnight chilling
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes, plus overnight chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¾ cup dry white wine or rosé
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 whole cloves
1 tablespoon rum or brandy (optional)
2 ½ cups heavy cream, chilled
2 ½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
2 (4.5-ounce) box ladyfingers (about 28 ladyfingers)
6 nectarines (about 2 pounds), pitted and cut in ½-inch slices
½ pint raspberries
Crumbled amaretti cookies, for topping
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 to 12 servings)
31 grams carbs; 113 milligrams cholesterol; 335 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 21 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 2 grams fiber; 53 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 13 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the wine, brown sugar and cloves. Simmer over medium heat, stirring, just to dissolve sugar, a few minutes. Turn off heat, and add rum or brandy, if using. Set aside, off the heat, to cool.
- Step 2
Put cream and confectioners’ sugar in a clean bowl and, using a stand mixer, hand mixer or whisk, whip to very soft peaks — not too stiff. Stir in almond extract.
- Step 3
Build the cake: One at time — they’ll be too soggy otherwise — quickly dip one side of each ladyfinger in the syrup, and place in a 9-inch square baking dish with 2-inch sides (or something similar, doesn’t have to be ovenproof). Repeat until the bottom of the pan is lined with syrup-dipped ladyfingers.
- Step 4
Dollop about a quarter of the whipped cream all over the ladyfingers, then spread with a spatula. Scatter half of the sliced nectarines, then half of the raspberries, over the cream.
- Step 5
Dip the remaining ladyfingers, one at a time, into the syrup, and layer them over the fruit. Spread another quarter of the whipped cream, then scatter the remaining nectarine slices and raspberries over.
- Step 6
Top with the remaining whipped cream and spread to your liking.
- Step 7
Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, and preferably overnight. (Cover lightly with wax paper, if you like.) Before serving, sprinkle with amaretti. The cake may be cut into squares, or simply scooped out with a big spoon.
Private Notes
Comments
This recipe looks good but then I noticed it calls for 2 1/2 cups of heavy cream. That would mean I'd have to buy two pints of cream for that extra half cup. I wish recipe developers would take things like that into consideration for home cooks who don't have unlimited ingredients at their disposal.
Frank, I made this last night using one pint of whipped cream to which I added one 8 oz container of marscapone. I had about the same volume of mixture that I would have had with an extra whipped half cup of cream, only tastier and sturdier. The finished dessert was absolutely delicious. The only other change I made was to leave off the crushed amaretti cookies on top; the dessert really doesn’t need it.
2 cups of heavy cream works just fine. I agree that it is silly to have a recipe with 2 1/2 cups. It’s a little creamy anyway so just use a bit less.
This was very good but requires a very deep dish, mine was almost 9cm and there's wasn't enough room for the final layer of whipped cream. Omitted the amoretto cookies, didn't need them. It definitely is more like a fool than a tiramisu. I found the final result a little dry but solved it easily by pouring some cream on top. Really like that this wasn't too sweet and it tasted better after a night in the fridge
Lovely. If you're comfortable using alcohol, do include brandy in the syrup; it adds a whole other dimension of flavor. (Actually, I used a mild whiskey, which worked well.) In step 3, don't be too frugal with the syrup. Instead of buying ladyfingers, I made a simple sponge cake in a jelly-roll pan, from a King Arthur Baking recipe, and cut it to size. Where I live, that was easier than schlepping to half a dozen stores to see if they had ladyfingers. @Debra J, I'm sure you could use peaches.
Would fresh-sliced peaches (without the skins) work as a replacement for the nectarines?