Crave: to want greatly : to yearn for: to have a strong or inward desire
Oh, I know all about cravings. Cravings are getting up in the middle of the night to make scones because you cannot get them out your mind. Cravings are my 13 year old nephew walking one and a half miles to the grocery store to get butter just so his mom would make him these cookies. Cravings are my friend taking a flight out to California simply to curb her desire for an In-N-Out burger. Cravings are driving to 5 different grocery stores when gas is $3.25 a gallon to find the chocolate wafers called for in the Magnolia Bakery Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake recipe.
Yes, I know all about cravings and the strong pull they have over some of us. My craving for the Magnolia Bakery Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake started a few years ago when I saw a photo and the recipe featured in O Magazine. The craving later intensified when Deb over at Smitten Kitchen wrote a post about this cake. Her featured photos had me drooling on my computer keyboard. Somehow, I have managed to keep pushing this craving aside. I really, really wanted to try it, but the craving was not so strong that I had to give in. It was not so strong until this past week when I was browsing through the blog of fellow Just Baking writer, Jennifer McHenry of Bake or Break. I was clicking and scrolling around when a big, beautiful picture of the Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake popped up on my screen. It was at that moment that I hit my breaking point. I could not stand to go another day without making this cake.
Since this cake needed to be refrigerated overnight, I knew I had to get busy with assembly pronto. As soon as my husband got home, I told him I had to make a quick run to the grocery store. I ended up driving to five different grocery stores before I finally found the chocolate wafers. A couple of hours later when I walked in the door, I got the “where the hell have you been??” look from my husband. A quick run to the grocery store typically doesn’t mean returning home 2 hours later. In silence, I took out the chocolate wafers and showed them to my husband. Then, I took him to my computer and pulled up the photos of the cake. Silently, with craving in his own eyes, he nodded in agreement, understanding my absence and then left me to my assembly work.
This cake is deceptively easy to put together and it is a definite show stopper. It is one of those desserts that when you put it in front of people, all of the talking stops…eyes get big and mouths drop in awe. This dessert is delicious and rich and perfect for an indoor summer gathering. Next time I make it, I will be adding some Grand Mariner to the cream mixture just to make it that much more crave worthy.
This delicious creation is my entry for the June 2007 Sugar High Friday event. The theme this month is The Sweetest Thing and it is all about those desserts that we crave…those that tempt us time after time. I am certain that after this round up, I will have a fair amount of other recipes to add to my growing list of foods I crave to make.
Jerry says
Oh my god! A tower of goodness! Hmmmm what do I crave that is soo sweet. So going to have to thing about this for Sugar High Friday. Or is it that for a craving you don’t think about it, it just hits you?
Oh and the whole going to multiple groceries hits all of us. It is so frustrating, but always ends with a sweet reward.
Asha says
OMG!! That dessert is a work of Art!!
CGCL says
Too Pretty to eat. It reminds me of a cookie I had this weekend at the bakery. IT was HUGE chocolate wafers and thick cream between that tasted exactly like a grown up version of oreo cookie cream. It was heavenly 🙂
Deborah says
OK, I have seen this recipe on the same blogs and have been wanting to try it. It is so gorgeous!!
Cheryl says
Oh my!!! Now that is an awesome dessert.
sognatrice says
This is truly heavenly.
*swoon*
Mike Tosatto says
What an incredible looking cake!! Your blog looks great too!
Cris says
What a gorgeous and delicious cookie tower…
Freya says
Repeat after me:
Kristen is a very bad girl!!
I want to make this dessert but we don’t have those kind of cookies here! Unfortunately, I think I can replicate them with the help of several cookie cookbooks and lots of cream!
katiez says
It looks like it would be difficult to cut. No matter, when I make it I’ll just eat it all myself, then I won’t have to worry about cutting it.
I would go to more than 5 shops for this cake!
marty says
That looks beautiful. Good work!
kickpleat says
wow. that looks stunning. i feel a craving coming on!
Nora says
wow…you are right about that being a real show stopper. I’ll have to bookmark this recipe for the next time someone asks me to make something sweet for a party. Thanks!
My Kitchen in Half Cups says
Do you really believe this is reasonable? I mean it’s 2 am, I am out of the country and you put that on my screen . . . Mother told me the world isn’t fair and boy was she right!
Kristen, absolutely terrific writing and great photo!! Way to go girl!
Dhana says
oh my! The cake looks amazing !!
ilva says
It makes you want to dive into it! the photo is fab!
Margaret says
I am totally in awe of your creation, leaving me quite speechless!!
Lisa says
BEAUTIFUL! And guess who’s craving it now?? hehe
xoxo
Patricia Scarpin says
Looks wonderful, Kristen!
This is so new to me – I can’t wait to try it. I’ll definitely have to. 🙂
Lynn says
Wow, what a gorgeous cake! You did a wonderful job on that. And you are definitely blessed to have a husband who understands the importance of the right ingredients to fulfill the cravings. 🙂
peabody says
I remember that on Smitten Kitten, it looks like a really cool cake! Great job.
connie says
an excellent entry! i saw this back on Bake or Break and I had an almost sweetness-induced heart attack. And again, this cake… the frosting is just so shockingly fluffy looking.
Cate O'Malley says
That cake looks fabulously decadent! Great minds think alike – was just talking about cravings last night too. 🙂
Kelly-Jane says
Looks stunning – and your cake stand is beautiful too, sets it off really well 🙂
rebecca says
it looks amazing and delicious!
Jann says
ok-I am craving!this is beautiful!
Kirsten says
Wow!!! I can see why you couldn’t get this cake out of your head. 🙂
Beautiful!
aria says
haha i love the cravings, especially waking up in the middle of the night to make scones, hee!
what have you done to me, this cake looks to die for. an icebox cake will be a 1st for me but it’s a must. YUM.
Dilip says
I too have cravings and they drive me crazy some times..~smile~…great blog..great post…i love the cake…great