Raspberry-Nectarine Icebox Cake
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- 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
- ¾cup dry white wine or rosé
- ¼cup light brown sugar
- 2whole cloves
- 1tablespoon rum or brandy (optional)
- 2½cups heavy cream, chilled
- 2½tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- ¼teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- 2(4.5-ounce) box ladyfingers (about 28 ladyfingers)
- 6nectarines (about 2 pounds), pitted and cut in ½-inch slices
- ½pint raspberries
- Crumbled amaretti cookies, for topping
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
332 calories; 21 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 53 milligrams sodium
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.
Super versatile recipe base that you can customize to suit your needs. In my case, I swapped ginger cookies for the ladyfingers, replaced the cloves in the syrup with a couple of slices of fresh ginger, and made the whipped cream with a 500ml of cream and 250g of mascarpone. Delicious! Would love to make some sort of choco variation.
Delicious and versatile- I ended up having to use angel food cake as ladyfingers weren't available, and I used cool whip because it was for a cookout and camp out and melted whipped cream is not it. But it was still delightful and very popular!
This was light, refreshing, but still a little special! Great summer desert.