Red Velvet Icebox Cakes (2024)

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Author Elizabeth LaBau

Prep2 hours hrs

Cook10 minutes mins

Total2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Yields6

For the Red Velvet Wafer Cookies:

• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 4 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2-1 tsp red gel food coloring, I used Americolor brand Super Red
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 3/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream:

• ▢ 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• ▢ Sprinkles, optional but very cute!

To Make the Red Velvet Wafer Cookies:

• In the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Mix on medium-high speed until well-combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and mix again until combined. Add 1/2 tsp of red gel food coloring and mix everything together until you get a vibrant red color. If your color seems muted, add a bit more food coloring—it will darken when you add the dry ingredients, so you want to start with a really bold color.

• In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, and mix on low speed until almost fully incorporated. Stop the mixer and finish mixing everything together with a spatula, take special care to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Form the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper until it’s 1/8-inch thick. Cut 2.5” circles of dough, and transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. If the cookies are too delicate to transfer cleanly, slide the rolled-out dough onto a baking sheet and freeze it briefly, until you can easily move the cookies onto the baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 350 for 10 minutes.

• Press the scraps together and re-roll the dough, continuing the process of cutting, freezing, and baking until all of the dough is used. You should end up with at least 36 cookies. Cool completely. Cookies can be made several days in advance—just store them in an airtight container so they don’t get stale.

To Make the Frosting and Assemble the Cakes:

• Place the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat them on medium speed until light and fluffy, and the cream cheese is free of lumps. Keeping the mixer running, slowly stream in the heavy cream. Once all of the cream is in, stop and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, then continue whipping until the frosting holds firm peaks. Transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round coupler.

• If you want to be able to easily move the icebox cakes after they’re assembled, cut 2.5” cardboard rounds to put underneath them. Otherwise, assemble the cakes directly on the serving dishes.

• Place a small dab of frosting onto a cardboard round, and press a wafer cookie on top to affix it. Pipe a thin layer of frosting on top of the cookie, about the same thickness as the cookie itself. Place another cookie on top and gently press down, to squeeze the frosting until it is flush with the edge of the cookies. Add more frosting, and repeat the layering process until you have added 6 cookies total. Top the final cookie with a swirl of frosting and a pinch of sprinkles. Repeat until all 6 cakes are assembled.

• Refrigerate the cakes overnight. If your refrigerator has any strong odors, it’s a good idea to keep them in an airtight container, so they don’t absorb any funky smells. Icebox cakes can keep up to a week in the refrigerator.

cake recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour Chocolate Wafers recipe

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