Ina Garten's Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake

Today, I have a simple make-ahead dessert to share, and it will be a huge hit at any summer party!

I love hosting dinner parties at my house, but I especially love having pizza parties (and my annual Christmas cookie party!).  At pizza parties, it's always hard to come up with a good dessert that is indulgent but not super heavy.   I remember watching an Ina Garten clip where she talked about making this cake and serving it as "thin wedges."  I'm not sure why I thought that "thin wedges" of a chocolate chip cookie layered creation would be a "lighter" dessert, but I decided to give it a go and made for a summer pizza party.  

For this cake, you whip up mascarpone cream, heavy whipping cream, cocoa powder, sugar, and some kahlua.  Then, in a springform pan, you layer thin chocolate chip cookies and top them with the whipped cream.  Refrigerate overnight, and voila, the cookies soften, and you have a chocolatey goodness dessert.  The chocolate Kahlua whipped cream adds a regal flair.  Though I'm not a coffee or Kahlua fan, this did not seem too heavy on the coffee flavor to me.  I think substituting Bailey's would also be good, though you could certainly leave out the liqueur.

You can use homemade or store-bought cookies here.  Ina suggests Tate's Bake Shop cookies, which are thin, crispy chocolate chip cookies.  You can find them at Whole Foods and sometimes even at Costco.  I read that Trader Joe's has a version of thin crispy chocolate cookies and that they are made by Tate's Bake Shop.  I'm not sure if that is true, but the packaging design did look a little similar.  Any chocolate chip cookies will do! :)

So, I may not have exactly served this in the thin wedges described by Ina Garten, but thick or thin, a wedge of this cake will do you and your friends well.

Ina Garten's Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake
Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
12 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup Kahlua
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 8-ounce packages of crisp chocolate chip cookies (such as Trader Joe's crisp cookies or Tate's Bake Shop)
Shaved chocolate, for garnish

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone cheese, granulated sugar, Kahlua, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla.  Mix on low speed to combine, and then increase the speed until firm peaks are formed.

To make the cake, arrange a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan, and then arrange the chocolate chip cookies flat on the pan, covering the bottom as much as possible.  Then, spread about one-fifth of the whipped cream evenly over the cookies.  Place another layer of cookies on top, and then add more cream.  Continue layering cookies and the cream until there are about 5 layers of each, and make sure to end with a layer of cream.  Use a spatula to smooth the top, and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, sprinkle with chocolate, cut, and serve cold.

Source: Ina Garten