This Pumpkin Cake Is the Perfect Thanksgiving Treat for the Lazy
Can I confess something? I don’t like to bake. Maybe it’s because I don’t like anything that even remotely reminds me of my former life as a chemist, or maybe it’s because I’m lazy, but I’m not interested in baking and I avoid it when I can. (and do AA Newton does it instead). However, I love to eat sweets, and the ice box cake allows me to combine my love of delicious desserts with my love of messing around.
If you also hate measuring but love sugar, or perhaps literally a kid, the ice box pumpkin cake is the Thanksgiving dessert for you. It’s seasonal, varied, and easy – some might even say fun – to assemble. Is that “just a bunch of cookies and whipped cream”? Yes. Yes it. But you can’t honestly tell me that this sounds bad.
Another thing I love about this cake is that you can decide exactly which pumpkin you want it to be. Simply add tablespoons of pumpkin puree until you reach your desired seasonal pumpkin flavor level, and do the same with these extra spices. You can also change the cookies if you like. I used Anna’s ginger tonic, but Graham crackers, or those pumpkin spices, oreo would do. Be that as it may, Graham crackers are the most stable base, but even the ginger ginger that bursts when you whisper on them will keep intact if you give them enough time in the refrigerator. If you want to be super lazy, or if you want to make it more child-friendly, replace the whipped cream with whipped cream. (It doesn’t need to be sweetened and will retain its texture even if your kids get carried away when you fold the pumpkin “neatly”.)
Pumpkin Cake Icebox
Ingredients:
- 2 pints heavy cream
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice mixture
- Cookies, the amount of which will vary depending on the size and shape of your cake pan (I used two thin ginger sleeves, which is about 60 Oreo sized cookies).
Instructions:
Combine cream and icing sugar in a large bowl and beat with a mixer or hand blender until softened. (I prefer the immersion blender in this case because it makes a tighter whipped cream that retains its texture a little better than the fluffier mass.) Gently add some pumpkin puree, try and add more if desired. Add pumpkin spices.
Lay out the cookies in any shape you like. You can place them in a baking dish, baking dish, or simply place them on a freeform plate. Scrape the whipped cream into a piping bag (or freezer bag with the tip cut off) and pour it evenly using an offset spatula to smooth. Fold more cookies, repeat. If you like really thick layers of cream, you can only get a couple of layers; thinner layers will obviously require more cookies. Continue alternating between cream and cookies until your cake is at the height you want, then refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight until the cookies are tender and the cake is sliced. Sprinkle some more pumpkin spice just before serving, or let the kids garnish with sweets and sprinkles.