My husband and I are invited to a dinner party tomorrow evening and I was asked to bring a dessert.  I decided I was going to make a mocha ice box cake.  I was out shopping today with my daughter for an outfit for her senior portraits.  They are coming up this Wednesday … where oh where has the time gone?!  I wanted to go to a mall that had a Sur la Table so I could get myself a new springform pan.  It was such a successful shopping trip because I was also able to find a trifle bowl and that was only because someone was returning it … it was the last one in the store!

Ina Garten suggests using Tate’s chocolate chip cookies for her mocha ice box cake recipe.  I was at Trader Joe’s, so I grabbed their version.  This version happens to be gluten free.  I don’t need to eat gluten free, but that is how they come at Trader Joe’s.  Ina also uses coffee liquer in her recipe, but  I didn’t have any, so I used triple sec.  I must say, the triple sec tastes great in this whipped cream, yum!!

I hope my friend’s enjoy this dessert tomorrow night, I think it looks pretty fantastic.

Triple Sec Flavored Mocha Ice Box Cake

• 3 Packages of 7 oz. Trader Joe’s Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free)

• 2 cups Heavy Cream

• 12 ounces Mascarpone

• 1/2 cup Sugar

• 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

• 1/4 cup Triple Sec

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• Shaved Dark (70% cocoa) Chocolate

In your electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, cocoa powder, triple sec and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Lay your chocolate chip cookies on the bottom of your springform pan, making sure to fill in where there are gaps.  You will need to break up more cookies to fill in for this bottom layer.  Next, layer the cream.  Once you’ve spread out your first layer of cream, lay another layer of cookies.  Continue this for five layers, and end with the whipped topping on top. Shave dark chocolate over the top of your cake.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  Cut into wedges for serving.  Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris