Maple Walnut French Toast Icebox Cake for Passover

on

Ready in 8+ hours (1-½ hours active prep/assembly)

Serves 16-32 sweet dairy-loving people depending on portion size 

Ingredients

  • 6 matzo boards 
  • 16 oz french vanilla ice cream, melted (left overnight in the fridge)
  • 16 oz mascarpone cheese
  • ½ cup Trader Joe's* powdered sugar (uses tapioca starch, so it's Passover friendly!)
  • 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream 
  • 5 Tbsp maple syrup 
  • 1 tsp cinnamon 
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 2 cups walnut halves 

Preparation

  1. Add the walnuts to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool. Once cool, finely chop and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
  2. Meanwhile, beat the mascarpone, powdered sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt together in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-low speed until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the heavy whipping cream, then increase the speed to medium-high. Continue to beat until fluffy and thick enough to hold stiff peaks, about 2 minutes.
  3. Prepare 2 8x8 inch pans with parchment paper. Spread a thin layer of the whipped cream mixture on the bottom to hold the matzo board in place.
  4. In a dish larger than the matzo, pour in the melted ice cream. Dip one board into the liquid, letting it sit for a bit to soak in. Remove it and drain off as much of the liquid as possible. Lay the board down into the prepared pan. (If you don't have a large enough dish to hold an entire matzo board, just crack the board in half so it can soak. No one will know.)
  5. Carefully spread about 3/4 cup of the mascarpone whipped cream evenly over the top of the matzo board using an offset spatula, making sure to go all the way to the edges. Lightly sprinkle a layer of the chopped walnuts over the whipped cream.
  6. Repeat until all the matzo, whipped cream, and walnuts have been used, ending with a layer of walnuts on top. (Finished cakes had 3 layers in each 8x8 inch pan.)
  7. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Use the parchment to lift the cake onto a plate to serve. Or just cut portions directly in the pan and make sure not to include the parchment when you lift them out!
  8. Drizzle a little maple syrup over each portion, and have a zissen Pesach!

Tips

This recipe yields a lot of cake - I filled two 8x8 inch pans. If you don't have this size pan, a 9x13 pan can work. You can also halve the recipe for a single 8x8 pan.

Feel free to switch up the flavors and ingredients - it's the concept of the icebox cake that's key here. I was inspired by how Jacques Pépin makes his french toast, but you could easily modify the recipe to make tres leches, straight up cinnamon, or any other flavor combination.

If you forget to put a layer of whipped cream on the bottom of the pan like I did and it comes out a little crunchy, just explain that it's a reminder of the hard times the Jewish people have endured. Lean into the symbolism!

This dessert is only kosher for Passover if you have a dairy meal. If you're okay with waiting, then enjoy it as appropriate. If your only requirement is that it doesn't have leavened bread, then enjoy it any time.

*Technically, all ingredients are from Trader Joe's - I just didn't want to clutter the text in the recipe.



Comments

Post a Comment