Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
• 12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. instant espresso powder
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 (8ounce) packages chocolate chip cookies (make the recipe from Tate’s Bake Shop which I’ll post in my  next entry or buy Highbrow Chocolate Chip cookies from Trader Joe’s)
• shaved semisweet chocolate, for garnish (use vegetable peeler and microwave chocolate briefly to soften it)

DIRECTIONS

To make filling

1. In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, coffee liqueur, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine and the slowly raise the speed until it forms firm peaks. Keep your eye on the mixing; it can get overbeat within seconds of firming those peaks.

To assemble the cake

1. Arrange chocolate chip cookies flat in an 8-inch springform pan, covering the bottom as much as possible. Break cookies into pieces to fill in the spaces.
2. Spread a fifth of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the cookies. (I made 4 layers, not five, and will probably make three next time I make this, so you might want to use more than a 5th of the filling.)
3. Place another layer of cookies on top, followed by another fifth of the cream. Continue layering. Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
4. To remove cake from springform pan, run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides of the pan.
5. Sprinkle the top with shaved curls of chocolate; do this by using a vegetable peeler on the chocolate.
6. Serve cold.

PRINTED FROM Scrumptious and Sumptuous