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Caramel Milk Icebox Cake ❦ Bolo de Bolacha com Sabor a Caramelo

This cake is a favourite here at home. In fact, it is my son's birthday cake every year.

In Portugal this cake is traditionally made with Maria biscuits, butter, sugar and egg yolk. That's it. In the U.S.A. icebox cakes are very popular. There are endless possibilities in terms of flavours and combinations. I prefer to add heavy whipping cream to my cake cream. It yields more cream for a taller cake and it's lighter in texture. I also changed up the traditional Portuguese coffee dipping liquid to just milk. A swap of regular sugar for light brown sugar made the cream taste of caramel...heaven.

The cookies I used were a mix of different biscuits from a variety pack. Feel free to use any cookies/biscuits you have to hand. A spring-form pan is helpful and the cake looks pretty plated, but not essential. You can use any baking dish and just serve directly from it.

Think tiramisu. This cake was made this morning and refrigerated for 8 hours. It will solidify and the cream will work it's magic, as the cookies become the "cake" layers.

I like to stagger the cookies alternating their direction between each layer of cream.

Please be aware that this cake does contain raw eggs*.




Caramel Milk Icebox Cake ❦ Bolo de Bolacha com Sabor a Caramelo

20 minutes plus minimum 8 hours to chill


Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving.

If not serving/ eating entire cake, I suggest bringing individual slices to room temperature only, leaving any leftover cake safely refrigerated.

Will keep for a maximum of 3 days in refrigerator covered.


*Equipment needed 1 Springform 23cm / 9 inch cake tin/pan

Plastic wrap/ clingfilm

Handheld or stand mixer


500 g. Cookies, plus a few more for topping and decorating finished cake. I used malted milk and nice biscuits from a selection box.

250 g. Salted or unsalted butter, if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the cream

180 g. Light soft brown sugar

240 ml. Milk, any variety, to dip the cookies into

300 ml. Heavy "whipping" cream

3 Eggs yolks



1. Line a springform pan with plastic cling film. (See photo) Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat brown sugar and butter on high until smooth and creamy.

3. Add egg yolks and beat until smooth.

4. Add cold double cream. Beat until light and fluffy.

Be careful not to overbeat as cream could separate.

5. Place warm milk in a bowl and cookies in another.

6. Dip 1 cookie at a time into milk, very briefly. Just dunk and lift. until bottom of pan is covered by one layer.

7. Spread a thin layer of cream over cookies. Be careful not to drag spoon as cookies will be somewhat soft at this point.

8. Continue adding cookies and cream, in alternating layers, until you finish with layer of cream. You may have some cookies left over. I made 5 layers, but this depends on height of your cookies.

*Place a couple of cookies in a bag or in a food processor and crush/ pulse. Save these in an airtight container or bag to decorate top of cake just before serving. Do not add them to the cake now or the will go soft.

9.Cover cake with plastic cling film and refrigerate 8 hours and up to overnight.

10. To serve: Have a cake plate ready.

Remove springform ring and clingfilm. Cake will be firm enough to handle gently.

Place on serving plate.

Top with reserved crumbled cookies

Enjoy xoxo

Happy Easter




*United Kingdom Guidelines ONLY:

Because of improved food safety controls in recent years, infants, children, pregnant women and elderly people can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked hen eggs, or foods containing them, that are produced under the British Lion Code of Practice.

Courtesy NHS UK

Please follow the guidelines in your own country.

If you must, you can leave the eggs out. It will not drastically affect this recipe.

































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