Espresso Royale Icebox Cake with delicious layers of graham crackers and espresso mousse. Rich, silky and with an intense coffee flavor, this icebox cake is so easy to make and is sure to become a favorite summer treat!
I was talking with a friend at work over lunch yesterday about this and that when our general conversation steered towards Mango royale, an icebox cake variation popular in the Philippines. By the time we parted ways from the break room, I raging to have this luscious dessert on my lips. Got. To. Have. It.
Unfortunately, my quick trip to the Asian supermarkets yielded no Manila mangoes. Ugh, not in season yet.
Failing to find the needed fruit and with images of the no-bake refrigerator cake dancing in my head, I decided to silence its taunts by giving the icebox cake idea a different spin. Espresso Royale Icebox Cake was thus born!
Instead of diced mango for flavor, I added a heaping tablespoon of instant coffee to the whipped cream for a delicious punch. Boy, oh, boy, were the mocha mousse layers to live for! With a delightful hint of coffee and all things wonderful, I was actually glad I didn’t find mangoes.
If you are looking for a special dessert that’s easy to fix, this espresso royale icebox cake is it! All it takes is about 10 minutes of hands-on time and less than five simple ingredients to come together into one delectable treat.
Like the mango royale, this coffee-flavored icebox cake needs to be refrigerated overnight to set and popped in the freezer to sturdy a little. If you prefer more of an ice cream cake texture, freeze it for at least 6 hours or overnight. Either way, it’s worth the wait.
Here are a few helpful tips on how to recreate this amazing coffee flavored refrigerator cake with ease:
- Use a heavy cream with at least 30% milkfat content for sturdy foam and better peaks.
- To whip up to maximum volume, the heavy cream and condensed milk need to very cold. Also, chill the bowl and the beaters in the freezer for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Start beating the cream at low speed to build smaller bubbles for a stable foam. When the mixture begins to thicken, increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until you reach stiff peaks.
- Do not overbeat the whipped cream or the fat in the mixture will separate from the liquid and will turn into, well, butter. You know you’ve reached stiff peaks when the cream is thick and heavy and clings to the beaters. To check, turn the whisk up. The peaks should hold up proudly and should point straight up without collapsing.
- I garnished the top with a generous dusting of cocoa powder but feel free to sub chocolate shavings, if you like.
Espresso Royale Icebox Cake with delicious layers of graham crackers and espresso mousse. Rich, silky and with an intense coffee flavor, this icebox cake is so easy to make and is sure to become a favorite summer treat!
- 2 cups heavy cream, very cold
- 1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk, very cold
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules, dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water and completely cooled
- 14 graham crackers, about 3-inch in lengths
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder or chocolate shavings
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Line a 9 x 6 x 2 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about 1-inch overhang on all sides.
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In a bowl, combine heavy cream, condensed milk and liquid coffee. Using a hand mixer at low speed, whip mixture until it reaches firm peaks.
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Arrange one layer of graham crackers on bottom of baking dish, breaking pieces as needed to fit sides. Spoon ⅓ of cream mixture on crackers and spread to cover.
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Arrange another layer of graham over cream. Spoon and spread ⅓ of the cream mixture. Repeat with another layer of graham crackers. Spoon and spread remaining ⅓ of the cream mixture on top of crackers.
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Cover tightly with plastic film and refrigerate overnight. Freeze for about 1 hour before serving.
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Lift cake from pan using parchment paper overhang as support and transfer onto a serving platter.
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Sprinkle cocoa powder or chocolate shavings on top of cake or dust with cocoa powder. Cut into squares to serve.
Use a flour sifter to easily dust top of cake with cocoa powder.
More Great Stuff!
Coffee in desserts is always a win in my book! This looks like a great dessert for these hot summer days!
It is a perfect drink to chill around with these days 🙂.
Love desserts that use coffee – This is right up my alley!
It will satisfy your coffee cravings, Christine!
Why is this called espresso cake!?
Hi Cheri,
I call it that because I use very strong coffee as flavor 🙂
I tried this… It’s so delicious, am trying out your other desserts which are vegetarian… Ie egg free! Would I be able to use any other egg replacement in place for the egg baking recipes?
Can’t get Graham crackers in the Netherlands unfortunately, but this recipe looks super-easy!
Hi Victoria.
I’ve never tried it with anything else but vanilla wafers might work. I’ll give them a try this weekend and will update you. Thanks.
What and easy but impressive looking dessert! Its beautiful. Thanks for the recipe. I find Nestles table cream in two places in my St. Louis supermarkets. Sometimes it is in the baking aisle with the condensed milk and such but more often it is in the Hispanic food section with the Abuelitas hot chocolate and jarred mole. 🙂
it was so good considering how simple it is to make.
Thanks, Wendy.
What exactly is Nestle table cream? Is it the same as whipping/heavy cream? I’ve seen evaporated milk and condensed milk in cans, but never table cream.
Hi Marilyn. Nestle table cream is a type of light cream…here’s more information on table cream
I haven’t personally tried heavy cream with refrigerator cakes but I see no reason why we can’t. Enjoy!