How Ina Garten Makes An Irresistible Chocolate Cake Without Turning On The Oven

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One of Ina Garten's recipes is a mocha chocolate cake, and the Barefoot Contessa claimed it could move someone to tears. For clarification, that's a good thing. Nobody will be weeping in frustration — the cake is a breeze to make. You don't even have to turn on the oven. Garten's cake is an icebox cake, and true to tradition, she uses store-bought cookies and simply layers them with mocha whipped cream. She opts for Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies, a brand founded by her friend Kathleen King. The no-bake dessert then sits in the fridge and magically transforms into a rich, sliceable cake.

Nowadays, icebox cakes are decidedly old-fashioned but still very much delicious. You might occasionally see them trending on TikTok, but you'll be more likely to find them in your grandma's recipe book. These no-cook cakes actually started as a marketing ploy. In the 1920s, companies began printing recipes for the cakes on prepackaged cookies. Refrigerator manufacturers pushed the trend, too, hoping that icebox cakes would help homemakers see the value in their products.

"I actually got the idea of this recipe from a friend who's a caterer," Garten explained (via YouTube). When she asked him for an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert, he gave her an icebox cake recipe. However, the recipe didn't wow her. "I think I can make that even better," she said.

Like many of Ina Garten's recipes, simple, high-quality ingredients come together to make something fabulous. When selecting cookies from the grocery store shelf, you don't have to go with Tate's specifically, but make sure you're using crispy ones. While crisp cookies turn soft and cake-like overnight, soft cookies would turn to mush.

Thinking this easy cake would be a hassle-free way to entertain kids and satisfy your chocolate craving? You might want leave out the espresso powder and ¼ cup of Kahlua to make it more kid-friendly, but otherwise, they add great depth of flavor — using ingredients like these is how Ina Garten steps up simple cakes. Additionally, her whipped cream recipe includes mascarpone, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder that is whipped into a thick, fluffy, and creamy filling in the bowl of a stand mixer. She beats the mixture to stiff peaks.

Once the cream is done, Garten reaches for a springform pan. She notes that the pan should be tall with enough room for around five layers, starting with the cookies. "You want to break them to fill in the little spaces," she explains (via YouTube). "They're all going to get smooshed with the cream so it doesn't matter that they've been broken." Garten tops the cake with mocha whipped cream as the final layer and puts it in the fridge overnight. Once it's set, she loosens the edges with a knife and removes the springform pan. "Mm, it's so good," she exclaims as she takes a bite. But is it weep-worthy? You'll have to try for yourself.