The caramel-y, gently spiced flavor and crisp texture of Biscoff speculoos cookies make them a great choice for icebox cakes. As the cookies chill in the refrigerator between layers of lime cream, they meld and soften, resulting in a sliceable dessert reminiscent of a frosted cake. The whipped cream layer includes cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk to sweeten and stabilize the cream, while lime zest and juice add a bright, citrusy contrast.
Ingredients:
- 2 cup heavy cream
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated lime zest and
- ⅓ cup lime juice (from 3 limes), plus more lime zest for garnish
- 8 to 10 ounces Biscoff or gingersnap cookies, plus more for garnish
Directions:
1. Rinse a standard 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan.
2. Shake off the excess water.
3. Use a few sheets of plastic wrap to fully line the pan, making sure it lays as flat as possible and comes all the way up the sides with overhang. (The residual moisture from rinsing will encourage the plastic wrap to adhere.)
4. Add heavy cream to a large bowl.
5. Using an electric mixer, beat just until stiff peaks form.
6. Add condensed milk, cream cheese and 1 teaspoon salt.
7. Whip until the cream cheese has been evenly incorporated.
8. Add lime zest and juice.
9. Briefly beat to combine.
10. Transfer about 1 cup of the lime cream to the prepared pan.
11. Use a small spatula to spread it across the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
12. Arrange an even layer of biscuits over the cream, breaking the cookies as needed to form an even layer.
13. Top biscuits with about 1 cup of the lime cream.
14. Spread it into an even layer.
15. Top with another layer of biscuits.
16. Continue layering in the same manner, finishing with the cream. There should be 5 cream layers and 4 cookie layers total.
17. Cover the top with plastic wrap.
18. Refrigerate until completely chilled and set, at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
19. To serve, remove the top layer of plastic.
20. Cover the loaf pan with a platter.
21. Flip over. The icebox cake should easily release. If it doesn’t, hold down the excess plastic wrap from the sides with one hand while lifting the loaf pan with the other to help break the seal.
22. Peel off the plastic wrap.
23. Cut into ¾-inch-thick slices.
Serves: 10
Source: Cookingnrtimes.com By Zaynab Iss
Notes:
Speculoos (or Speculaas) are thin, crunchy, spiced biscuits from Belgium and the Netherlands, traditionally made with brown sugar, butter, and a blend of spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, often stamped with images like Saint Nicholas. Known for their deep caramel flavor, they are popular year-round but especially during the Christmas season, and are famously used to make cookie butter (Speculoospasta).
To substitute speculoos cookies (like Lotus Biscoff), use cookies that offer a similar crisp texture, caramel sweetness, and warm spice blend. The best direct swaps include:
Ginger Snaps: Provide the ideal combination of crispness and warming spices (like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves).
Graham Crackers: A great substitute for pie crusts or bases. You may need to add a pinch of cinnamon to match the speculoos flavor profile.
Shortbread: Matches the buttery texture, though it lacks the signature spice profile.
Swedish Pepperkaker (Ginger Thins): Extremely close to the traditional Belgian/Dutch spice blend.
3 Variations on a theme:
Lacking Biscoff speculoos or even enough ginger cookies (and also a lime) I used the ginger cookies I had with blood orange juice for 1 small cake. The second used a small package of lady fingers dipped in brandy. The third, really a streach, Oreo cookies and expresso. All three were really quite good. Name your poison!