Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake

So...I'm ashamed to admit that I got a little carried away this weekend and made two desserts.  Oops ;)  It turns out they were both INCREDIBLE (check out this post for the other).  I can't decide which was my favorite.  They were both so dang AMAZING.  I love a good icebox cake and this one is now my favorite.  Chocolate chip cookies?  Espresso?  Kahlua?  Heavy cream?  Yes please!!

Ingredients:  heavy cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar, Kahlua, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, vanilla, and crisp chocolate chp cookies such as Chip's Ahoy (or Great Value if you shop at Wal-Mart ;) ).

Add the cream, mascarpone, sugar, Kahlua, cocoa, espresso powder and vanilla to the bowl of an electric mixer.

And whip it...whip it good!  Until soft peaks form.

Then layer the bottom of a springform pan with the cookies.  Break them up if you need to make them fit.  They don't need to be pretty - you won't see them once they are layered in between the cream.  You can use any chocolate chip cookies you want just as long as they are crisp.  They will soften from the cream and you don't want them to end up soggy.

Then spread over a smooth layer of the cream.  An offset spatula works great here if you have one.

Repeat, alternating cookies and cream.

Until you've used up all the cream.  I think I ended up with four layers but it will vary depending on the size of your cookies and your springform pan.  I should mention that the whole point of using a springform pan is so you can remove the cake and it will keep its shape.  But you can put this in any dish you prefer.  I store it in the pan, so in hindsight a pretty rectangular server would have been a better choice for me :P

Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight.  When you take it out the next day the cookies will be soft and cake-like and it will hold it's shape.  You can also garnish it with shaved chocolate or sprinkle it with cocoa powder.  However, I completely forgot to do this because I was so eager to dig in!

O. M. G.  This was so, so good.  Cool, light and fluffy but deeply flavored with coffee and chocolate.  Perfect desert for warm weather!

Link to the printable recipe:

Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake

Source:  Barefoot Contessa