A Plea to Bring Back The Icebox Cake: A Summer Family Tradition

Written by Ridley Kozman

Some cakes are just desserts, and others are traditions.

For as long as I can remember, one of my favorite family desserts has been the icebox cake. Every summer, my mom and I pull out a couple of packages of chocolate wafer cookies, whip up a big bowl of fresh whipping cream, add a splash of vanilla and some icing sugar to it, and then layer everything together on a plate. We place the cake into the refrigerator and then leave it overnight so the magic can take place. Those wafers soften into delicate cake-like layers, with whipped cream creating a dessert that’s simple, refreshing, cool and tastes like home.

The recipe itself lacks any real culinary skills. In fact, that’s part of its charm. You don’t need an oven, fancy ingredients, or professional baking supplies aside from a hand mixer. The icebox cake requires just some patience and is best completed with an extra set of hands. It helps to have one person hold the wafers up and another to gently spread the whipped cream on either side as the cake (either a log form or a circle) takes shape.

For my mom and me, we took our time with it and found that by placing a thin layer of whipped cream in the shape of the cake on the plate first, it helped the wafers stand up better. During this process, we’d talk and laugh and also help ourselves to the occasional rogue spill of whipped cream on the counter. The icebox cake is more than a summer staple; it’s a tradition for us.

Then in 2023, the chocolate wafers disappeared. Nabisco discontinued them after a nearly 100-year run.

For the last couple of summers, we’ve had to improvise with other wafer substitutes, and nothing compares. We are not the only disappointed family—there is a petition to “Bring Back Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers” found here with currently 12,807 signatures on it! Many of the comments on the petition website are about the icebox cake and how this special dessert means so much to families. It is a part of a shared culinary memory.

As for substitutes, graham crackers work, and other thin chocolate cookies come close. But none quite capture the same texture or nostalgia. Think about it this way...it is unusual for people to enjoy the cover of a song more than the original. That never happens to me, but I also prefer classic rock to modern music. This may sound dramatic for a cookie, but food is rarely just something you put in your mouth to eat. Food connects us and means something to families. It’s important culturally.

Food ties us to people, places, and moments in our lives. A particular recipe can transport you back to your childhood and bring you comfort, joy, and happy memories. Today, when my mom and I make the icebox cake with substitute cookies, we still enjoy the process. We lick the whipped cream off of our fingers and laugh while stacking the layers. We peek at it when it’s in the fridge and look forward to the first cool slice the next day. But we also find ourselves longing for the original wafers and wishing they were still around.

Nabisco, please bring back the chocolate wafer cookies!

Bring them back for the icebox cake lovers and for the families for whom the icebox cake is a meaningful tradition. This tradition should not be discontinued, and we need the best wafer cookies to keep this going.

Thumbnail Credit:

https://unsplash.com/photos/a-piece-of-cake-ML6lYOzanMU