Icebox Cakes

An icebox cake is a dairy-based dessert made with cream, fruits, nuts and wafers and set in the refrigerator. The icebox cake is derived from similar desserts such as the charlotte and the trifle and made to be more accessible to prepare. It was first introduced to the US in the 1920s, as companies were promoting the icebox as a kitchen appliance. Its popularity rose in the 1920s and 30s, as it used many commercial shortcuts and pre-made ingredients, such as pre-packaged cookies instead of sponges or ladyfingers that people had to bake at home. In response to the dish's popularity, companies that manufactured ingredients for the cake, such as condensed milk and wafer cookies, began printing recipes on the backs of their boxes, including those of Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers.