spiced dulce de leche banana icebox cake

Desserts

Spiced Dulce de Leche Banana Icebox Cake

I never tire of the fun of making an icebox cake. As a kid, I would often make them with my mom, getting them in the freezer in the afternoon so that they would be ready after dinner. It is an indulgence I was excited to pass down to my daughter, and I wanted to upgrade it a bit. The chocolate wafers were a must, but I decided to stir some dulce de leche into the whipped cream and layer in some bananas. I had long wanted to try making dulce de leche in a slow cooker, and it worked really well. It seemed silly to make only enough for this recipe, so there will be leftovers, which is hardly tragic. You can also use a jar of dulce de leche instead of making your own.

Ingredients

2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces dulce de leche
1 box chocolate wafers (like nabisco famous chocolate wafers)
2 bananas, sliced

Directions

Mix milk with spices and pour into three 8-ounce canning jars. Gently secure the lids, put in a slow cooker, and fill with hot water so that the water level is even with the top of the milk in the jars. Cook for about 6 hours on low, until milk has browned. Tighten lids and put in fridge.
Whip cream with vanilla and salt just until stiff peaks form. Drizzle in dulce de leche and mix until incorporated. Layer cookies, whipped cream, and banana slices. (I chose to expose the edges of the cookies à la Smitten Kitchen for a mix of crunch and soft cookie.) Put the cake in the freezer until firm, then let it sit on the counter about 10 minutes before serving.
Editors' note: We layered the cookies and the whipped cream by using 6 wafers for each layer, arranging them in the shape of a flower or a spoke, with one cookie at the center and 5 surrounding. We topped this with whipped cream, then put on a new layer of cookies, alternating with the layer below.