Friday, November 21, 2008

Zebra cake

When I was a child, I used to love to make this cake because I could make it all on my own. I think my mom called it a log cake but ever since I started making it with my son, it's been renamed the "zebra cake" and you'll see why once it's sliced.

It's one of the easiest and least expensive desserts anyone can make, and it only requires a couple of ingredients. It's perfect for those times when you're not looking for something pretty and fancy, but still want a little something sweet to bring to the table. The picture below shows all you'll need to get started.


Start by whipping 2 cups of heavy whipping cream. Then, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. As a child, I used a tub of Cool Whip which was fine, but I prefer the taste of freshly whipped cream sweetened with vanilla or a bit of powdered sugar.

Spoon some of the whipped cream on top of one chocolate wafer, top it with another wafer, top that one also with cream and put them on a plate once you've stacked up a few in your hand.



Then, simply repeat the process until the box of wafers is empty. And, by the way, it's perfectly fine to eat one or two right out of the box. In fact, I would say it's mandatory. :)



Once the cake is assembled, spread the remaining whipped cream all over the top and sides of the cake and refrigerate it for at least 4 to 5 hours. Don't do as I once did in a moment of impatience and assume it will be just fine after only a couple of hours in the fridge. The wafers will still be hard and the cake just won't be a good thing, so give it the 4 or 5 hours it needs.



You can certainly add some chocolate curls on top of the cake to give it a more finished look but I like to keep it quite simple. When you're ready to serve the cake, slice it on an angle.



And that's why at our house we call it a zebra cake!



It's important to note that this cake tastes and looks better if it's eaten within 24 to 48 hours. I make it in the early afternoon, serve it to my family for dessert that night and again the next day but longer than that and the cream starts to turn a bit brownish due to the wafers' color. Keep in mind that you can cut the ingredient amounts in half and make a smaller cake or you can freeze part of the cake (according to Nabisco).

Wishing you a wonderful day and as always, many sweet blessings!

37 comments:

Momzoo said...

That looks good. I will have to try it with my kids, they would have a blast putting that together.

Rebekah said...

That looks beautiful and delicious! I will have to try it.

Nicole said...

Mmmm... I've had a variation of this before and need to make it again. Tasty.

Melody, do you not have a feed on your blog? I have tried twice now to add you to my blog roll in my dashboard but it says you don't have a feed? Can you leave a comment on my blog and let me know if I'm missing something or if you have it tuned off.

Nicole said...

Well, nevermind. Even though it said that they couldn't add you, it did, and now your post is showing up. So, all fixed! :)

-Nicole

Abounding Treasures said...

Looks beautiful, easy and delicious ~ a perfect combination :o)

Carol said...

Oh goodie, another wonderful recipe from you! I will be trying this soon, thanks for sharing!
Blessings,
Carol

Nanny Ree said...

Looks wonderful & I like the name !!!! Marie x

Tardevil said...

And how simple is that? I know my daughter will love trying that one. I can't believe I've never seen the recipe for it before, and I've been around awhile & have tons of recipe books. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Melody: This is very fun and I have never seen itbefore..thanks for sharing a great recipe!

Susan B said...

What a cute cake! It looks very yummy, and easy to make. Thanks.

Vee said...

I remember having something like that when I was a child, too. I loved them! I'll be giving this a go one day soon. Thanks for the reminder. Wonder how those Anna wafers would work with it???

Bonnie Lacy said...

Melody, I so enjoy your blog. It refreshes me! I have gotten so lazy, with my hubby gone a lot, and you inspire me to have fun, to give myself just a little more effort. Just for the sake of enjoyment!

Thanks for stopping by on my blog, too! God's Blessings!

Bonnie

RoyalTLady said...

Melody,

It looks so simply delllliciousss!

So, It really needs so much patience for a superb taste, eh?

Lynn said...

This looks like a really fun cake to make with kids. I love the zebra name, too :) Thanks for stopping by my blog. It's good to meet you!

Patty H. said...

Yum!! That looks good.

Bobbi Jo Nichols said...

I think I just gained 10 lovely pounds and drooled all over my keyboard. That looks so good. This is on my list to make this week. YUMMY! What a fun treat.
Thank you for visiting my blog. May I say that your tea room is just gorgeous! LOVE IT!
Hugs, Bobbi Jo-AZ

Linda said...

What a great recipe! My favorite ingredients - chocolate and whipped cream! Thanks for sharing this one.
I love the sweet little plate too.
Have a blessed weekend.

Susan said...

This looks great. I must try this some time soon. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving me a comment.
Susan

Deb said...

What a great looking cake!

Anonymous said...

Hi there, tahnk you for dropping in, I came by to thank you and WOW, look at your recipe. Now I will surely copy that into my Blogland folder. Oh yum, my kind of dessert. Come by anytime for a visit, i'm almost always home.

Hugs,
Chris

Ohio_Momto3boys said...

I haven't thought of this cake in YEARS! YUMMMY! I can remember asking for this as a kid for birthdays.
THanks for the thoughts!
Katie at Cold Noodles

PS My family's in Charlotte NC and RIchmond VA. Close to you in the "southeast?"

Susanne said...

Yummy! It looks great too!

50s Housewife said...

How cute and what an appropriate name! :)

Kathi~Lavender, Lace and Thyme said...

That looks wonderful and easy, it looks like a very elegant desert to serve. Thank you for the wonderful recipe :)

Blessings,
Kathi :)

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

I LOVE THAT!! I haven't seen that cake before, and it's adorable.

Jess said...

Sounds great and looks great too. I will have to try this sometime.

Have a happy holiday

Love, Jess

Lib said...

HI,
That looks good and sound Delish!
Thanks for sharing!
Blessins',Lib

Carole Burant said...

Oh yummmm, that does look delicious and easy to make! I had seen this recipe on a package before and had meant to try it but never did. Now that I have the recipe again, there's no reason not to make it:-) xoxo

SarahHub said...

What a simple and clever cake! I will try it for sure!

Diane@Diane's Place said...

What a neat idea! I don't care much for chocolate but most of my family are chocolate fiends and I know they'd love this. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Have a great week!

Hugs,

Diane

Kristy said...

Hi Melody, Thanks for stopping by Yellow House and saying "Hi". It is nice to meet you.

I am looking forward to trying some of your recipes. I am not a gourmet cook but I love a good easy recipe. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Tammy said...

I might have to try this although I'm not sure we have those cookies in Canada...I've never seen them anyway. My kids do love to cook!

Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to read and comment over at my place.

Blessings for your day!

Anonymous said...

Hello! I finally got a chance to come by and see you and have to say that I will be running out to get the ingredients for this "cake" ASAP! It looks really yummy and I LOVE that it is simple enough for my 4 (almost 5)year-old and 6 year-old to make by themselves. I'm so glad that you said to be sure to wait for the full 4-5 hours because I know that we'd be tempted to cut into it earlier. :-)

Nancy Rosalina said...

OOOH, that looks wonderful! I will try that. Nancy

Domestically Inclined said...

Oh thank you, just what is needed for a little zebra loving girl.

Joelle Dolce Bebe said...

WOW!
So light & yummy!
This is a perect recipe for my girls to do!
Thank you so much for sharing!
(((HUGS)))
Joelle XO

Darlene said...

I'm going to have to check this one out too.

Love and Blessing.