Time Travel Kitchen Turns Four 🥳
Celebrating with icebox cakes and an interview with Jane Ratcliffe
Hi, Everyone. When I started writing Time Travel Kitchen four years ago, I had no idea just how much I’d love doing it. Thank you all so much for being here, for your comments and enthusiasm and good will. A special note of thanks to paid subscribers — as I’ve written before, not only do you keep me in ingredients, you boost my confidence.
Finally, to
and , who welcomed me and so many others to so warmly back in 2021, thank you. I wish you continued success as you embrace new opportunities in your brilliant careers — and I’m so glad you have your own Substack newsletters here so we can keep in touch!And now it’s time to start year five.
With appreciation to all,
Jolene
No Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers? No Problem.
In the last TTK post about Ronzoni Pastina being back on store shelves, I ended with a picture of the (sadly) discontinued hero ingredient of one-hundred-years of icebox cakes: Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers. I wistfully wished for their return.
To the rescue came my friend, the pie authority (“Piechiatrist”)
. In the comments, Kate posted a link to an NPR piece with a recipe that provides a substitute cookie for the chocolate wafers from the brilliant baker . The article also includes an icebox cake recipe and features another outstanding baker, , who wrote an entire book on icebox cakes. The link to everything is: HereIcebox cakes have been around since the early 1920’s — before the recipe on the Nabisco box, and before the first refrigerators. At their most basic, they only require three ingredients: whipped cream, a splash of vanilla, and wafer-type cookies of your choice.
They were named for the place they were stored: the icebox. Regular deliveries of heavy blocks of ice for the icebox kept households going.
The icebox cake in the photo at the top of the page is from 2021 (for an earlier post) that I made with the Famous Chocolate Wafers, which were around until 2023. An existing store-bought option is still Dewey’s — their cookies are thin and crisp and would work well for an icebox cake. If you’d like to make this century-old dessert, here are a few notes:
The cookie/wafer you choose should be thin. The fat and moisture from the cream softens the crispness of the wafer and makes it like a layer cake.
Make stacks of cookies with about a tablespoon of cream between each cookie. I put a layer of cream on the pan I made the cake on to hold the stacks in place while I assembled. The number of cookies you use depends on how wide you want the cake. I had 4 rows and each stack had 9 cookies.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Then, enjoy.
A delicious coincidence!
When I looked at
newsletter tonight, Zoë is featuring a Biscoff Icebox Cake from the new book Pretty Delicious by sisters Alia and Radwa Elkaffas and it looks gorgeous. Visit and you’ll see. ✨An Interview with Jane Ratcliffe
I was truly honored when the wonderful
of Beyond with Jane Ratcliffe invited me for an interview. I’ve linked to it below, it was such a nice way to mark my fourth year on Substack. Thank you, Jane! ✨
The Time Travel Kitchen
I thought I’d end with a picture of my former 1927 kitchen. My tiny, galley “Time Travel Kitchen”, the place that inspired this newsletter with its built in cutting board, bread box and original cabinets and sink. You could feel the friendly ghosts.
When I moved, the kitchens were about to be renovated, and the landlords allowed me to remove the cutting board and take it with me. Here it is in its natural habitat in the 1927 kitchen.
And now it lives on the counter of my 1969 apartment kitchen, where it continues to inspire me. ✨
Thanks again, everybody, see you soon!
Jolene
Woo hoo! Congratulations, Jolene!
ahhhhh I adore that interview and these photos and everyyyything you share with us!!! congrats on 4!!!!!