Black Forest Icebox Cake

Nonstick cooking spray for the pan

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 cups heavy cream

¾ cup cherry preserves

2 tablespoons kirsch

50 thin chocolate wafer cookies

2 cups stemmed, pitted and halved sweet cherries, plus optional stem-on cherries for decorating

Instructions: Grease the sides of a round 9-inch springform pan that is 3 inches deep with cooking spray. Line the sides with a strip of parchment.

Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Turn off the mixer, add the heavy cream, cherry preserves and kirsch and whisk on low until incorporated. Gradually increase the speed to mediumhigh and whisk the mixture until it holds stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes, making sure to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula so that it is fully incorporated.

Spread a layer of whipped cream mixture on the bottom of the pan and cover with a layer of cookies, filling any gaps with broken cookies (breaking them, if necessary). You want a reasonably solid layer where the pieces touch or overlap a little bit, but it doesn’t need to be completely solid. Scatter 2⁄3 cup cherries on top of the cookies. Continue layering with the whipped cream, cookies and cherries two more times, ending with a final layer of cream.

Cover the top of the cake and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Crumble any remaining cookies and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

To serve, remove the sides of the pan and peel away the parchment strip. Place the cake on a serving plate, sprinkle the top with the reserved crumbled cookies, garnish with whole cherries and slice as you would a layer cake.

Note: If you want to cut the cake into thin pieces to get 16 slices, it is best to freeze it for about 30 minutes first.

Make ahead: The unsliced cake will keep, loosely covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen, after it has set up in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, for up to 1 month. Defrost the cake in the refrigerator overnight before you plan to serve it.

Storage: Leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and refrigerated, and are best within 1 day.

Makes 16 servings

Nutrition per serving based on 16: calories 336; total fat 26 g; saturated fat 15 g; cholesterol 85 mg; sodium 171 mg; carbohydrates 24 g; dietary fiber 1 g; sugar: 17 g; protein 3 g