An ice maker assembly comprising: an ice-forming plate having a top surface and a bottom surface; a cooling source thermally coupled to the bottom surface of the ice-forming plate and configured to freeze water coming into contact with the top surface of the ice-forming plate; a containment wall surrounding the top surface of the ice-forming plate to define therewith an ice tray comprising ice wells that is configured to retain water; and an electrical drive body rotatably coupled to the ice tray, wherein the drive body is configured to oscillate the ice-forming plate in a rocking cycle about a transverse axis of the ice tray causing water to move repeatedly across the top surface of the ice-forming plate to form layers of an ice piece within the ice tray; characterized in that: the rocking cycle oscillates the ice tray in a first direction to move water against a first sidewall of the containment wall and in a second direction to move water against a second sidewall of the containment wall, and wherein the rocking cycle is configured to expose a top layer of the ice piece to air when the rocking cycle changes between the first direction and the second direction; the air is above freezing, and wherein the containment wall has a material with a lower thermal conductivity than the ice-forming plate that is applied to an upper portion of the ice wells and a top surface of walls of the ice wells to form an insulating layer; the cooling source includes an evaporator element coupled with the bottom surface of the ice-forming plate and extending in alignment with the transverse axis of the ice tray; and the evaporator element includes a first coil proximate a first end of the ice tray and a second coil proximate the second end of the ice tray, and wherein the first and second coils (424, 428) are configured to flex when the drive body rotates the ice tray. an ice-forming plate having a top surface and a bottom surface; a cooling source thermally coupled to the bottom surface of the ice-forming plate and configured to freeze water coming into contact with the top surface of the ice-forming plate; a containment wall surrounding the top surface of the ice-forming plate to define therewith an ice tray comprising ice wells that is configured to retain water; and an electrical drive body rotatably coupled to the ice tray, wherein the drive body is configured to oscillate the ice-forming plate in a rocking cycle about a transverse axis of the ice tray causing water to move repeatedly across the top surface of the ice-forming plate to form layers of an ice piece within the ice tray; characterized in that: the rocking cycle oscillates the ice tray in a first direction to move water against a first sidewall of the containment wall and in a second direction to move water against a second sidewall of the containment wall, and wherein the rocking cycle is configured to expose a top layer of the ice piece to air when the rocking cycle changes between the first direction and the second direction; the air is above freezing, and wherein the containment wall has a material with a lower thermal conductivity than the ice-forming plate that is applied to an upper portion of the ice wells and a top surface of walls of the ice wells to form an insulating layer; the cooling source includes an evaporator element coupled with the bottom surface of the ice-forming plate and extending in alignment with the transverse axis of the ice tray; and the evaporator element includes a first coil proximate a first end of the ice tray and a second coil proximate the second end of the ice tray, and wherein the first and second coils (424, 428) are configured to flex when the drive body rotates the ice tray. the rocking cycle oscillates the ice tray in a first direction to move water against a first sidewall of the containment wall and in a second direction to move water against a second sidewall of the containment wall, and wherein the rocking cycle is configured to expose a top layer of the ice piece to air when the rocking cycle changes between the first direction and the second direction; the air is above freezing, and wherein the containment wall has a material with a lower thermal conductivity than the ice-forming plate that is applied to an upper portion of the ice wells and a top surface of walls of the ice wells to form an insulating layer; the cooling source includes an evaporator element coupled with the bottom surface of the ice-forming plate and extending in alignment with the transverse axis of the ice tray; and the evaporator element includes a first coil proximate a first end of the ice tray and a second coil proximate the second end of the ice tray, and wherein the first and second coils (424, 428) are configured to flex when the drive body rotates the ice tray.