Strawberry Icebox Cake

When it's too hot to turn on the oven, you know it's officially the season for no-bake desserts. This cool and creamy strawberry icebox cake is the perfect way to welcome warm, sunny days, plus it's one of the easiest strawberry desserts you'll ever make! Just whip up the creamy filling, layer it with graham crackers and berries, and it's ready to pop in the fridge. The best part? It can be made the night before! That means, once dessert time comes, all you have to do is pull it from the fridge, slice, and serve.

Why is it called an icebox cake?

Icebox cakes are named for the appliance they were originally stored in—the icebox, a non-mechanical ancestor of today's refrigerator. The no-bake dessert is made layering ingredients like wafers, cookies, or pound cake slices (this recipe uses graham crackers), a creamy filling, and fruit, chocolate, or whatever additions your heart desires. Once constructed, it's stored in the refrigerator until the cookies soften up. Then, it's sliced up and served chilled from the pan.

How do you make strawberry icebox cake?

First, you whip up some cream cheese until it's nice and soft. Then, add a little heavy cream to loosen up the cream cheese. Then add the rest of the cream and beat until soft peaks form into an easy whipped cream. Then, add a little of the cream mixture to the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch pan or dish, and layer with graham crackers, more cream, strawberries, and almonds. It's like making lasagna, but much sweeter!

How do you properly whip cream?

Whipped cream is easy to make at home. All it takes is a few minutes with an electric mixer (or a little longer with a strong arm and a whisk). Start with cold heavy cream—it creates the lightest whip! Then, simply beat the cream on medium speed, increasing the mixer's speed as the cream thickens. Most recipes will instruct you to whip cream until soft or stiff peaks are achieved. To test the cream, lift the beaters out of the cream. For soft peaks, the cream should be firm enough to just barely hold its shape with the peaks flopping over as the beaters are lifted. For stiff peaks, the cream should be firm enough to stand straight up when the beaters are lifted. Be sure not to over beat cream or it can end up curdled and grainy. This recipe calls for whipping cream cheese and heavy cream to create the perfect filling for this icebox cake.

Can you use Cool Whip for strawberry icebox cake?

You could, but the filling for this icebox cake is hard to beat! Not only is there homemade whipped cream involved, there's cream cheese, too. The cream cheese is whipped until smooth, then lightened up by the whipped cream to create the perfect rich, creamy, fluffy filling that is so much more delicious than Cool Whip. If you can swing it, we recommend sticking with the filling in this recipe.

Can you use chocolate graham crackers?

Absolutely! Feel free to change up the flavors in this dessert. Chocolate graham crackers would be an excellent addition. You can also switch up the fruit as you please.

What's the trick for making even layers?

The best way to make layers even is to use the same amount of each ingredient in each layer. For this dessert, we used about 12 graham cracker squares, 1 1/2 cups cream, 1 1/2 cups berries, and 1/4 cup almonds for each layer. There should be a little extra of everything left over for garnishing or later snacking.

Is strawberry icebox cake a good dessert to bring to potlucks?

Icebox cake is one of the best spring desserts for several reasons. First, because it's made in a baking dish, it's easy to travel with. After a long chill in the fridge, strawberry icebox cake will stay cool for sometime, but you can also pop it into an ice chest to keep it cooler for longer. Icebox desserts are great to feed a crowd, too, because they can be easily sliced and served.

Can strawberry icebox cake be made ahead of time?

Yes, in fact, it should be! This cake needs at least four hours to chill in the fridge before serving, but it can also be made a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge.