If you are looking for a simple, no-bake summer dessert, you have got to try this Easy Berry Icebox Cake. Although you need to chill it, the actual preparation takes less than 20 minutes!
What Makes This Berry Icebox Cake So Good?
One of my favorite things about this icebox cake, especially during the summer, is that it is a no-bake dessert. No heating up the house by turning on the oven!
Another great thing about this dessert is it is so simple to make! You only need a few ingredients, and aside from the time it takes to layer this cake, this icebox cake can be made quickly.
This is a light dessert as opposed to heavier desserts we eat in colder months. My version uses cream cheese instead of just whipped cream for a richer version.
What Is An Icebox Cake?
Icebox cakes became popular back in the 1920s and 1930s when housewives began to use their refrigerators, which were called iceboxes. With these iceboxes, they had more freedom in their cooking than before and could keep things chilled in their house for longer.
A lot of cookie companies, like Nabisco, were printing icebox cake recipes right on the back of their boxes and the dessert became very popular.
Although this recipe varies a little bit from a traditional icebox cake, it still holds true to the way it has always been made by layering a creamy filling and some type of cookie.
Ingredients
- Heavy whipping cream
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla
- Cream cheese
- Graham crackers
- Berries of choice– I used blueberries and strawberries.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Beat your chilled whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to stiff peaks.
- Blend your softened cream cheese and powdered sugar.
- Add half of the whipped cream mixture to your cream cheese and mix it together. Fold in the remaining whipped cream.This will give you a light, fluffy filling.
- Begin layering your filling with the graham creackers and berries.
- Allow this to chill for at least an hour to 2 hours before serving. This will soften the graham cracker slightly.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes For Making The Berry Icebox Cake
Make sure that your heavy cream is chilled before starting. If it is at room temperature it doesn’t beat as well, so make sure it is chilled, to begin with.
After you wash your berries you will want to dry them pretty well. If not, they will bleed inside of your cake and make a mess.
You want to chill this cake for at least 2 hours before serving to get the perfect texture. Otherwise, you end up with really crunchy graham crackers, and it makes the cake hard to cut. Softened graham crackers also give a really great texture inside of there.
Because this has heavy cream and cream cheese inside of it, make sure that this dessert stays chilled when you aren’t serving.
I would not recommend freezing this cake. It has heavy cream in it, which has a tendency to separate when you pull it out of the freezer, so this is best kept in the refrigerator.
You can use cool whip if you would like, but I prefer heavy whipping cream.
Variations Of This Cake
You can use other cookies when it comes to this cake. Oreos, vanilla wafers, golden Oreos, ladyfingers, or any other type of cookie are an option.
While I used strawberries and blueberries, you can use any berries you like. Or, you could choose other fruits, like peaches, nectarines, or even mangoes or bananas.
I have seen plenty of recipes that use pudding mix in them. If you like that, you can add it in with your cream cheese. I prefer it my way, but you can do it however you like.
How To Serve The Icebox Cake
It is best to serve this cake chilled, as mentioned above. Not only does it taste better but it also holds up better.
You can cut it into slices like I am showing in this post. Or, if you prefer, you can also just scoop it out with a spoon. I promise it will taste the same whatever way you choose to do it.
FAQ Icebox Cake
This dessert is best eaten within 2-3 days. The berries will start to break down and the dessert gets kind of ugly after a couple of days. The whipped cream as well doesn’t hold that long.
Yes, you can, but you will need to double this recipe.
Yes absolutely. You will need approximately 5-6 cups of cool whip for this recipe. If you do use the cool whip, omit the powdered sugar.
More Fruit Dessert Ideas
- Creamy Mascarpone Fruit Dip
- Strawberry Sugar Cookie Bars
- Raspberry Almond Shortbread Bites
- No-Bake Lime Cheesecake
- Apple Pie
- Cherry Slab Pie
- Cherry Ice Cream Float
- Roasted Plums
- Red White and Blue Overnight Oats
Easy Berry Icebox Cake
Equipment
- 9×9 pan
- hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar divided
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 2 sleeves graham crackers You might not use all of these, but it will be pretty close.
- 4 cups berries of choice Make sure and wash them and dry them before using. If you are using strawberries, slice them.
Instructions
- Whip heavy cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla to stiff peaks. Make sure the heavy cream is chilled before starting.
- Add cream cheese and 1/4 cup powdered sugar to medium-sized bowl. Beat until smooth.
- Add 1/2 whipped cream to the cream cheese mix. Mix until smooth.
- Fold in the remaining whipped cream.
- Now to start layering.
- Spread about 3/4 cup of the filling mix in the bottom of your pan. Add a layer of graham crackers on top of the filling.
- Make sure and try and fill the whole surface with graham crackers.
- Add about 1/3 of the remaining filling on top of the graham cracker layer and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle 1/3 of the berries over the top of the filling,
- Repeat 2 more times.
- Store in the fridge at least 2 hours before serving.
- This will hold well in the fridge up to 2-3 days. Make sure and wrap it tightly with saran wrap.
- Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!
This was delicious! So simple and so good. I doubled it for our crowd and put it in a 9×13 pan. I also used blueberries and strawberries as that is what looked the freshest at my store. I made it the day before my husband’s birthday so I wouldn’t be in the kitchen slaving away. Everyone said I could DEFINITELY make it again. 😊
I am so glad your family loved it! It is one of my oldest son’s favorite desserts! Happy birthday to the hubs!