Strawberry Icebox Cake is a no-bake refrigerator cake made with fresh strawberries and layers of graham cracker wafers softened by whipped cream and vanilla pudding mixture!
This no-bake strawberry dessert recipe is easy to make, and never fails as there is no mixer or baking involved.
WHAT IS AN ICEBOX CAKE?
Old-fashioned icebox cakes traditionally consist of layers of cookies (such as graham crackers, Oreos or wafers) with whipped cream filling in between the layers. They need to be refrigerated for over 4 hours or overnight to turn into a delicious cake. That’s why it’s also called refrigerator cake.
The fillings are usually made of of whipped topping, vanilla pudding mix and cream cheese or something else that’s creamy, moist and soft.
THE BEST ICEBOX CAKE RECIPE
Strawberry Icebox Cake is my favorite no-bake cake recipe. It’s creamy, light and full of fresh strawberries. The best part? It’s super easy to make and takes minutes to assemble everything!
The first step is to make the vanilla pudding custard. Mix the instant pudding with milk, and then add in softened cream cheese, whisk until smooth.
Next, you will whip your heavy cream to stiff peaks, and then fold into the pudding mixture. Alternatively, you can use thawed whipped topping or cool whip.
Lastly, you will assemble your icebox cake in a 13 x 9 inch pan greased with non-stick cooking spray. Start with the pudding mixture at the bottom, and add a single layer of graham crackers. Then spread more pudding mixture on top of graham crackers, sprinkle sliced strawberries (I also added some blueberries). Repeat with two more layers of graham crackers, pudding mixture and berries.
Place it into the refrigerator and let the graham crackers absorb moisture from the custard and soften into a cake-like texture that totally melts in your mouth!
TIPS FOR STRAWBERRY REFRIGERATOR CAKE
- Use instant pudding mix instead of traditional pudding mix for this recipe.
- Make sure your cream cheese is softened before you add it into the pudding mixture.
- This is a great make-ahead dessert recipe and good for up to 2 days when it’s kept chilled. >
STRAWBERRY ICEBOX CAKE VARIATIONS:
Icebox cake recipe is versatile and you can change the cookies, fillings or fruits for different variations. Here are some great choices:
Cookie Options: Besides graham cracker icebox cake, Oreo, gingersnaps or chocolate wafer also works well with this recipe.
Other Filling Options: Different flavors can be added to your vanilla pudding mixture such as lemon, mocha or peanut butter. You can also swap the vanilla pudding mix for chocolate pudding and make a chocolate icebox cake!
Fruit ideas: Besides strawberries and blueberries, you can add banana or other berries. You can even add some mini marshmallows for a s’mores icebox cake!
You can use all kinds of combinations to create this easy dessert! It literally melts in your mouth and will be your family’s fave too!
Strawberry Icebox Cake
Strawberry Icebox Cake is a no-bake refrigerator cake made with fresh strawberries and layers of graham cracker wafers softened by whipped cream!
Ingredients
- 15 sheets graham crackers 16 oz
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 7 oz vanilla instant pudding mix 2 small boxes
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 cups whipped cream or whipped topping
- 3 cups fresh strawberries chopped (plus 12-15 halved for topping)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries optional
Instructions
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Wash strawberries and pat dry with paper towel. Chop them into small pieces
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In a medium bowl, mix the instant pudding with milk.
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Add in softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth.
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Whip your heavy cream to stiff peaks. And then fold into the pudding mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.
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Grease a 13×9 inch dish and add a thin layer of pudding mixture onto the bottom.
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Add a single layer of graham crackers on top. Break the cook if needed to cover.
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Spread a 1/2″ thick layer of pudding mixture on top of the graham crackers to cover using a spatula.
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Arrange 1/3 of the berries on top of the pudding layer.
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Repeat the graham cracker / pudding mixture / strawberries layering two more times, finishing with the berries.
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Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours up to 2 days. Enjoy!
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