This Strawberry Icebox Cake looks and tastes like you spent your whole morning in the kitchen when all you really did was slap some strawberries, whipped cream, and graham crackers together. Even if you’ve never baked a thing in your life, you can make this recipe.
This recipe is one you may have seen before. It’s an old-fashioned Strawberry Icebox Cake just like our grandmothers made.
According to my research, icebox cakes originated in the 1920’s as a way for Nabisco to promote some of their cookie wafer products. The original icebox cakes were simply cookies layered with whipped cream and allowed to stand until the cookies softened and became very much like a thin cake layer.
This old-fashioned icebox recipe uses plain graham crackers, layered with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Yum. This is the easiest recipe I know for a no-bake strawberry dessert. Just layer everything in a 9×13 dish and let it sit for a while. Then slice and serve!
— This post was originally published on April 22, 2013. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Recipe Snapshot
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: None
Total Time: 20 Minutes (plus at least 4 hours refrigeration)
Servings: 10
Primary Ingredient(s): Strawberries, whipping cream, sugar, graham crackers
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I made this icebox cake today to take to my daughter’s home where we had a small get-together and EVERYBODY loved it!”
— Mary K.
What Makes This Recipe Special
This Strawberry Icebox Cake has earned its place as a go-to dessert because it fits into so many occasions. It’s perfect in the summer when keeping the kitchen cool matters, just as welcome on Valentine’s Day when strawberries always make an appearance, and it even works beautifully as a birthday cake with a few candles on top.
Layers of fresh strawberries, lightly sweetened whipped cream, and graham crackers chill into a dessert that slices neatly and looks pretty. It’s a make-ahead dessert you can rely on, polished enough for special occasions while still being simple and approachable to prepare.
Ingredient Notes
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- Fresh Strawberries – Choose strawberries that are plump, ripe, and bright red without any visible blemishes. If you can taste one before buying, even better!
- Sugar – A small amount of granulated, white sugar is used to sweeten the berries and start the juices flowing.
- Heavy Whipping Cream, Confectioner’s (Powdered) Sugar, Vanilla Extract – These three ingredients are combined to make the whipped cream that is slathered between the cake layers. See the instructions below for details. If you’d rather not make the whipped cream yourself, feel free to substitute a purchased whipped topping such as Cool Whip (you’ll need to thaw it in the refrigerator before using it).
- Graham Crackers – These form the “layers” of the cake and may be substituted with other types of cookies as outlined later in the post.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook!
You can see this recipe on page 280 of my cookbook, My Southern Table! Get your signed copy today.
How to Make Strawberry Icebox Cake
Prepare the Strawberries
- Start by washing, hulling, and slicing 2 pounds of fresh, ripe strawberries.
- Place the sliced strawberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Toss lightly to combine, and allow to sit for about 15 minutes.
Pro Tip
Allowing the strawberries to sit for a few minutes with the sugar will start drawing out the juices.
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Whip the Cream
- Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Take care not to over-whip the cream. Add the confectioner’s (powdered) sugar and vanilla extract. Mix again briefly to combine.
Layer the Cake
- On a rimmed platter or 9×13 baking pan, spread a small amount (just enough to hold the first layer of crackers in place) of the whipped cream. Begin layering: start with graham crackers, then a layer of strawberries, and a layer of whipped cream.
- Continue until you have four layers in all, ending with a layer of whipped cream.
- And now, here’s the hardest part of making this dessert. You have to cover it and let it sit in the refrigerator (or “icebox” if you like) for at least 4 hours! No, you can’t slice it right now and dive into that whipped cream, strawberry, graham cracker goodness. You must have patience. Something I sorely lack. But your icebox cake needs that time for all the cream and strawberry juices to be absorbed into the cookies and work its magic.
- When you’re ready to serve this stack of deliciousness, just cut it into squares and top each with a fresh strawberry.
Recipe Tips
- Drizzle the top lightly with chocolate syrup.
- Substitute the strawberries with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries…whatever’s currently in season and fresh!
- Substitute all or part of the graham crackers with vanilla wafers, Oreos, shortbread cookies, gingersnaps, or digestive biscuits. I often add one or two layers of Oreo Thins or Pepperidge Farm Chessman Cookies. Just be sure that the cookie you choose is a sturdy, crispy cookie. Soft cookies won’t work well in this recipe.
How to Store
Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. This cake is easiest to store in a rigid container rather than wrapping with plastic – plastic wrap sticks to the whipped cream and makes a bit of a mess, to be honest.
It’s also possible to freeze the completed cake. Assemble the cake on a freezer-safe baking pan or dish. Place the cake and pan, uncovered, in the freezer for 24 hours. Remove the frozen cake from the pan and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Place the wrapped cake in a sturdy container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Questions About Strawberry Icebox Cake
For a gluten-free option, substitute with gluten-free graham crackers or other sturdy, gluten-free cookie.
It depends, of course, on the size of the slices, but it should yield about 10 servings more or less.
Of course, you can use Cool Whip whipped topping if you like. But there’s really nothing better than homemade! It only takes a few minutes and tastes so much better.
More Recipes You’ll Like
Homemade Strawberry Jam
Strawberry Jello Pie
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Banana Split Icebox Cake
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
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Recipe
Strawberry Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 20 whole graham crackers
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries and spread them on a double thickness of paper towels to dry.2 pounds fresh strawberries
- Hull and slice the strawberries into a large bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar, toss to combine and allow to sit for about 15 minutes.2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Add the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract. Whip again briefly to combine.3 cups heavy whipping cream, ⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- On a rimmed platter or in a 9×13 baking pan, spread a small amount of the whipped cream. Begin layering starting with the graham crackers, then a layer of strawberries, and a layer of whipped cream.20 whole graham crackers
- Continue layering until you have four layers . End with a layer of whipped cream.
- Cover loosely with foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until the graham crackers and cookies have softened.
- Cut into servings and top each with a fresh strawberry.
Notes
- The assembled recipe needs time to chill so the graham crackers soften into cake-like layers. For best results, refrigerate at least 4 hours; overnight is even better.
- A 9×13-inch dish works well, but you can also assemble the cake on a rimmed platter for a more traditional layered look. You may need a few extra graham crackers depending on the dish you use.
- Store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days. The cake can also be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Lana, some of the questions posed to cooks indicate that the questioners have not even read the entire recipe; that’s why I wish you and others would include extras like chilling time, setting time and rising time. Thanks for reading.
Love the recipe but take issue with total time being listed as 20 minutes when chilling time is one hour minimum.
Hi Diane. I don’t count standing or chilling time in total time. It’s hands-on and cooking time only.
I am having a group of ladies over in two weeks, if you make this icebox
cake the evening before will it still be nice for the next afternoon? Or do you advise getting up early and making it. My friends are coming at noon.
I would definitely make it the night before, Rosemarie. It needs a long standing time for all the wafers to soften. Just be sure to cover it well so that the whipped cream doesn’t dry out.
We can’t get fresh OR frozen strawberries here, but occasionally get cans of strawberry pie filling…think that would work if I rinsed the strawberries?
I’m pretty skeptical that would work, Marie. Maybe try a different berry or fruit. Or just leave them out. The original icebox cakes were just cookie wafers and whipped cream.
Okay….maybe I COULD just make it without the fruit, but just before serving, top each serving with a bit of the strawberry pie filling??
We actually have a similar dessert here called “mango float”… pretty tasty!!
Good idea!
Just wondering if you can use cool whip or a whipped topping instead of heavy whipping cream? Just curious.
I’m sure you could, Becky! I just don’t care for whipped topping so I always use whipping cream.
Ok I’ve never used heavy whipping cream before . I will try it thank you. Just mix it with beaters, is it found by the milk
No you can’t use cool whip because then the cookies never get soft. I used cool whip for the stand up chocolate recipe and they never got soft. There must be something different in real whipping cream that makes the cookies get soft, which is what you want. For everyone who is having trouble finding the cookies; they are called Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers and are “always ” on the top shelf in the grocery store where the cookies are located.
Gerry – the difference is that Cool Whip is mostly oil. Whipping cream is a dairy product, the fattest part of the milk. Also, in each of the grocery stores where I shop the Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers are *always* in the ice cream cone and toppings section.
Fabulous dessert! But my market didn’t have chocolate wafers. So I bought chocolate sandwich cookies, (the cheapest kind), scraped off the frosting (used it on the left-over graham crackers), and it worked just fine.
Great idea, Heather! Glad it worked out for you.
We always make icebox cake with ONLY the chocolate wafers, standing on end. Will try this with graham crackers and the chocolate wafers.
Jeannie-I’m trying to figure out how you assemble it with the chocolate wafers standing on end. I’d love to know how that’s done!
Wonder how it would be just using layers of choc graham crackers?
I’m sure it would be just delicious, Elyse!
I don’t think I have ever made an icebox cake, but I have heard how lovely they are! This cake would be awesome for any summer bbq gathering, and looks like it tastes AWESOME!!! Love that you added the chocolate cookies along with the graham crackers:-) Hugs, Terra
Thanks, Terra! This is a great summer time dessert especially because there’s no baking required! You can keep the oven off and the house cool.
I’ve never made an icebox cake, but I’m loving the looks of this one, for sure!! :)
You should try one, Brenda! They’re really great for summer when it’s too hot to bake.
Growing up, icebox cake was one of my all time favorite desserts! Love the idea of mixing the chocolate with the graham crackers -making a note to try that the next time I make an icebox cake!
Nancy – I was getting the graham crackers out of the pantry and the box of chocolate wafers literally fell in my hand. I took it as a sign :-)
I have been trying every supermarket to find the Nabiscos Chocolate wafers and have had no luck. Just come from a Walmart superstore.
Can somebody please help me. I need them urgently.
In my grocery stores, they’re *never* with the cookies. They’re with the ice cream cones and ice cream toppings.
Goodness. I love the mix of graham and chocolate wafers. This looks delightful.
Shaina – that one little layers of chocolate wafers really added a nice touch to the original recipe. Just the right amount of chocolate!
This looks delicious! Strawberries and whipped cream and chocolate…that’s what I call paradise in dessert. (:
Isn’t that almost a perfect combination, Monica? Strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate are always winners!
Looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it for my family.
Thanks, Lora. Hope your family enjoys it as much as we did.
I love old fashioned ice box cakes, and this one looks amazing!!
Thanks, Deborah. We sure did like it. Especially the chocolate wafer layer. I may make another one with just chocolate wafers and strawberries!