Strawberry Icebox Cake is a cool and creamy dessert that everyone will love! It’s easy to make yet looks really impressive on a plate.
If you like Oreos dipped in milk, you will LOVE this Strawberry Icebox Cake!
It’s made with chocolate wafers layered with whipped cream and strawberries. The wafer cookies get soft as the cake sits in the refrigerator, just like when an Oreo is dipped in milk!
Icebox Cake is an old fashioned dessert. Instead of baking it, the cake gets placed in the refrigerator. Prior to the 1950s, when refrigerators became more standard in homes, many homes had an icebox as a means of keeping food cold. The icebox is where this cake gets its name!
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How to substitute Chocolate wafer Cookies
Traditionally, this icebox cake was made with Nabisco chocolate wafers, and they could easily be found at the local grocery store. However, in February 2023 Nabisco discontinued their famous cookies!
But, don’t despair; you can still make the perfect icebox cake with a little creativity.
- Oreos: Oreos are a great substitute because the chocolate wafers tasted identical to the chocolate cookie part of an Oreo. You can scoop the filling out or just layer the Oreos whole.
- Chocolate graham crackers: Another easy substitution that should be very easy to find.
- Other chocolate wafer brands: Although I haven’t tried them myself, there are several other brands of chocolate wafer cookies available online and occasionally in grocery stores. Just use your best judgement. If it’s a crunchie chocolate cookie or cracker, it’ll probably work just fine!
Ingredients
You need just 5 ingredients for this recipe:
- Chocolate wafers or cookies (see ideas above)
- Heavy cream, which gets sweetened with powdered sugar and flavored with vanilla extract
- Fresh strawberries
How to make strawberry icebox cake
Start by slicing the strawberries very thinly.
Then, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Spread a layer of whipped cream into the bottom of the pan.
Top the whipped cream with a layer of chocolate wafers or, breaking or overlapping the wafers if needed.
Add another layer of whipped cream and wafer cookies, then top that layer with sliced strawberries.
I chose to do strawberries every other layer, so mine went like this:
- Whipped cream
- Wafer cookies
- Whipped cream
- Wafer cookies
- Strawberries
- (repeat)
End with a layer of whipped cream, and cover with plastic wrap.
Transfer the loaf pan to the refrigerator, and let chill for at least 4 hours, or up to 12 hours.
When you’re ready to serve it, remove the cake from the refrigerator, unwrap, and invert onto a serving platter.
Crumble additional chocolate wafer cookies on top, and garnish with fresh strawberries.
Use a very sharp knife to carefully slice the cake, and serve!
Make it ahead
The great news is, Strawberry Icebox Cake is the ultimate make-ahead dessert—it’s created to be made ahead!
You’ll want to make the cake 4–12 hours before serving it. Any less and the chocolate wafers won’t be as soft. Any more and the whipped cream may start to deflate.
I don’t recommend freezing icebox cake. It will change the texture of the whipped cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
Icebox cake lasts for about a day in the refrigerator. After that, the whipped cream may start to deflate. It’ll still taste delicious on days 2–4 though!
Substitute Oreo cookies or graham crackers (chocolate or regular). You can also experiment with other brands of chocolate wafer cookies.
Yes! A traditional icebox cake is just whipped cream and wafer cookies.
More no-bake desserts
I LOVE a good no-bake dessert. Here are a few other winners:
- Mississippi Mud Ice Cream Pie
- Special K Bars
- Banana Split Cake
- No-Bake Chocolate Cookies
- No-Bake Raspberry Pie
- Easy Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert
- Chocolate Eclair Cake
- Strawberry Pie with Jello
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (9 oz) package chocolate wafer cookies or Oreos or graham crackers
- 2 cups very thinly sliced strawberries
Instructions
- Line a 9×5 inch baking dish with plastic wrap, letting some hang over the edges so it’ll form a sling from the icebox cake.
- Finely chop 4 wafer cookies (we’ll use these for decorating the top of the cake).
- Place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy, and soft peaks form.
- Spread a thin layer of whipped cream into the bottom of the lined baking dish.
- Top with a layer of chocolate wafer cookies, overlapping the cookies as necessary to cover the cream. Then add a thin layer of whipped cream, another layer of chocolate wafer cookies, then a layer of thinly sliced strawberries.
- Repeat with whipped cream, wafer cookies, whipped cream, wafer cookies, and strawberries until the pan is filled.
- Cover the top with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan, holding it like a sling, and invert the cake onto a serving platter.
- Garnish the top with crumbled cookies, then use a sharp knife to cut the cake into slices. Serve immediately.
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