4th of July Icebox Cake (video)
This icebox cake is cool and refreshing with its layers of softened graham crackers, luscious cream filling, and fresh berries. It’s easy to make, there is no baking, and it can be made in advance. It’s a perfect summer treat and a great way to celebrate the 4th of July!
With the 4th of July coming up, I thought I would salute my American friends, family, and followers with a festive and patriotic dessert. So something red, white and blue to celebrate the nation’s independence. I also wanted to make something cold and summery to celebrate the season. A lovely icebox cake dressed with blueberries and strawberries seemed to fit all the criteria.
Why this recipe is so great:
- No-bake dessert – There is no need to turn on your oven during the summer heat with this recipe. Just assemble and let the cake set in the fridge.
- Make-ahead recipe – You can make this cake 4 hours in advance or the day before, so it gives you plenty of time to prepare for and enjoy the party.
- Tastes amazing and can feed a crowd – This 4th of July icebox cake tastes like a fancy torte or 3-tier fruit-filled cream cake, but it’s so much easier to make. The flavor in this cake is nutty from the graham crackers, creamy from the filling and slightly tart from the fresh berries. It’s not too sweet and best served cold. It’s an easy make-ahead dessert, yet it’s impressive and can feed a crowd.
- Here are some reviews:
“I made this yesterday with some berries I had picked with my boys. We all loved it. Not overly sweet, so it’s easy to eat. I love that it’s nice and cold from the fridge, just the thing you want on a hot July day. And she’s right, the mix of the sweet cream with the tart berries is the perfect combo.” – Sara
“Made this for the 4th of July picnic and everyone loved it. It’s hard to stop eating it if the pan is in front of you.” – Steven
How to make this no-bake 4th of July dessert:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- You start by beating the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Set aside.
- Then you combine a block of cream cheese with the instant vanilla pudding mix.
- Slowly mix in the milk.
- Fold in the whipped cream until the mixture is combined.
- In a 9×13″ pan, spread a thin layer of cream on the bottom and layer some graham crackers on top.
- Spread 1/3 of the cream mixture on top of the crackers followed by a cup of blueberries.
- Repeat for another layer with strawberries.
- Then finish the last layer with the remaining crackers, cream, and berries. Chill for 4 hours or overnight and let the fridge do its magic.
While the cake chills in the fridge, the graham crackers soften into a tender cake-like layer. Even the berries get more flavorful and softened by the cream as well. It’s like a marriage of all the flavors and textures between all the layers. There is a tanginess from the cream cheese in the filling and a rich vanilla flavor from the pudding mix. The whipped cream adds a light-airy texture to the filling. The overall dessert is cool, creamy and not too sweet.
Expert tips:
- Make sure the cream cheese is softened – Take your cream cheese out 1 hour before you plan to start to ensure that it’s softened. This will make it much easier to mix with the other ingredients, especially the milk.
- Add the milk slowly and gradually – Adding the milk a little at a time and mix in between will prevent a lumpy cream mixture. But not to worry of your cream mixture does get lumpy during the process, just keep mixing and it will become smooth.
FAQ:
- Why is it called an icebox cake? This style of cake was created back in the 1920s before refrigerators were invented and most homes were equipped with iceboxes. The name stems from the fact that an icebox was used to set the cake instead of an oven. (source: Baking Bites)
- Can you freeze this icebox cake? No, because the texture of the fresh fruit in the cake will change once frozen.
- How long does this icebox cake last? This icebox cake will last 2-3 day covered and stored in the fridge.
You might also like:
- Mini Cheesecakes topped with berries (red, white and blue)
- No-Bake Key Lime Pie
- Cheesecake Rice Krispie Treats (red, white and blue)
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Easy Eggless Tiramisu
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
Print4th of July Icebox Cake
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: 12-16
- Category: dessert
- Method: no-bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This icebox cake is cool and refreshing with its layers of softened graham crackers, luscious cream filling and fresh berries.
Ingredients
- 1 box (400g) graham crackers
- 1 pkg (250g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 pkgs (102g each or 3.4oz each) INSTANT vanilla pudding mix (see notes*)
- 2 & 1/2 cups (625ml) milk
- 3/4 cup (188ml) heavy cream
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 2 cups blueberries
Instructions
- In a medium bowl and using an electric mixer; beat the heavy cream until stiff. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and the dry pudding mix until combined. Slowly and gradually beat in the milk until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream.
- Spread a thin layer of the cream mixture onto the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. Layer the graham crackers on top. Spread 1/3 of the cream onto the crackers. Sprinkle half of the blueberries over the cream.
- Repeat with another layer of crackers, cream, and half of the strawberries.
- Repeat with a final layer of crackers and the remaining cream. Decorate with the rest of the berries. Cover and chill for 4 hours or overnight. Serve cold.
Notes
Leftovers can be covered and stored in the fridge for 2-3 days.
*The vanilla pudding mix gives the cream filling a slight yellow tinge. If you want the cake to be pure white, you can use white chocolate pudding mix or add an extra layer of whipped cream or cool whip on top before adding the final layer of berries.
Recipe adapted from Cakescottage.
Delicious and so easy to make. I put too much cream on the first layer to completely cover the top so I just covered the top with whip cream from a can before adding the berries. I think I will continue to do this because the spray can gave the top a prettier finish than my whip cream which did have a yellow tinge. Thank you for sharing this , it’s definitely a keeper.
You’re very welcome, Mary! Great save with the whipped cream from a can and thank you for your feedback!
Can I use Whipping cream instead of Heavy cream?
Yes, you can! Enjoy:)
Not sure if you received my question. Can this icebox cake be made two days in advance?
Yes, it can! However, I would wait to top the final layer of berries the day of so it looks fresh. Enjoy:)
I use heavy whipping cream like the recipe called for but I could not get it to whip stiff. Can you give me some helpful tips. I just tried and tried and tried and instead of wasting the whole carton of whipping cream I just used it in the recipe and I guess it taste okay.
You have to be patient. It takes time to whip to stiff peaks. How long did you whip it for? Also, was the whipping cream cold? It’s much easier to whip cold cream.
When I first started out I did not have the bowl cold the whipping cream was cold and using my KitchenAid I just used my paddle not the Whisk and I whipped it I believe too fast. I ended up using the entire container of whipping cream and instead of wasting it I tried to salvage it somewhat and it was absolutely delicious.
This looks and sounds so good. I am going to make this for the 4th of July. Can I make the cake two and a half days in advance? Thank you.
I’m confused on which cream to use at which step. Which step is the heavy cream whipped into stiff peaks used, as opposed to the cream cheese pudding mixture? Thanks in advance, looking forward to making this, looks Dlish.
Hi Rick,
You start by beating the heavy cream to stiff peaks, set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, pudding, and milk. Then fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese pudding mixture. I hope this helps and pls feel free to reply back with any further questions. Enjoy the cake!
Hi, why is my filling so runny? Do I need to put it in the fridge?
No, once the cake is fully assembled and you chill the whole cake in the fridge it will thicken.
I wish I would have saw this BEFORE I made it!!! I have to bring this to a party. I have no idea the affect it will have.
I hope everything works out! Fingers crossed for you.
Is there a way to make this with out the cream cheese? My wife does not eat any type of cheese.
There’s not many substitute for cream cheese that’s not cheese. You could try adding another 1/2 cup of heavy cream, so you’ll be whipping up a total of 1 & 1/4 cups to make up the difference.
The picture of the cut dessert shows three layers of graham crackers, but the recipe instructions only call for two. Did I miss something?
There is the bottom layer with half the blueberries, a middle layer with half the strawberries, and a top layer with both berries. My apologies for not making that clearer in the instructions.
Awesome.
Can you use something other than graham crackers?
Yes, you can use digestive biscuits or vanilla wafers.
Can we make this recipe with chocolate pudding and chocolate milk?
I don’t see why not. It will be very chocolaty and a bit sweeter using chocolate milk. Let me know how you like it:)
I love this recipe and use it yearly. Is there a way to make it gluten-free?
Thank you! Yes, simply use gluten-free graham crackers. Most grocery stores should them or you can order them online.
Will this do well as a trifle? I guess I would need to break up the Graham crackers because of the round shape of the bowl but sounds like it would be even prettier than in a cake pan.
Yes, you can make this into a trifle. Just fit the graham crackers as best you can and you’ll probably need a few more layers depending on how deep your bowl is.
I made the cake night before last, then did trifle this morning. It’s very good both ways.
Hi! I made the filling and followed the directions, but it came out yellow. I looked at the pictures, and it was white. I was wondering if it was the lighting, or it was white. Did I maybe do something wrong?
I do use bright lighting in my photos. Naturally, the filling should be a light cream color, not yellow. It probably was just the kind of pudding mix you used, so I don’t think you did anything wrong. I hope it was still tasty!
I made this yummy recipe yesterday. At first I thought I hadn’t whipped the cream cheese and pouding enough ,saw tiny lumps when I incorporated the whip cream.But I put in the fridge,and with the great Quebec stawberry ‘s at this time of year,It was A terrific dessert.Easy ,fast ,Delicious. Thanks,we really enjoyed it.
I struggled making this cake. The recipe posted calls for two (102 g) boxes of instant vanilla pudding = 204 grams. A small one ounce package of vanilla pudding is 28 g., A large five ounce package of pudding is 141 g. I opted to go with the small one ounce package, and bought 8, after adding seven of the boxes to the recipe (196 g), my recipe was a mess! I can only surmise that the 102 grams was some type of miscalculation given the other equations and those who had success with this recipe, simply bought two of the small (1 oz/28g) packages of pudding and didn’t think twice about it so their recipes ended up fine. I will try this method next, but in the end, i was very disappointed with this recipe due to the stated calculations on your site.
Hi Mrs. C,
My apologies for the misunderstanding. The packaging is slightly different in Canada compared to the US. In Canada, we have a 4 serving box size that is 102 grams. In the US, there is a similar 4 serving box size that is 3.4 ounces. I’ll clarify that in my instructions, so no one else makes the same error.
This such an amazing cake and its perfect for celebrating…looks soo yummy & sound so delicious…i will trying to making this..Thanks for sharing…!
You’re welcome and I hope you enjoy it!
I’m in love with the simple yet aesthetically pleasing the design and colours are. Overall, this recipe is delicious and I am planning on baking it for my family reunion this weekend!
Thank you for your kind words, and I hope everyone enjoys it!