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.
Print
4th 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 258
- Sugar: 23.1 g
- Sodium: 420.6 mg
- Fat: 9.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Cholesterol: 24.1 mg
Recipe adapted from Cakescottage.
Is there any way to fix the clumping once it has happened? I added the milk slowly but it is lumpy anyway
Unfortunately not, but it won’t affect the look of the cake once it’s assembled or the taste at all. Enjoy and happy 4th of July!
Going to try this later! Could you use crispy sugar cookies instead of graham crackers? Or even use both in one cake (maybe alternate them with the filling?)
Thanks!
Yes, you can use crispy sugar cookies instead of graham crackers. I would personally just use one or the other. Enjoy the cake and happy 4th of July!
How much cool whip would you use if replacing the whipped cream? I know heavy cream yields a different amount once it’s whipped up! thanks!
1.5 cups of Cool Whip because heavy cream usually doubles in volume once it’s whipped. Enjoy!
This was my first time making real whipped cream also! So delicious. Freezing the metal bowl and whisk is a must. I also put my cream in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Hope this info helps a newbie
Thanks again for being so helpful, Sumer! Enjoy and have a great day:)
Such a HUGE hit!! This is delicious and light. Perfection. I’ll share a few minor adjustments I made:
•White Chocolate instant pudding instead of vanilla- delicious and kept my filling perfectly white
•Doubled the filling ingredients – mainly bc it was so tasty there couldn’t possibly be too much lol. Although I didn’t use it all in the cake it was good to have some left over vs not having enough
•The bottom layer of graham crackers I double layered – for extra crunch and goodness
Thank you for publishing this amazing recipe! Will use it for years to come
You’re very welcome and thank you for all the great tips!
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.
Thank you for your kind words, Steven! So glad everyone loved it:)
It is delicious! Did not have enoug filling but used to much on the first level but it was still delicious and will try again.
Absolutely delicious! Everyone at our fireworks party raved about the flavor and wanted a copy of the recipe! This will definitely be added to our tradition of holiday treats. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re very welcome, Patricia! I’m so happy to hear that it was a big hit at your fireworks party!
It tastes excellent. I was worried at first because the cream looked thin, but once it was beaten for a bit and then adding the whipped heavy cream it came together well, I was surprised by how the graham crackers soaked things up so well.
Thank you for your lovely feedback, Tom! So glad you liked it and happy 4th of July!
I love the idea of this dessert and your photos are beautiful. Unfortunately, I made this today for our 4th of July celebration and was disappointed. I used the correct amounts of all ingredients but didn’t seem to have enough for the filling/topping despite dividing it into thirds as instructed. I am hoping the stores will still have additional ingredients since trying to salvage dessert by making additional topping. Also my vanilla pudding mix (Jello),the most common brand in US, appears more yellow rather than white. I hope this information is helpful for others.
I’m sorry to hear there wasn’t enough filling for you and yes, there can be a yellow tinge from the pudding mix. A great tip two readers just shared was to add a thin layer of whipped cream or cool whip on top for a perfect white appearance. I hope this helps and happy 4th of July!
Can I use store bought whipped cream to make this? If so, how much?
I’ve never used store-bought whipped cream for this recipe before so I can’t guarantee you the results. But if you still want to try it then used 1 & 1/2 cups of ready whipped cream.
Excellent!
The strawberries I bought were large and thick so I cut them in thirds for the 2nd layer so the graham crackers would lie flatter. I also put a thin layer of cool whip (not frozen) on top of the last layer of pudding. This gave it the white, red and blue flag instead of yellow
Thank you for your kind words and great tip with the extra cool whip for the perfect white, Melanie! Much appreciated and happy 4th of July!
This was so easy and delicious. My vanilla pudding mix caused the cake to be yellow rather than white. So for the top I made some extra whipped cream using heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract and used that on the top. I then decorated it with the fruit. Beautiful cake and so yummy!!!
Thank you for your kind words and happy 4th of July!
I made the icebox cake. It didn’t take long to make make. Everyone looks forward to eating it tomorrow!
Thank you for your feedback and happy 4th of July!
I replaced the G. crackers with GF GCrackers !
We will see ! Can’t wait to taste it
Thank you for your feedback and I hope you like it!
Can you use cool whip instead of the heavy cream to save time? Have you tried it will Nilla wafers- wondering if it would taste much different?
I don’t see why not with the cool whip. As for the Nilla wafer, it would work but it will taste different compared to graham crackers.
Love this recipe!
I’ve been making two similar recipes like this for years and now I have another version of this simply yummy dessert! There is NOT one person who doesn’t fall in love with this after just one bite.
Do you use whole milk for this recipe?
It looks great and yummy. I want to try to make this for my family soon. Thanks!
Yes, you can use whole milk or any kind of milk you have on hand. Enjoy and have a happy 4th of July!
My cream cheese/pudding mix came out curdled also. I took the remaining 1/4 cup of heavy cream and whipped it to make a thin top layer covering up the curdled filling. I wonder why it curdled? I saw another reader post this as well. It tastes great!
Hi Ron,
It’s not so much curdling as the mixture became lumpy when the milk was added. The key is to add the milk very slowly, a little at a time. TBH, my mixture is usually a bit lumpy as well because I don’t have the patience, lol.
I crushed up the gram crackers ,hope this doesn’t cause a big difference ,just made my first one looks great so far.
I hope you like it and thank you for your feedback!