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Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake is a simple no bake dessert made with strawberries, Nilla Wafers, and whipped cream. This easy layered dessert lasagna is the perfect summer potluck recipe!
I recently saw a meme that said, “Sorry I can’t come out for a month, I just went out two nights in a row,” and that meme is SPOT ON. Guys, I am officially too old to go to two concerts in two days. It’s now the day after the second concert and I’m completely wrecked.
Months and months ago my friends and I bought tickets to see the NKOTB Mix Tape Tour and then a few months later, wouldn’t you know it, Billy Eilish scheduled a concert the night before. Jordan loves Billie Eilish – she’s her teen idol – so there was no way I wasn’t going to take her. We drove to San Francisco for the concert, stayed the night, got up the next morning early and drove home so she wouldn’t miss her math final, then that night I went to NKOTB and came home at midnight and now I’m dead. Useless. Not even functional. Am I even writing words?
So yeah, two nights out in a row is too much for me. Hold my phone while I go sleep for a week, kay?
The hardest part about being tired, for me, is that I want to eat. I want to eat carbs and sugar and strawberry shortcake icebox cake!
My easy Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake is one of my favorite strawberry dessert recipes that’s no-bake!
You may have seen no bake strawberry desserts with graham crackers but this one is a bit different: I made it with Nilla Wafers!
After I made this Famous Banana Pudding recipe with Nilla Wafers and I realized how, when they soften, they become like cake, I knew that making strawberry shortcake with them would be the perfect summer dessert recipe.
You really can make strawberry shortcake in so many different ways. I’ve made it into cake and a cake roll and a no bake dessert with Golden Oreos, but this one is my favorite. It’s a simple strawberry dessert that’s no-bake and perfect for a potluck.
Icebox cakes are easy refrigerator cakes!
I love a simple icebox cake because there’s no oven involved – and no cake either! An Icebox Cake gets its name because you layer it and then let it sit in the refrigerator. My nana always called it an icebox and I wonder if things like “icebox cake” will disappear with this generation because no one knows what an icebox is!
This recipe is basically a strawberry shortcake lasagna, which means it has layers of cookies, strawberries, and cream cheese whipped cream. These desserts are also called lush, dream, supreme…so many names for one delicious dessert.
I think making a strawberry icebox cake with vanilla wafers is the best idea yet!
There are only three components to this dessert:
- Nilla Wafers
- Fresh Strawberries
- Cream Cheese Whipped Cream
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream is the perfect filling for strawberry shortcake!
Plain whipped cream is hard to use in desserts like this because after a few hours it’ll start to weep or separate. That’s why Cool Whip is such a common ingredient in no-bake desserts: it’s more stable than fresh whipped cream or canned whipped cream.
I love to make a homemade whipped cream with cream cheese in it. That bit of cream cheese makes it more stable and it lasts longer than regular whipped cream.
To make the cream cheese whipped cream you just beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and then beat in heavy whipping cream until it resembles a thick whipped cream. It’s the perfect frosting or creamy goodness to layer in a dessert lasagna.
It couldn’t be easier to make a strawberry shortcake icebox cake!
It takes just a few minutes. All you have to do is layer the Nilla Wafers with the cream cheese whipped cream and berries.
Once you have your three layers of cookies and cream, you cover and chill it at least 4 hours so that the cookies can soften. You can even chill it overnight.
Before serving, just top it with fresh whipped cream and berries and it’s the perfect no-bake dessert recipe!
Want to change up the recipe? You can make other versions of this delish strawberry shortcake easily:
- Make Strawberry CHOCOLATE Icebox Cake by using chocolate graham crackers or Oreos in place of Nilla Wafers.
- Use graham crackers or pound cake!
No matter how you make it, a strawberry shortcake icebox cake with cream cheese whipped cream is pure heaven!
Other no-bake desserts that are perfect for a potluck:
- Lemon Lush Dessert
- Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
- Shortbread Tiramisu
- Peanut Butter No Bake Bars
- Mocha Mud Pie Lush
- Banana Pudding Dream Dessert
Perfect desserts for Strawberry Season:
- No Bake Strawberry Lemon Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake Layer Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake Roll
- Lemon Strawberry Cake Roll
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Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 pounds strawberries
- 1 box Nilla Wafers 11-ounce box approximately
- Additional whipped cream or cool whip for topping
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese with hand mixer until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Slowly mix in heavy whipping cream and beat until mixture is fluffy but stands up on it’s own.
- Hull and slice about 1 1/2 pounds of the strawberries.
- In a 9x9-inch or 9x13-inch pan, place a layer of Nilla Wafers, then a layer of strawberries and a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture (1/3 of the mixture). Repeat the layers until you’re out of all three.
- Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
- Before serving: top with about 4 ounces (half a normal size containeof whipped topping or make some fresh whipped cream (1/2 cup heavy whipping cream + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar until stiff peaks form). Slice remaining strawberries and place on top.
- Will keep in refrigerator up to one day. Store covered.
Recipe Nutrition
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This has become a frequently requested dessert by family.
Worth putting the little bit of effort to make homemade whipped topping.
Awesome recipe!