The Great CAKE Festival

All cakes / Free recipe

Icebox Cake

Portrait of Beatrice, smiling.

Brought by Beatrice, Festival Keeper

  • 20 min + overnight
  • Serves 12
  • Easy
An illustrated festival scene for Icebox Cake

I have been making this cake since before your mother was born. Sit down.

Beatrice

Beatrice has been at the festival every year since the festival began. She is the one who sends the invitations, greets the guests, and makes sure everyone has found their table. Her cake is the first cake. It is always the first cake, and it is always the same cake.

An icebox cake is, technically, not baked. You layer graham crackers and whipped cream in a pan and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The crackers absorb the cream and become soft, almost spongy, and the whole thing sets into something that slices cleanly and eats like a dream. Beatrice says it has been in her family since before icebox was a word people used ironically.

Beatrice's Icebox Cake

Start this the night before. The overnight rest is what makes it a cake rather than a plate of crackers with cream on top.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 box (14.4 oz) graham crackers (honey or cinnamon both work)
  • Optional between layers: sliced strawberries, chocolate shavings, lemon curd, or crushed cookies

Directions

  1. In a large chilled bowl, beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat. Stop when it holds its shape.
  2. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream on the bottom of a 9×13 pan. This keeps the first layer of crackers from sliding.
  3. Lay graham crackers in a single layer over the cream, breaking them as needed to fill the pan edge to edge.
  4. Spread a generous layer of whipped cream (about one-quarter of what you have) over the crackers. Add any optional fillings here.
  5. Repeat: crackers, cream, optional fillings. You should get 4 to 5 layers of crackers depending on how thick you spread the cream.
  6. Finish with a top layer of whipped cream. Spread it smooth, or make it as ornate as you like.
  7. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, at least 8 hours. The crackers will soften completely into the cream.
  8. Serve cold, straight from the pan. Dust the top with a little cocoa powder or cinnamon if you like, right before serving.

Beatrice's note: I have made this with Cool Whip when I was in a hurry. It works fine. I will not apologize.