An icebox cake is absolutely a cheater cake, but when a cheater cake looks this good, does anyone care? I feel like at this point in all of our lives, we can use some easy and delicious baking and no-baking projects. Anyone else feel the same? Icebox cakes are great for any occasion, and this Black Forest version really is a showstopper! This No Bake Funfetti Icebox Cake, this No Bake Pumpkin Pie Icebox Cake, and this No Bake Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake are other versions I know you’ll love as well! This Black Forest Icebox Cake is just 4 ingredients — 3 if you skip the homemade whipped cream and use frozen whipped topping, which is great for storing for longer periods of time if you’re not making grocery runs often! For this reason, it’s perfect when you have just 10 minutes to spare but feel like you might need a slice of cake later to get you through the day. It’s also a really fun baking project to do with the kids, because there’s no cutting, no baking, no heat of any kind, which means that they can just have fun whipping and layering and spreading and you reap all the benefits later.
Tips for making the best Icebox Cake:
If you’re making your own whipped cream, be sure to whip it until you have very stiff peaks. It should be very thick! Whipped cream doesn’t hold up for days on end. If using fresh whipped cream, I recommend serving as soon as possible after it has set. After that, you may get another day before your whipped cream starts to droop. If you want to store it for longer or make it further in advance, it’s a good idea to stabilize your whipped cream. You can do this by adding unflavored gelatin that has been dissolved in warm water according to the package directions. I would use 1/2-1 package of unflavored gelatin for this recipe. The chill is important. If you don’t allow adequate time for chilling, the cookies won’t soften, and your cake won’t set. You can make this icebox cake in almost any pan. I used a round 9″ Springform pan, but you could use an 8-9″ round pan, or an 8-9″ square pan or a deep dish pie plate. I chose to use a springform pan so I could remove the sides and display all those glorious layers! Using a springform pan also makes it easier to slice and serve.
Variations on this Black Forest Icebox Cake:
Use different flavors of pie filling in place of the cherry Use vanilla wafer cookies or graham crackers in place of the chocolate Add a half package of room temperature cream cheese to your whipped cream — beat the cream cheese first in the bowl, then add the cream and beat until thickened, and add the sugar and beat to stiff peaks. You could add a spoonful of cocoa powder to the whipped cream for chocolate whipped cream
*This post has been updated and republished since the original in January 2016. Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again. Register Now Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!
