Cherry Cheesecake Icebox Cake

No baking required to serve this wonderful dessert! Cherry Cheesecake Icebox Cake is the perfect make-ahead dessert! It’s a great easy dessert for holidays, parties or potlucks!

Enjoying ice box cakes is one of my favorite memories from childhood, and it’s still just as good as I remembered! It’s beyond simple to make – no baking required! You keep it in the refrigerator or freezer (hence the name), making it perfect for prepping in advance and enjoying when you’re ready. It’s a creamy and delicious dessert that everyone will love!

What is an Ice Box Cake?

An icebox cake is a type of no-bake cake that is typically made by layering wafers or cookies with whipped cream and/or pudding and then chilling it in the refrigerator (or “icebox”) until the cookies have softened and the layers have melded together to form a cake-like dessert.

This dessert is typically assembled in a loaf pan or cake pan and topped with additional whipped cream, fruit, or chocolate shavings on top. The result is a dessert that is light, creamy, and refreshing, and that can be easily customized with different flavors and toppings. The name “icebox cake” comes from the fact that the dessert was originally made in the early 20th century by layering ingredients in a metal box that was then placed in an ice-filled cooler to set.

What do I need to Make it?

Ingredients: scroll down for full recipe with exact measurements

• Graham Crackers
• Sugar
• Butter
• Cream Cheese
• Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Powdered Sugar
• Vanilla
• Lemon Juice
• Cherry Pie Filling

Equipment:

• Baking Dish
• Mixing Bowls
• Stand Mixer

Instructions:

Place the can of cherry pie filling in the refrigerator, and let it chill until time to add it to the dish.  Line the bottom of a 9 X 9 inch dish with parchment paper, and set aside. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter to the graham cracker crumb mixture, and stir well to coat all of the graham cracker crumbs. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared dish, evenly, to form the crust.  Place in the freezer to help set the crust. 

Place the cream cheese in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, and mix until the cream cheese is smooth. Add the condensed milk to the mixer, and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice, and mix until all ingredients are completely blended and the mixture is thick and creamy.  Remove the dish from the freezer and pour the cream cheese mixture over the graham cracker crust, and place back in the freezer to set the filling. Leave the dish in the freezer for about two hours, or until the cream cheese layer has set some.

Remove the dish from the freezer and pour the chilled cherry pie filling over the cream cheese layer.  Smooth out the pie filling and then place the dish back in the freezer. 

Store the dish in the freezer until about 15 minutes before serving, allowing cake to thaw a bit.  Cut into 2 X 3 inch squares, serve and Enjoy!

Fridge vs Freezer

If you prefer not to freeze the dish, and only place it in the refrigerator, that is quite alright. However, the dish will need to be left for at least 24 hours before serving, in order for the filling to set, otherwise, it will run.  I found freezing it, and thawing just a bit before serving, kept the filling firm and set, and sped up the process.  You could make the dish a few hours before serving (4 – 6 hours before) and it would be set by the time you’re ready to serve.  I left the dish in the freezer overnight, and it worked well. So you can make ahead, and have it ready when you need it.

Storage

It’s best eaten with 2-3 days of making. The cake can start to become soggy, especially depending on what fruit is used.

Variations

If you are not a huge fan of cherries, any type of fruit would work as the topping. Switch out to blueberries or apples. Thinly sliced strawberries or bananas would also be great options.

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