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Raspberry Icebox Cake is the no bake summer hero that turns whipped cream, raspberry preserves, fresh berries, and graham crackers into sliceable layered magic while the fridge does all the work, and the pan I assembled on a hot July afternoon was scraped clean before sunset. If fridge desserts are your season, our no bake raspberry cheesecake bites belong on the same shelf.
Ten minutes of whipping and layering is the entire workload; the refrigerator handles the rest overnight.
Raspberry Icebox Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes (includes chilling)
- 🍽️ Serving: 15 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 289kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Light and berry-sweet (clouds of whipped cream, tangy raspberry, cake-soft graham layers)
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our jello cloud mousse
Quick Answer
Whip cold heavy cream with vanilla and powdered sugar to medium peaks. Fold half into smooth raspberry preserves and a quarter into fresh raspberries. In a 9×13 dish, layer plain cream, graham crackers, the fresh raspberry cream, more crackers, the preserves cream, more crackers, plain cream, a final cracker layer, and the last of the cream. Chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until the crackers soften into cake.
Jump to:
- Raspberry Icebox Cake Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Raspberry Icebox Cake
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Raspberry Icebox Cake FAQs
- Other Recommended No Bake Dessert Recipes
- Easy No Bake Raspberry Ice Box Cake Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The fridge bakes this cake. As it chills, the graham crackers absorb moisture from the whipped cream and soften into tender, sliceable layers that taste like vanilla cake.
- Medium peaks are the magic texture. Whipped to medium, the cream is sturdy enough to hold layers but soft enough to wrap every cracker. Stiff peaks turn grainy by day two.
- Two raspberry layers, two flavors. Preserves bring deep jammy sweetness while fresh berries bring bright pops of tartness, so the cake never tastes one-note.
- Whisking the preserves first prevents streaks. Loosening the jam before folding lets it blend evenly instead of leaving heavy pockets that weep into the crackers.
- A cream base layer anchors the build. That first thin smear of whipped cream glues the bottom crackers in place so slices lift out clean.
- Overnight is the real secret. Four hours works, but 8 to 12 hours lets every cracker soften completely for that perfect cake-like bite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Zero oven time. The hottest week of summer cannot touch this dessert; the stove and oven stay off entirely.
- Ten minute assembly. Whip, fold, layer, done. It is even faster than our individual frozen key lime pies.
- Feeds a crowd beautifully. One 9×13 pan cuts into 15 pretty, layered slices that look far fancier than the effort suggests.
Key Ingredients
Six simple ingredients stack into something spectacular. Quantities are in the recipe card below; here is why each one earns its spot.
- Heavy whipping cream. Four cups, whipped fresh. It must be cold to whip properly, so leave it in the fridge until the moment you need it.
- Raspberry preserves. Seedless red raspberry preserves fold into the cream for the jammy pink layer. Seedless keeps every bite silky.
- Fresh raspberries. Folded into their own cream layer for bright, tart bursts against all that sweetness.
- Graham crackers. The structure. They soften overnight into tender cake-like layers; honey grahams are the classic choice.
- Powdered sugar and vanilla. They sweeten and perfume the whipped cream without any graininess.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
The icebox formula loves a remix. Here are our favorite spins.
- Change the berry. Strawberry preserves with fresh strawberries, or blackberry with blackberries, swap straight across.
- Add lemon. A tablespoon of lemon zest in the whipped cream turns this into a raspberry-lemonade cake.
- Use chocolate grahams. Chocolate and raspberry are best friends, and the cocoa crackers soften just the same.
- Make it a trifle. Build the same layers in a glass bowl with broken crackers for a showstopping trifle-style presentation.
- Shortcut with Cool Whip. Two 8 ounce tubs replace the homemade whipped cream in a pinch; the flavor is sweeter and the texture slightly lighter.
How to Make Raspberry Icebox Cake
- Beat the cold heavy cream until foamy, then add the vanilla and the powdered sugar a little at a time. Increase to medium speed and whip to medium peaks, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Whisk the raspberry preserves smooth in a medium bowl, then gently fold in half of the whipped cream until no streaks remain. Set aside.
- In another bowl, fold the fresh raspberries into a quarter of the whipped cream. Set aside.
- Spread about 1/4 cup of the plain whipped cream over the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.
- Place graham crackers in a single layer over the cream, breaking pieces as needed to cover the bottom.
- Spread the fresh raspberry whipped cream on top and smooth it out to the edges.
- Add another single layer of graham crackers.
- Spread the raspberry preserves whipped cream over the crackers, smoothing to the edges.
- Top with another layer of graham crackers.
- Spread half of the remaining plain whipped cream over the crackers.
- Add one final layer of graham crackers.
- Finish with the rest of the whipped cream, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Slice and garnish with fresh raspberries and mint.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Chill the bowl and whisk. Ten minutes in the freezer helps the cream whip faster and higher, especially in a warm kitchen.
- Stop at medium peaks. The cream should hold a soft curl that flops at the tip. Overwhipped cream turns grainy as the cake sits.
- Fold, never stir. A gentle fold keeps the air in the cream so the layers stay cloud-light.
- Cover every gap with crackers. Break pieces to fill the edges; complete layers are what make those clean, photogenic slices.
- Wipe the knife between cuts. A hot, clean knife gives bakery-neat slices through all eight layers.
- Garnish at serving time. Fresh berries and mint on each slice, not the whole pan, so leftovers stay pretty.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This is cookout dessert royalty. Serve it after a spread of grilled mains with a pitcher of large batch mojitos for the adults and cold lemonade for the kids.
For a no bake dessert table, set it beside our key lime pie fluff salad and a drizzle station of homemade blueberry syrup over vanilla ice cream.
Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 3 days, and honestly the texture on day two is the best of all. Send slices home with guests next to a square of strawberry dump cake and become the favorite neighbor.
Raspberry Icebox Cake FAQs
A Raspberry Icebox Cake is a no bake layered dessert where graham crackers and raspberry whipped cream stack in a 9×13 dish and chill until the crackers soften into tender, cake-like layers. This version uses both raspberry preserves and fresh raspberries for a double berry hit.
A minimum of 4 hours in the refrigerator, but overnight is best. The longer chill gives the graham crackers time to fully absorb moisture from the whipped cream, which is what creates those soft, sliceable cake layers.
Yes. Swap the homemade whipped cream for two 8 ounce tubs of thawed Cool Whip. The cake will be a touch sweeter and lighter in texture. Homemade whipped cream gives a richer, fresher flavor, so we whip our own when there is time.
Usually the cream was under-whipped or the cake did not chill long enough. Whip to medium peaks, where the cream holds a soft curl, and give the assembled cake at least 4 full hours in the fridge. Fresh berries also release juice if crushed, so fold them gently.
You can, and it becomes a different treat: 2 hours in the freezer firms it to an ice-cream-cake texture that slices beautifully. For longer storage, freeze up to a month, well wrapped, and thaw slices in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
Nearly any preserve-plus-fresh-fruit pair: strawberry, blackberry, cherry, or peach. Chocolate graham crackers, a layer of lemon curd, or white chocolate shavings between layers all build on the same whip, layer, and chill formula.
Keeping the oven off all summer? Our coconut icebox cake is the tropical sister recipe to chill next.
Round out your holiday table with this easy 4th of July bundt cake and its festive candy drizzle.
Round out your holiday spread with this layered 4th of July Trifle topped with a berry flag design.
Easy No Bake Raspberry Ice Box Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup seedless red raspberry preserves
- 6 ounces fresh raspberries
- 3-4 sleeves graham crackers
Instructions
- Place the heavy cream in the body of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or into a large bowl with an electric hand mixer and beat until the cream starts to get foamy over medium-low speed.4 cups cold heavy whipping cream
- Add in the vanilla and the powdered sugar a little at a time until mixed in. Crank the speed up to medium and whip until it forms medium peaks, 3-5 minutes. Set aside.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the preserves and whisk it until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped cream gently, until there are no more streaks of the preserves or whipped cream, set aside.1/2 cup seedless red raspberry preserves
- In another medium-sized bowl, add 1/4th of the whipped cream and fold in the fresh raspberries, set aside.6 ounces fresh raspberries
- In the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, spread about ¼ cup of plain whipped cream on the bottom. Place some of the graham crackers in a single layer on top of the whipped cream, break up some of the crackers if needed so the bottom is covered.3-4 sleeves graham crackers
- Add the whipped cream that is mixed with the fresh raspberries on top and smooth it out to the edge. Place another layer of graham crackers on top.
- Add the whipped cream mixed with the preserves on top, smooth it out to the edge. Add another layer of graham crackers.
- Top with ½ of the remaining plain whipped cream and smooth it out. Add one last layer of graham crackers. Top with the last of the whipped cream.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight is best. Cut and serve with a garnish of fresh raspberries and mint, optional.
Notes
- Make sure your cream is very cold, it is easier to whip that way.
- It is very important to wait at least 4 hours before slicing. The graham crackers need time to soak in some of the whipped cream and become softened.
- If the preserves don’t whisk out smooth I suggest adding the bowl to the microwave (if the bowl is microwave safe) and microwave for about 10 seconds and then whisk it again until smooth. If you have to microwave, allow the mixture to come to room temperature before folding it into the whipped cream.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- You can also use other fruits in this, see my suggestions above.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Hi Pennie! I hope you try it out, this is a really yummy version!!!
Hi Dana,
I was sooo excited to see the Ice Box Cake recipe!
As a Monacelli family elder, I have to tell you that my father used to love Ice Box Cake and ask my mom, Great Aunt Flo/Floremce, to make it for him. That recipe was vanilla pudding and ‘Nilla Wafers. Sometimes she would add bananas or layer chocolate pudding on top.
I don’t know when, where or how Ice Box Cake was born, but I wonder if it was a product of the Great Depression.
Take care and keep up the good work!
Love,
Cousin Pennie Engelhardt
PS Hi, Dale and Mike!!
Yes! It freezes well. You can allow it to thaw in the fridge for 1-2 days before hand. I wouldn’t thaw at room temperature.
Can this be frozen until ready to use? If so, how long should it take to thaw in fridge or room temp before optimal eating time?