Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake

This strawberry shortcake icebox cake recipe is perfect for a crowd! It’s creamy and light, with moist pound cake and whipped cream topped with sweet, fresh strawberries. After a few hours in the fridge, this no-bake dessert is ready to slice and serve.

Looking for inspiration for using fresh strawberries? Check out my strawberry shortcake cookies, plus more of my best strawberry recipes.

My mom called this her “company strawberry shortcake” because she always made it when she expected a crowd. In fact, this strawberry icebox cake is the easiest version of strawberry shortcake I’ve made! It has fluffy whipped cream, pound cake pieces, and strawberries, assembled in a casserole dish. This is the perfect dessert for a summer BBQ, potluck, or gathering.

A product of the glorious 80s, Mom’s original icebox cake recipe relied on ready-to-use ingredients: Entenmann’s pound cake, fresh strawberries, and Cool Whip. I’ve adapted this dessert over the years, but it’s still as easy to make as ever, with store-bought or homemade components.

Why Everyone Loves Mom’s Strawberry Icebox Cake Recipe

When it comes to strawberry desserts, this strawberry shortcake icebox cake remains a family favorite. Here’s why:

• Rich and creamy. Tangy cream cheese adds richness to the sweet whipped cream filling. It makes this dessert taste like strawberry cheesecake!
• No layering. Traditional shortcake recipes layer the ingredients like a pound cake trifle. This icebox cake is quicker than serving up individual platefuls when I’m making dessert for 6 or more people. It mixes everything in a baking dish and adds the berries on top.
• Less chilling. Icebox cakes are great for making ahead. While you can chill this one overnight, it’s also ready to serve after just a couple of hours in the fridge.
• No oven. I loathe turning on my oven in the summer, which is why no-bake desserts like this and my strawberry lemon icebox pie are frequently on repeat.

Key Ingredients in Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake

These are the simple ingredients for this old-fashioned strawberry icebox cake recipe. Refer to the printable recipe card for the complete recipe with exact measurements for each ingredient.

• Cream Cheese – Brought to room temperature. Try to use bricks of cream cheese, like the kind you’d use for no-bake cheesecake, and not the spreadable cream cheese that comes in tubs. (Note: I’ve heard from a reader who successfully made this cake with whipped cream cheese since they didn’t have an electric mixer. That’s a good option if you’re mixing the filling by hand!)
• Powdered Sugar – Rather than granulated sugar, which can make the whipped cream filling grainy. If you don’t have powdered sugar, process granulated sugar in a high-powered blender for a minute, or until you have a fine powder.
• Cool Whip – Thaw out a standard 8-ounce tub. If you’d prefer, you can use homemade whipped cream. You’ll need about 3 cups.
• Pound Cake – My mom’s recipe calls for a store-bought pound cake, like Entenmann’s or Sara Lee. I still go the pre-made route when I’m in a hurry. However, when time allows, homemade pound cake is very easy and tastes even better. Use the version linked here or your favorite pound cake recipe. You can make it a day or two ahead.
• Fresh Strawberries – Cleaned, hulled, and sliced or chopped. An easy way to hull strawberries is to use a sturdy straw. Push it into the bottom, right up through the top, and the green part should pop right off. You can also remove the stems using a paring knife or a specialty hulling tool if you have one.
• Granulated Sugar – Soaking the fresh strawberries in sugar (i.e., macerating) releases their juices and makes them sweeter.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake

My family loves strawberry shortcake. This is a fun spin that makes strawberry shortcake a simple dessert for a crowd. There’s hardly any assembly required:

• Make the filling. First, beat cream cheese with powdered sugar until it’s creamy, then fold in the thawed Cool Whip. Whip evenly so it’s light and fluffy. Afterward, gently stir in the pound cake cubes.

• Chill the cake. Spread the filling into an ungreased 9×13-inch pan or baking dish. Cover your icebox cake and place it into the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. You can also prepare this cake the day before and refrigerate it overnight.
• Prepare the strawberries. Toss the strawberry slices with granulated sugar and leave them to sit. The strawberries need to macerate for at least 30 minutes, but you can do this at any point while the cake chills in the fridge. Spread the juicy strawberries over the whipped cream and pound cake filling. Slice and serve!

Variations

• Pound cake flavors. Another bonus of making the pound cake yourself is that you can customize it. Try this recipe with my sour cream pound cake, orange pound cake, or strawberry pound cake.
• Angel food. Instead of pound cake, fold store-bought or homemade angel food cake cubes into the whipped cream cheese filling.
• Different fruit. Instead of strawberries, make this dessert with blueberries, raspberries, mixed berries, cherries, or peaches. Macerate the fresh fruit with sugar just as you would the strawberries.
• Pie filling. If you’re really in a hurry, crack open a can of strawberry pie filling to spread on top before serving. You could also drizzle over homemade strawberry syrup.
• Lemon zest. Zest a lemon into the strawberries, or stir it into the whipped cream to brighten the flavors.

Proper Storage

• Keep refrigerated. This strawberry icebox cake needs to stay refrigerated. Keep it covered and chilled for up to 3 days.
• Freeze. If you’d like to freeze this dessert, leave off the strawberries. Wrap the icebox cake tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw the cake in the fridge and add the strawberries when it’s time to serve.

More No-Bake Dessert Recipes

• Millionaire Pie
• Cherry Pretzel Dessert
• Icebox Peach Pie
• Eclair Cake
• Butterfinger Pie
• Snickers Salad