Author Notes
An icebox cake with the colors and flavors of an old-school gallon of Hood's vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream. Yes, when in the freezer section of the grocery store I tend to linger over the more "artisanal" ice creams, but the Neapolitan flavored ones from Breyer's and Hood always catch my eye. With this easy-peasy icebox cake (you make one batch of whipped cream, divide it in three, flavor each separately, and layer with graham crackers) I get my Neapolitan fix at home, straight from my fridge, in a matter of hours. To see me make this cake on facebook live with food52, check this out: https://www.facebook.com... —Jessie Sheehan
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Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups
strawberries, hulled
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3 tablespoons
granulated sugar
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3 3/4 cups
heavy cream
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1 tablespoon
pure vanilla extract
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3/4 cup
confectioners' sugar, plus 3 Tbsp
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2 1/2 tablespoons
Dutch process cocoa powder
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2 drops
red food coloring, optional
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about 18
whole sheets of graham crackers
Directions
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Line a 9-in-by-5-in loaf pan with plastic wrap. Set aside.
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In a food processor or blender, puree the strawberries, stopping the machine when they are still a bit chunky. Add the granulated sugar and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, add the heavy cream, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar and whisk on medium to medium-high speed until the cream holds stiff peaks. With icebox cakes, I like to whip the cream a tad bit longer than one might otherwise do, as a stiffer cream ensures a sturdy cake.
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Divide the cream into thirds, leaving one third in the stand mixer bowl and placing the other two in separate mixing bowls. To one of the mixing bowls, add the puree and fold gently with a rubber spatula. I like to add a drop or two of red food coloring, as well, so the strawberry color really pops, but this is optional. Set aside.
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Sift the cocoa powder over the cream still in the stand mixer bowl, return the bowl to the stand mixer, and whisk on medium until the cocoa powder is fully incorporated. Set aside.
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Begin assembling the cake by placing a layer of strawberry whipped cream on the bottom of the prepared pan. This is easier said than done, as the plastic wrap makes it a bit challenging. Don't worry if it's not perfect. I like to make my strawberry layers just slightly bigger than the other layers, but that is just me.
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Place a layer of graham crackers on top of the strawberry cream, breaking up additional crackers to fill in all the gaps. Ideally, you want a solid layer of crackers.
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Layer the chocolate whipped cream over the crackers, then add another layer of crackers. Repeat with the vanilla whipped cream and a layer of crackers. Continue layering in this order (strawberry, chocolate, vanilla) once more. You should have 6 layers of whipped cream total, and six of crackers. The final layer will be one of crackers and may reach above the edge of the pan. You will have a bit of leftover strawberry whipped cream - hardly a tragedy.
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Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours. When ready to serve, place the pan upside down on a serving platter and remove the pan and plastic wrap. Serve with fresh strawberries.
Jessie Sheehan is a celebrated cookbook author, recipe developer, baker, and host of Cherry Bombe’s baking podcast, She’s My Cherry Pie. She is the self-proclaimed queen of “easy-peasy baking;” and has contributed recipes and writing to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Epicurious, Food52, Bon Appetit, and more. Her third cookbook, Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy Recipes for Exceptionally Scrumptious Sweets and Treats was a New York Times best cookbook of 2022. And its savory sibling Salty, Cheesy, Herby Crispy Snackable Bakes, was published in the fall of 2024.
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