Patriotic Icebox Cake - A patriotic-themed no-bake cake with layers of graham crackers, pudding, Cool Whip and fresh fruit topping.
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Who wants to turn on their oven during the summer? I know I don’t! I’m always looking for something to make that won’t heat up my house, but is also perfect for entertaining - because we do A LOT of that - especially during the summer!
This Patriotic Icebox Cake is no-bake, delicious and the perfect cool treat for your 4th of July bash!
HOW TO MAKE A 4TH OF JULY-THEMED ICEBOX CAKE
To make this simple and delicious icebox cake, you'll need:
- Graham crackers
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla instant pudding
- Milk
- Cool Whip
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
MAKING THE ICEBOX CAKE FILLING
Step 1: Add cream cheese and dry pudding to a large bowl.
Step 2: Beat the ingredients until blended.
Step 3: Gradually add milk and continue to beat.
Step 4: The mixture should reach a nice, smooth consistency.
Step 5: Gently fold in Cool Whip.
Step 6: The mixture should reach a fluffier consistency.
CREATING THE LAYERS OF THE CAKE
Step 1: Spread a thin layer of Cool Whip in a 9x13-inch pan just to coat the bottom.
Step 2: Place a layer of graham crackers in the pan, breaking them as needed.
Step 3: Spread a layer of pudding mixture over the graham crackers.
Step 4: Top with a layer of blueberries and sliced strawberries.
Then again, top with a layer of graham crackers on top of the berries, then pudding mixture, then layer of berries again (repeat twice).
Use strawberries and blueberries to create a flag pattern on top as shown in the photo below.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or until the graham crackers have softened completely before serving.
WHAT OTHER FLAVORS OF PUDDING COULD I USE?
For this recipe, I have always used vanilla pudding to serve as a light background for the colors of the fresh fruit to pop.
Other puddings that give you the same color would be banana cream, cheesecake, or white chocolate. If you choose to make this cake without the flag, chocolate, chocolate fudge, and butterscotch would all taste delicious as well.
WHAT'S A SIMPLE WAY TO SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE?
You can soften your cream cheese on the counter at room temperature. It takes about 30 minutes to soften an 8-ounce package of cream cheese.
If you want to quicken up the process, unwrap the cream cheese, place it on a plate and microwave it for 15 seconds.
WHAT BERRIES WORK BEST FOR THIS CAKE?
Obviously, the blueberries and strawberries for this recipe give the cake a patriotic look.
If you aren’t looking to make this cake patriotic, you could just use strawberries or any other berry you love.
WHAT IS REALLY MEANT BY NO-BAKE?
No-bake means no oven needed for preparation. The beauty of this ice box cake is that you won’t need to heat up your kitchen to make it. You will not have to bake or cook during any part of this recipe!
HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THE CAKE IS READY TO SERVE?
You will want to refrigerate your cake for about 4 hours so that the pudding has time to thicken and the graham crackers have time to soften.
If the graham crackers are not soft after 4 hours, keep refrigerating until they are. Once the graham crackers have softened, the cake is ready to serve.
READY FOR MORE NO-BAKE RECIPES?
- No-Bake Cherry Torte
- No-Bake Lemon Pie
- No-Bake S'mores Tarts
- No-Bake Cherry Dump Cake
- Oreo Sundae Pie
- The Easiest Strawberry Shortcake
- Frozen S'mores
Patriotic Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- 15 full graham crackers
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 2 {3.4 oz} packages vanilla instant pudding
- 2 ½ cups cold milk
- 12 ounce container Cool Whip
- 3 cups fresh strawberries (sliced)
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese and dry pudding in large bowl until blended.
- Gradually add milk and continue to beat.
- Gently fold in Cool Whip.
- Spread a thin layer of Cool Whip in a 9x13-inch pan just to coat the bottom.
- Place a layer of graham crackers in the pan, breaking them as needed.
- Spread a layer of pudding mixture over the graham crackers and top with a layer of blueberries and sliced strawberries.
- Place graham crackers on top of berries, then pudding mixture, then layer of berries again.
- Repeat the graham-pudding-berries layers one more time (3 times total) and you should reach the top of the pan.
- Using strawberries and blueberries, create a flag pattern on top as shown in the post.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until the graham crackers have softened completely before serving.
Notes
- Use vanilla pudding to help bring out the flavors of the fresh fruit. You can also use banana cream, cheesecake or white chocolate.
- Place your cream cheese on the counter 30 minutes prior to making this recipe to bring it up to room temperature.
- Refrigerate this cake for 4 hours before serving so the pudding has enough time to sit.
Mary
I creamed room temp cream cheese with pudding mix and added milk and it was very lumpy. Could not beat them out. Ended up throwing it out