Easy No-Bake Strawberry Shortcake Icebox Cake
A quick and easy no-bake dessert featuring layers of whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and shortcake biscuits, perfect for summer and busy days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 10–12 shortcake biscuits (store-bought or homemade, buttery preferred)
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces softened cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Macerate the strawberries by combining sliced strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Let sit for 15-20 minutes at room temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cold heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form (about 3-4 minutes with a mixer). Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Gently fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream using a spatula, keeping it light and fluffy.
- In a 9×9-inch dish, spread a thin layer of the cream mixture on the bottom.
- Add a layer of 3-4 shortcake biscuits, breaking them to fit snugly if needed.
- Spoon a generous layer of the macerated strawberries over the biscuits, including some of the syrup.
- Repeat layers of cream, biscuits, and strawberries until ingredients are used up, finishing with a cream layer on top (about 3 layers total).
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Before serving, garnish with fresh strawberry slices or a light dusting of powdered sugar. Slice into squares and serve chilled.
Notes
If biscuits are hard or stale, soak briefly in milk before layering to soften. Avoid overmixing whipped cream and cream cheese to keep mixture light and fluffy. Longer chilling (overnight) improves texture and flavor melding. For dairy-free, substitute coconut cream and dairy-free cream cheese. Frozen berries must be thawed and drained well to avoid sogginess.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of cake
- Calories: 280
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Protein: 4
Keywords: no-bake, strawberry shortcake, icebox cake, summer dessert, easy dessert, whipped cream, fresh strawberries