Chef notes
No-bake desserts are a godsend during the warm-weather months. When summer temperatures begin to soar, the last thing you want to do is turn on your oven. Sweet treats that can be assembled and finished in the refrigerator or freezer become far more appealing than the likes of brownies and cookies. This no-bake icebox cake is inspired by one of my favorite desserts — strawberry shortcake. And the best part is that you don’t need your oven for this frosty riff.
Fresh strawberries shine bright in this summery dessert. Start by making a super quick stovetop jam by simmering a whole pound of berries with sugar until they reach a jammy consistency. Once cooled, blend the mixture in a food processor and then whir it into a mixture of cream cheese, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla extract. The combination of berry jam and tangy filling is the perfect summer bite. That cream mixture is layered in a baking pan with store-bought ladyfinger cookies, which have a mild, buttery flavor.. Just like when making tiramisu, the ladyfinger cookies soften between the layers of cream for a luscious bite.
Letting the cake sit at room temperature for a few minutes is a key step in the process. The cake will be quite frosty when you first pull it out of the freezer— the strawberry cream is a bit too firm to slice through and the ladyfinger cookies are harder than you’d like. After sitting for 20 to 30 minutes, the cookies will soften and the strawberry cream will become silky smooth again. Just before serving, whisk up a quick batch of whipped cream to spread over the top and add some more crumbles of ladyfinger cookies and more strawberries for added fresh flavor.
Technique Tip: Cut down the cookies, if needed, to make them fit snuggly into an even layer.
Swap Option: This recipe works well with fresh raspberries or cherries instead of strawberries. Both of these swaps are great with lime zest instead of lemon.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled, plus more for serving
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 35 ladyfinger cookies (from two 7-ounce packages)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Preparation
1.Combine the strawberries and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring with a spatula until the sugar dissolves. Continue to boil for 6 to 8 minutes, until the mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency and darkens slightly. Transfer to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, until cooled completely.
2.Transfer the strawberry jam to the bowl of a food processor and blend until well puréed. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt to the food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the strawberry jam to the cream mixture and blend until thoroughly incorporated.
3.Set aside 3 ladyfinger cookies. Spread one-third of the strawberry mixture in an even layer in the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Top with half of the ladyfinger cookies, fitting them snuggly in an even layer. Spread half of the remaining strawberry mixture over the cookies, then top with the remaining cookies. Spread the remaining strawberry mixture over the top. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days, until very firm.
4.When you’re ready to serve, remove the cake from the freezer and let it stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, just until no longer frozen solid. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and spread over the icebox cake. Crumble the reserved cookies over the whipped cream and top with more strawberries.
