25 Best Icebox Cakes

Icebox cakes have been around for ages. They’re so old that the thing they were named after is now obsolete! 

Unlike the icebox, though, these fruit and custard-filled layered cakes are so delightful, they’ve managed to stick around through the decades. 

Besides being super delish, these desserts are extra awesome because they need no baking whatsoever. 

The idea is to use crackers, cookies, biscuits (i.e. graham crackers and Nilla wafers) instead of actual sponge or chiffon cakes. 

When these confections are layered with a custard filling and fresh or canned fruit, and chilled, they eventually soften and turn into a cake. 

So, if you’re an amateur or completely inexperienced in baking, these icebox cakes are an excellent place to start.

1. Classic Icebox Cake

Let’s get things started with the classic icebox cake, which is made with layers of Oreo cookies frosted with sweetened whipped cream.

It’s a simple 2-ingredient recipe, but it’s sensational! As the whipped cream sets in the fridge, it turns ice cream-like in texture.

Its combination with the Oreos makes the cake taste a lot like cookies n’ cream ice cream.

2. Lemon Icebox Cake

This is a tender and moist lemon-flavored cake topped with refreshing lemon custard. 

Made from sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice, the topping really makes this dessert mouthwatering.

It’s wonderfully sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. The tartness of the lemon juice gives it the perfect contrast.

3. Chocolate Icebox Cake

Chocolate graham crackers are layered with decadent chocolate ganache and cream cheese filling. It couldn’t get any better than that.

As easy as it is, this cake is the ultimate chocolate lover’s dream. You’ll love how the graham crackers transform into a moist chocolate cake!

The combination of chocolate ganache and cream cheese frosting also creates a wonderful balance of flavors.

4. S’Mores Icebox Cake

Go camping with the kids without leaving the house! Stay safe at home and still enjoy the toasty goodness of s’mores through this icebox cake.

Complete with graham crackers, chocolate ganache, marshmallow cream, and toasted marshmallows on top, this cake is a must-try for all campers.

Kids and adults alike will adore it! 

5. Key Lime Icebox Cake

This Key lime icebox cake is perfect for the summer! It’s light, bright, and overwhelms you with flavors.

With five layers of graham crackers with a sweet and refreshing key lime custard in between, this cake is simply phenomenal.

The flavors are flawless, and so are the textures. It’s wonderfully tender, moist, and wildly addictive! I highly suggest you make at least three.

6. Strawberry Icebox Cake

First of all, how gorgeous is this icebox cake? There’s nothing like fresh strawberries to make a dessert look stunning.

It’s not just a looker, too. The layers of graham crackers, whipped cream, and strawberries create a beautiful symphony of tastes and textures.

It’s impossible to resist!

7. Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake

Blueberries and lemon are a match made in heaven, as is proven by this icebox cake.

This mouthwatering cake is made from graham crackers, lemon-infused cream, and a delectable blueberry sauce. 

The combo of blueberries and lemon really makes it wildly refreshing.

It’s studded with fresh blueberries, too, giving you that extra burst of flavor.

8. Raspberry Icebox Cake

This next cake has a layer of raspberry cheesecake mousse in it, so expect nothing but jaw-dropping deliciousness.

The mousse alone is incredible on its own. Seriously, when I first made it, I couldn’t help snacking on it with a spoon! I should’ve doubled the recipe.

But it gets even better when layered with whipped cream and graham crackers. Together, they create such a pretty and tasty treat.

9. Chocolate Peppermint Icebox Cake

If you’re a fan of the chocolate peppermint combo, you’ll definitely love this.

It doesn’t look like most of the icebox cakes on this list, but man, it tastes incredible.

It’s layers of pizzelle cookies, which are crisp, waffle-like cookies. In between those layers is chocolate pudding spiced with peppermint. 

Finished off with whipped cream and crushed peppermint candies, this is the epitome of Christmas cakes.

10. Oreo Icebox Cake

Can’t decide among cookies, ice cream, and cake? This Oreo icebox cake lets you have them all.

This cake has layers of Oreo cookies and sweetened whipped cream.

Don’t let its simplicity fool you. It may look basic, but don’t be surprised to find yourself eating the entire thing in one sitting.

11. No-Bake Snickers Icebox Cake

Graham crackers, caramel cream cheese, chocolate pudding, Snickers, and peanuts all together in one? This has to be dessert heaven!

Its many components are delightful on their own, but even more phenomenal together.

From the moist cake to the creamy pudding to the decadent Snickers, this dessert is a star.

12. Black Forest Icebox Cake

Chocolate graham crackers are layered with whipped cream and fresh cherries and sprinkled with chocolate shavings on top. 

It’s black forest cake made ridiculously easy! 

13. Espresso Royale Icebox Cake

This espresso royale cake tastes just like tiramisu, but it’s a lot easier to make.

The espresso mousse layer is incredibly smooth, velvety, and bursting with a lovely coffee flavor.

Together with the moist graham cracker cake layers, its flavors and textures will blow your tastebuds away.

14. Lemonade Icebox Cake

This cake is filled and frosted with a cream cheese and lemon pudding mix, giving it that refreshing lemonade flavor.

This one’s definitely a keeper. If you’re looking for an easy-peasy dessert for your next summer party, this is it.

Top it with lemon zest for a pop of color and an extra dose of citrus flavor.

15. No-Bake Butterfinger Oreo Icebox Cake

The combination of peanut butter and chocolate will make your sweet tooth dance with glee.

This cake has layers of Oreos, peanut butter filling, crushed Butterfingers, and whipped cream piled on top of one another.

It’s as ridiculously tasty as you’ll imagine it to be.

16. Orange Creamsicle Icebox Cake

Take a trip down memory lane with this delightful icebox cake.

One bite will remind you of those slurp-tastic orange creamsicles you couldn’t live without.

In this recipe, the graham cracker layers are filled with an orange custard made of cream cheese, Cool Whip, and orange gelatin.

The filling isn’t only delectable, but also has a wonderful orange hue that makes it look even more like the classic popsicle!

17. Boston Cream Icebox Cake

Love Boston cream donuts? You’ll absolutely fall for this cake, then.

How can you say no to graham crackers, vanilla pudding, whipped cream, and chocolate?

Stacked neatly on top of each other, these layers will tantalize your tastebuds like no other.

18. Boozy Mudslide Icebox Cake

Here’s something that’s for adults only: a chocolate cake that’s a little boozy and a lot tasty.

If mudslide is your cocktail of choice, you definitely have to give this dessert a try. 

Oreo cookies, a Bailey’s and cream cheese filling, and Bailey’s and espresso whipped cream all together in one bite: how awesome is that?

19. Death By Chocolate Icebox Cake

Complete with chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, and a chocolate sauce to boot, this next icebox cake is a chocoholic’s dream come to reality.

With all its chocolatey layers, it may seem like this cake is overwhelmingly rich, but it’s not. In fact, you’ll want to eat it again and again.

The use of cocoa powder in most of the components gives it just the right balance of sweet, fudgy, and decadent.

20. No-Bake Peanut Butter Icebox Cake

Peanut butter lovers: this is for you. 

It has layers of Nutter Butters, peanut butter pudding, and Reese’s pieces on top. So yes, the peanut butter flavor is definitely strong in this one. 

21. Limoncello Icebox Cake

What makes this next cake such a refreshing dessert is its limoncello custard filling.

It’s a blend of milk, limoncello, liqueur, and cream thickened with cornstarch. A little bit of cooking is required, but it’s nothing you can’t pull off.

Think of it as a citrusy aperitif, but in cake form!

22. Banana Split Icebox Cake

No need to rush to finish this dessert! This banana split doesn’t melt.

As much as I love the classic sundae, I don’t appreciate how I can’t take my time with it. It’s a constant battle against time where ice cream is involved.

But, with this recipe, you can enjoy the delectable banana split – complete with bananas, nuts, and cherries – without worrying about it melting. 

23. No-Bake Nutella Oreo Icebox Cake

Nutella and Oreos join forces to make a dessert you’ll surely want seconds of.

Oreo cookie layers are covered with chocolate-hazelnut cheesecake filling that’s just out-of-this-world fantastic.

It’s like eating cookies, cheesecake, Nutella, and cake all in one bite!

24. No-Bake Peach Icebox Cake

Loaded with layers of graham crackers, cream, and juicy peaches, this is the icebox cake I grew up eating.

In fact, if I remember correctly, this is one of the first desserts I made as a kid. 

It’s not only easy, its flavor is off the charts, too. This cake of peaches and cream make all of my dessert dreams come true! 

25. Blackberry Icebox Cake

Blackberries make this cake unbelievably pretty in purple. It only takes one look to get you hooked.

It’s not only a feast for the eyes, but the taste buds as well. Chocolate crackers are layered together with blackberry jam, blackberry whipped cream, and fresh blackberries. 

It’s summer on a plate, and you’ll love it.