This dessert is the ultimate summer cake. It requires no baking, it’s served chilled, has a ton of fresh strawberries, and fluffy whipped cream. Plus chocolate wafers and Nutella.
I’ve been meaning to make another icebox cake for a while now (icebox refers to the refrigerator, because the cake just need to be chilled and does not need to be baked). When I’m home in the Philippines, my sisters and I love eating mango icebox cake – we make it with ladyfingers, whipped cream and condensed milk, and sweet and sticky mangoes. But I’ve always wanted to make one with chocolate cookies, and what pairs better with chocolate than strawberries?
I used Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers, which taste like thin and crispy oreo cookies without the cream. I love these chocolate wafers for their deep dark chocolate flavor, and have used them in other recipes. I also added drizzles of Nutella because why not?
I had one of those giant tubs of Nutella at home and I was dipping into it too often, to snack on with mini pretzels (Nutella and pretzels is a mouth-watering combo if you haven’t tried it) so I figured I better use up as much as I can before it ends up (even more so) on my hips. No lie.
There’s some sort of magic that happens in the fridge when you marry whipped cream and chocolate wafers – the cookies soften into a cake-like texture, and you basically end up with layer cake: layers of chocolate and fruit nestled within generous clouds of whipped cream.
And don’t forget the Nutella, which makes it extra special. It’s no secret that my drizzling skills are pretty bad but it doesn’t matter because I only drizzled the Nutella in the middle layers and no one can tell I made a mess. And I can make a nice looking swirly pattern on top to make this cake look all pretty…
The inside if this cake is a different story though – it’s a jumbled mess: layers upon layers of cold whipped cream, sweet juicy strawberries, chocolate cake-like cookies, and surprise dollops of Nutella. But no one complained about this “mess.”
Even if some of my cake slices came out looking all mangled like this one below, and no amount of propping up with strawberries can make it stand upright. No one cares about messy slices of summer cake.
In fact, that’s another reason why this Strawberry Nutella Icebox Cake is the perfect summer dessert – it’s so laid back and easy to make, no fuss, no bake, just assemble chill and go. It’s so summery, it goes with messy topknots and bare faces, flowing maxi dresses that hide Nutella-plumped hips, and tight tshirts on bulging biceps (hi boys). Okay I made up that last part but who’s complaining?
Strawberry Nutella Icebox Cake
Ingredients
1 lb fresh strawberries
8 oz chocolate wafers (I used Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers)
2 cups heavy cream + 2 tablespoons sugar (to make 4 cups whipped cream) or 4 cups Cool Whip
1/2 cup Nutella
Directions
- Prepare the ingredients. Wash and dry the strawberries, hull, and thinly slice. If you're making your own whipped cream, combine heavy and cream and confectioners sugar and whip until it holds peaks. Otherwise, make sure your Cool Whip has defrosted in the refrigerator for a few hours. In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the Nutella for around 30 seconds to further soften.
- Start assembling the cake. Spread a few spoonfulls of the whipped cream in the bottom of a 7x9 inch baking pan (or something similarly sized). Assemble a layer of chocolate wafers. It's okay if some break and if there's a little overlap but just arrange it so you have one even layer without too much gaps. Spread another layer of whipped cream, then strawberries, then a drizzle of Nutella (use about a third from the bowl). Repeat.
- Make the last layer with whipped cream, chocolate wafers and strawberries, and reserve the remaining Nutella for drizzling on top. Spread a last layer of whipped cream, then drizzle remaining Nutella or make a swirly pattern. For the swirls, make four thick parallel lines of Nutella on top. Lightly run a knife across the lines perpendicularly, letting the Nutella drag to form swirls.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Serve chilled.
You can substitute graham crackers or lady fingers for the chocolate wafers.
And speaking of favorite summer treats, how about some ICE CREAM??
I want to share with you guys something that can revolutionize the way you make ice cream, gelato and frozen yogurt. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that I’m really good friends with Dan Whalen from The Food in My Beard. Dan is one of my very favorite bloggers people in the planet and I trust him about a ton of things, but number one on that list is ice cream.
Remember the Olive Oil Gelato he made with liquid nitrogen?? I also post about some of his insane ice cream creations on Instagram, like this Easter ice cream with crushed up mini Cadbury eggs and a pink Peeps swirl or this Chocolate Bourbon Peanut Gelato (that’s right, bourbon.)
Dan and his business partner is responsible for Snoflaek, an ice cream making system. The beauty of it all is it’s tied to an app that lets you customize the ice cream of your dreams. Meanwhile the actual ice cream maker/home appliance uses liquid nitrogen, which lets you make ice cream in minutes! Not hours! It’s really incredible and I hope you take some time to visit their kickstarter page and more importantly, to share, spread the word, and donate.
What is your ideal summer dessert? And what is the ice cream of your dreams?? Mine would involve strawberries, chocolate, and dulce de leche.