Bert Swope
Bring festive fun into your celebrations with this delicious red, white, and blue 4th of July Flag Strawberry Icebox Cake! This no-bake treat can add some celebration fun, perfect for patriotic events (or any summer party!).
This no-back (icebox) cake is a great summertime dessert for celebrations and family gatherings. This recipe has been created as a flag cake around the 4th of July Independence Day celebration in a Red, White, And Blue pattern. Still, it can easily be adapted to switching out the blueberries with a few more strawberries, decorating them with simple lines of jam, or even skipping the fruit on top.
We tend to think of icebox (no-bake) cakes during the hot months, but they are helpful for large gatherings of family and friends for almost any celebration. Especially those focused on cooking when the ovens may be occupied with other dishes.
Approximate Prep Time
- 45 minutes
Approximate Total Time
- 4 hours, 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 quart (950g) heavy cream
- 2/3 cup (85 g) powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 sleeves of graham crackers or about 24 graham crackers (325g)
- 2 pints blueberries (680g)
- 2 pounds strawberries (900g)
Preparation Directions
- First, place a large mixing bowl and either a stand mixer, whisk, or electric mixer beaters in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to cool.
- Meanwhile, rinse the strawberries and blueberries and let them dry on paper towels. After that, remove the leaves and the core of the strawberries and slice them thinly. Set aside.
- Combine the cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt in the chilled bowl. Beat on low speed for three minutes, then increase to high speed and beat for a few more minutes until the cream is whipped and has stiff peaks that stand straight up when the beaters are lifted. The top of the peak should not bend or curl.
- Take a 9×13 baking dish and add a spoonful of whipped cream at the bottom. Spread it evenly to hold the graham crackers in place.
- Next, add a layer of graham crackers, breaking some if needed to cover the bottom evenly. Add another layer of whipped cream over the graham crackers, followed by all but around 50 of the blueberries.
- Repeat with another layer of graham crackers, whipped cream, and sliced strawberries, reserving some for the top layer.
- Add a final layer of graham crackers and whipped cream, spreading it out evenly. In the top left corner of the dish, create five rows of blueberries with eight berries in each row to form the stars. Then, add five rows of overlapping sliced strawberries to create the stripes.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight. Insert a knife in the center to check if the cake is ready. It should come out with soft crumbs and should easily go in. If the graham crackers are still crispy, refrigerate it for longer before slicing.
- To serve, cut into squares and serve chilled.
Servings
There are three standard ways you can slice a 9×13 cake:
- For 12 Slices: Cut the short side into three equal parts and the long side into four equal parts. These are pretty large slices of cake!
- For 15 Slices: Cut the short side into three parts and the long side into five parts. This is a standard-sized piece of cake.
- For 20 Slices: Cut the short side into four parts and the long side into five parts. Use this cut when you need just a few extra pieces for all your guests.