I love strawberries. Growing up in the Fraser Valley, I have vivid memories of going to local farms with my family and picking berries every summer. To be honest, I'm not sure exactly how many I ended up picking, but I do remember eating quite a few sweet, red morsels!
With the heat of this summer, I've been looking for ways to cook and make desserts without turning the oven on. Icebox Cakes are a perfect warm weather dessert as they require no baking. They are simply a layered cake made from hard cookies and whipped topping. Traditional Icebox Cakes are usually made from chocolate wafer cookies and vanilla whipped topping. This Strawberry Gingersnap Icebox Cake is a take on a traditional Icebox Cake, using - you guessed it - fresh strawberries!
While I chose to build this Strawberry Gingersnap Icebox Cake on a rectangular plate, I have previously used spring form pans to make Icebox Cakes. See Recipe Note below for more info on the vessel you choose to build your Icebox Cake in.
I hope this warm weather Strawberry Gingersnap Icebox Cake is your new favourite summer dessert!
Enjoy,
Krista
Strawberry Gingersnap Icebox Cake (adapted from here)
Makes 1, 9"X5" cake
Serves 6 people
Ingredients
500 grams fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half (reserve 6 whole berries for the topping)
1/2 lime, zest and juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powder sugar
gingersnap cookies, about 60 small - you want very hard cookies, as they soften when layered in the cake (depending on the shape and size of the vessel you choose to create your cake on, you may need more or less cookies)
2.5 cups heavy cream, chilled
2 tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
Garnish
6 strawberries (see above), hulled and sliced into quarters or sixths, depending on size
2 teaspoons sugar
Method
To Make the Strawberry Purée
Into a food processor or high power blender (I used a Vitamix) add hulled strawberries, zest and juice of lime half, vanilla and powder sugar. Whizz until mixture is puréed. Run through a sieve to remove seeds. Set purée aside and chill until ready to use.
To Make the Filling
Into the chilled bowl of a stand mixer add 2.5 cups of heavy cream. Whip until medium peaks form. Add sour cream and 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue to whip cream mixture until stiff peaks form.
In small batches slowly add and fold chilled strawberry purée into the whip cream being careful not to deflate. Chill for 15 minutes in between batches if whip cream becomes to liquid. Refrigerate combined strawberry whip cream for minimum 30 minutes to re-set.
To Assemble
Scoop 1/5 of the filling mixture onto the bottom of your vessel. Top with gingersnap cookies. In the picture below, I made 3 rows of 5 cookies on my chosen serving plate. If using a spring form pan, add whip cream to bottom and lay cookies flat in a circular ring starting with the outside and working your way into the centre.
Top cookies with another 1/5 of the filling mixture and then add another layer of cookies. Repeat until you have 4 layers, finishing with filling on the top. You will need to work quickly as the strawberry whip cream filling will start to loosen and become liquid. Gently cover the icebox cake with cling film and refrigerate until ready to serve, minimum 6-8 hours or overnight.
30 minutes prior to serving, hull and slice the reserved 6 strawberries. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar, mix and let macerate on the counter.
Top cake with reserved strawberry slices and any juice that forms immediately before serving. Slice cake, serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
*I opted to build this icebox cake on a rectangular serving plate. In the past I have built icebox cakes in 8" or 9" springform pans. This maintains the shape and structure of the cake a bit better than this looser shaped form. If you layer in a slower fashion or would like to ensure straight, perfect edges, use a springform pan, removing sides right before serving.
*The addition of sour cream to the recipe is optional. I love how the sour cream adds a slight tang to contrast the sweet strawberries and sour lime. If you don't want to add it, just omit.
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