Almost completely
Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 1:32PM 
When there are two birthdays in your family of four within seven days, it makes for a festive week. And, well, a lot of buttercream too.
My birthday was yesterday, at the tail end of that celebratory span. And by the time my moment to blow out the candles rolled around, the last thing I wanted was cake.
So we made this. By we I mean our Benjamin and I did, and by this I mean a Strawberry Icebox Cake. But it's not a cake, really, simply graham crackers stacked with sweet, whipped heavy cream and drizzled with a rosy strawberry sauce. After a rest in the chill chest from which its name derives, the crackers swell and the cream thickens and the strawberry sauce pretty much becomes best friends with everybody.
That sauce is the only cooking requirement; it's a stirring job for the most part as the lion's share of the berries simmer and bubble into a jammy fruit goo (I use the term lovingly), and then a buzz around the blender. What remains now is pretty much laughter and licking the spoons, because you're almost completely home free.
No baking required, no butter to cream, only 10 minutes or so of building block style assembly.
The good manners that my Grandmother taught me tell me I should be abashed at the categorical ordinariness of this cake. It's crackers and cream and fruit. Where's the flamboyance? Where's the show? Birthdays are supposed to be about razzmatazz.
But don't be fooled, it's a quiet cacophony, but this cake will knock you flat. That sauce of ours practically vibrates with each and every childlike notion of what berries should be. It's bold and tangy and reminds you that strawberries aren't just about being sweet; they're one of the first fruits of the season and in that redness they carry the jubilant acidity that comes from crisp mornings and sunshine-bathed afternoons.
Then there's the cream that brings me back to the summer when I was six years old and I thought strawberry ice cream was just about the best thing going. Once the crackers get involved, it all becomes a cloud of strawberry shortcake.
At one point yesterday, I found it hard to chew because I was smiling so big; partly because who made it with me and who was sharing it with me, and partly because was exactly what I wanted. And if smiles like that isn't what the best birthdays are about, then I don't know what is.
Happy days to you.
Strawberry Icebox Cake
This is berry-fied version of the Mocha Icebox Cake we made last year, with little changes to the basic cake and method. I've republished the instructions for ease, but here is the original in case anyone is interested in the chocolate and coffee version. The instructions are for a square cake, which is easier and neater than our attempt at a round. But, if you decide to aim for circular, these amounts will be about right.
Ingredients for the sauce (makes approximately 1 cup)
1 pound strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
1/3 cup caster sugar, or thereabouts
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
A pinch of salt
Ingredients for the cake
3 1/2 cups heavy (whipping cream), divided
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, divided, or thereabouts
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
45 honey graham crackers, the single kind
One recipe Strawberry sauce, divided
To make the sauce, take three-quarters of the berries and put them in a medium saucepan with 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the salt and 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until the fruit becomes soft and the juices begin to thicken, around 7-10 minutes.
Carefully remove the strawberries to a blender (or use an immersion blender), and process until smooth. Push the puréed sauce through a sieve, back into the saucepan. Return to the heat and bring again to a simmer, stirring often. Cook the sauce until it becomes truly thick, with a clear, glossy look, around 10 minutes. At this point you want it on the verge of jammy-ness, close to the texture of hot fudge sauce.
Tumble in the reserved berries, give them a few turns in the pan and cook for another minute or so.
Again with care, remove the strawberries to that blender of yours and whirr them around again. Sieve again, this time to a clean container, and set the sauce aside to cool. It should be about the consistency of chocolate syrup, rather than fudge, and will coat the back of a spoon thickly, but not heavily. Once it has cooled to a non-molten level, taste for balance and stir in the rest of the sugar and lemon if need be.
To assemble the cake. Line an 8-by-8-inch metal cake pan with a cross of clingfilm, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl with a hand blender or whisk, begin to whip 2 cups of well-chilled heavy cream. Once the cream begins to thicken, sift in 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar and salt. With the mixer on medium-high, whip until the cream begins to hold soft peaks. Add the vanilla, and beat until the cream just holds a stiff peak.
Spread a small amount of the cream on the bottom of the prepared cake pan. Lay 9 crackers, in a 3-by-3 grid, on top of the cream. Spoon 1/2 cup of the cream on top of the crackers. Then, using an offset spatula, gently spread the cream to cover the crackers entirely. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the strawberry sauce over the cream, spreading to form an even layer if desired. (You will use a generous 1/2 cup of the sauce for the entire cake.)
Top with another layer of graham crackers, continuing the layering until you have 5 layers of crackers and 4 of the cream and strawberry. Make sure to reserve a small amount of cream to cover the last layer of crackers (no sauce on this one).
Cover loosely with a piece of clingfilm, then draw the overhanging clingfilm from the sides up to cover the edges. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
About 1 hour before serving, remove the cake from the fridge and peel back the clingfilm. Invert the cake onto a serving plate, removing the remaining clingfilm from the top and sides. Smooth out the sides with an offset spatula if needed. Place the cake in the freezer, uncovered, to chill for 30 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl with a hand blender or whisk, begin to whip the remaining 1 cup of well-chilled heavy cream. When the cream begins to thicken, sift in the reserved 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar. With the machine set to medium-high, whip the cream until holds a firm peak, but being careful not to over beat.
Take the cake out of the refrigerator and gently spread a thin layer of the whipped cream to cover. Chill the finished cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then serve with the remaining strawberry sauce passed alongside.
Makes one 8-inch square cake.
Notes:
- The thing about fruit sauces is that so much will depend on the fruit itself. You might need more or less sugar than I've suggested. This recipe will make around 1 cup, but it might be more or less depending on the juiciness of the fruit and how thick your final sauce ends up. Any leftover sauce can be used over ice cream or stirred into yogurt, or as the base of a strawberried champagne cocktail (which gets my vote).
icebox cake, strawberry 
Reader Comments (65)
1) A belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Tara!
2) How have I not come across you sooner?!! I mean, what a gorgeous, gorgeous blog you've created here! I think I found you via simplesong and am THRILLED I did!
3) I love me a good icebox cake but, while I've switched things up before, never have I thought to do graham crackers and strawberry! It sounds amazing and, with your artistic eye, looks like a dream.
Have a lovely weekend. :)
I remeber your birthday cake last year. Sooo wonderful and 'right'. I made it twice within two days :)
THis one also looks delicious but i'm not a huge fan of buttercream so think i'll stich with your last year's cake :)
Happe birthday!
Happy Birthday for yesterday then dear Tara! Sounds perfect, the best birthdays are all about you and what you want them to be, aren't they? Successfully resubscribed to this feed and unsubscribed from the last - no complications there.
This cake sounds amazing. Consider me officially knocked out:) Happy Birthday, Tara!
Happy Birthday, Tara. Looks like a wonderful spring-time birthday cake!
Happy, happy birthday! What a beautiful cake, and such a wonderful description.
Amazing! Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday Tara! What an absolutely amazing cake and your words bring it all to life! -Soraya
Happy Belated Birthday, to you. All the best for the year to come and what a lovely looking cake.
Hi there - I'm a newcomer to your blog but wanted to let you know I'm enjoying it very much so far. I especially like your taste in desserts (this cake, for example!) Now, if only I could find graham crackers in Japan, hmmmm...
Hope you had a great day!
~ Emma
The photo of this cake and the cake in the photo look amazing. I tried to click the link back to the chocolate/coffee version but it didn't work for me? I just wanted to see if *maybe* I'd like that version better and try it first but I'd be pretty happy making this one. Great use for the multitude of strawberries hitting the markets these days!
Happy birthday Tara, that cake looks stunning! But I'm so curious, how is it so round? Maybe I missed something, but did you break apart the crackers? My birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, so I need all the tricks and ideas I can muster!
happy belated bday! mine is today :) and that "cake" looks gorgeous.
The cake looks fantastic -- I'm now looking for an opportunity to make one! Happy birthday :-)
Dear Little B, I like graham crackers (a lot) and my birthday is in October. ;) Ha, happy late birthday friend.
What a beautiful cake stand!
Happy Birthday to everyone in your family!
Just when I decide that there is no better word than "razzmatazz," you spring "quiet cacophony" on me. : ) Happy birthday, Tara. This cake is just gorgeous, as are your words.
Lovely cake-perfect for any celebration. Happy Birthday!
Happy belated birthday, pretty lady! I would ship you some cupcakes but it sounds like you are caked out :)
Your photography of that cake is awesome. I hope you can post some details on how you take your pictures. Exposure, light set up, etc. Great eye!
what! How is it I am just finding your blog now! LOVE LOVE LOVE the icebox cake recipie! I am just now getting re-aquainted with my inner cook and this makes us both happy!
for no occasion in particular, I want to make this cake *now.* how could it *not* be wonderful?
... but how exactly did you manage to get square pegs into a round?
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!
Uncle Beefy, that sure is a great name.
Egle, this cake has no buttercream, it's the identical whipped heavy cream as last year's cake. So happy to hear you liked that one!
Happy to hear it, Sasa! It's been giving me such a headache trying to get everything sorted. Everyone's been so understanding, I truly appreciate it.
Thanks The French, Jennifer Jo, Golubka and Anna!
Soraya and Jan, thank you for the kind words.
Hello Emma! You could use any biscuit-style cookie in place of the graham crackers, as long as they weren't overly sweet. But if you wanted to try your hand at making some, here is a recipe for them. Best of luck!
Sharlene, thanks for letting me know! It's been fixed.
kickpleat and huebscher, for my cake I went with a round, using a tin that was about 6 1/2-inches across. we put two whole crackers across the middle, then filled in the sides and any gaps using strips of crackers we cut. it's a bit fiddly. you'll need to make sure that the layer is fairly complete, as these crackers are what give the cake the needed stability to be turned out of its tin. as another option, you can scoop the cake out like a tiramisu. (and happy early birthday, Jeanette!)
A happy day to you, heather!
Thank you Avalee!
Duly noted, N. Ha.
Thanks Whitney, I'll pass on your best wishes. The stand is a favourite, too.
Thank you Kristin, I read your words today and it made me ache for picnics. Beautiful stuff.
Maria, thanks!
Amanda, can I get a raincheck? I may be in a bit of a sugar coma these days, but it would be insanity to turn down your cupcakes.
thanks for the kindness, K Moran! but. I'm really no expert. I do not do a formal setup, just natural light and my canon.
thank you for the visit, Parakh!
What a wonderful, easy treat -- with yummy strawberries, too. Happy birthday! I hope it was as easy and sweet as this cake.
Someone needs to have a bday in family real soon. What's the next holiday...Mother's Day? That will do.