Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Cherries-and-Cream Icebox Cake 5.0 (2) 2 Reviews Easier than cherry pie. By Pam Lolley Pam Lolley Pam Lolley developed and tested recipes for Southern Living Magazine in the Souths most trusted Test Kitchen for 19 years. She worked closely with the editors planning and packaging stories, collaborating with art and photo teams on food styling and recipe reproduction to ensure reader satisfaction, content quality control, and recipe authenticity history and cooking. Her area of expertise was baking and and pastry development and she acted as the point person for these areas in the Test Kitchen. With 30+ years of experience in the culinary field, Pam created and tested 1000s of recipes for Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on January 26, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 25 mins Chill Time: 8 hrs Total Time: 8 hrs 25 mins Servings: 12 We always love to have a homemade dessert on the table, but sometimes, it's just too hot to turn on the oven. That's where this Cherries-and-Cream Icebox Cake comes in. This stunning mealtime finale looks just like a classic Southern layer cake—but there's no baking required. This cool, creamy (make-ahead!) dessert is a real treat on a hot day. Layers of graham cracker, a cool whipped filling, and cherry preserves compose this beautiful, no-bake dessert. While most icebox cakes are made with whipped cream ice cream, this version gets a more substantial, extra-decadent base mixture of whipped cream and—the secret ingredient—cream cheese. The whipped cream, with a light pink hue and a hint of almond, pairs well with the ribbons of pureed cherry preserves that run through the layers of this dessert. Here's how to construct it: Dollop the center of each whipped cream layer with 1 tablespoon preserves. Use a wooden skewer or the tip of a knife to drag and swirl the preserves evenly throughout the whipped cream. Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner After chilling for 8 hours (or overnight), the graham crackers soften and are easily sliced. Quick tip: Use a serrated knife to cut clean slices of this cherry icebox cake. Ingredients ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. cherry preserves (from 1 [13-oz.] jar, such as Bonne Maman) 4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided ¾ teaspoon almond extract, divided 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened ¾ cup plus 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar, divided 21 (2 ¼- x 5-inch) graham crackers (from 1 [14.4-oz. pkg.]) Fresh cherries, for topping Directions Process cherry preserves in a food processor until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside. Beat 3 cups of the cream, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, and ½ teaspoon of the almond extract with a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside. Beat cream cheese, ¾ cup of the powdered sugar, and 3 tablespoons of pureed cherry preserves in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and completely combined, about 2 minutes. Gently fold one-third of whipped cream mixture into cream cheese mixture until thoroughly combined. Repeat in 2 more additions with remaining whipped cream mixture. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with a layer of graham crackers, breaking them in order to cover bottom (don't worry if there are some small gaps). Spread 2 cups whipped cream mixture over graham crackers. Dollop with 1 tablespoon pureed cherry preserves; swirl with a wooden skewer or the tip of a knife. Repeat layers 3 more times with remaining graham crackers and whipped cream mixture and 3 tablespoons of the remaining preserves, ending with whipped cream mixture and preserves. Cover; chill 8 to 24 hours. Before serving, beat remaining 1 cup cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon almond extract with a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high, and gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons powdered sugar; beat until medium peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove cake from springform pan; spread top with whipped cream. Dollop remaining 1 tablespoon preserves onto whipped cream; swirl gently with a wooden skewer or the tip of a knife. Top with fresh cherries. Rate it Print