Strawberry Icebox Cake
Our Strawberry Icebox Cake is a fancied-up version of the whipped cream-and-cookies icebox cakes from your childhood. Like those classic icebox cakes, this one is made with store-bought chocolate wafer cookies, but the homemade whipped cream makes it something extra special. The cream, which is flavored with vanilla extract, gets its pretty pink color from strawberry jam (our Test Kitchen recommends Smucker’s brand). Whip the heavy cream a bit more than you normally would, but don’t overbeat it. You want it to be nice and thick so the layers are as neat as possible. Make sure your cake stand is at least 12 inches wide, and place a paper doily (or parchment paper circle) in the center of the stand to use as a guide for building the layers. Finally, make sure the cake is chilled in the refrigerator at least 5 hours. This gives the cookies plenty of time to soften so the cake can be sliced neatly.