Ice. Box. Cake.
I’ve expressed my love for this old school dessert, so I won’t bore you with an elaborate retelling of the virtues of easy cake or its alchemic charm. If you’re looking for that sort of poetic-waxing, you need look no further than my article on the classic Ice Box Cake here.
For this Strawberry Ice Box Cake recipe (perfect for Valentine’s Day…hint, hint!), I wanted to dial back the caloric wickedness factor and keep things a bit lighter without losing the “yum” factor. Strawberry yogurt was a great sub for some of the whipped topping in the classic recipe – it’s just as sweet and creamy with the tiniest little tang – and wonderful with the instant pudding. The nice thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to dial it back a bit more – use a light yogurt, light whipped topping and and/or use a sugar free pudding and prepare with skim milk. Try a sugar-free strawberry jam. (However, I see no reason to skimp on the white chocolate curls. That would be taking things way too far!)
To prepare the ice box cake, first stir up the instant pudding. Mix in the whipped topping and the strawberry yogurt. (Add a drop of red food coloring, if you like.)
Spread a layer of graham crackers with strawberry jam, and arrange in a single layer in your pan or baking dish. Mine is an odd size – 7” by 10”.
Pour 2 cups of the strawberry filling over the crackers, and gently spread into an even layer. Repeat steps until you have three layers.
Now comes the most important step. Pop the pan into the refrigerator and… Just. Walk. Away. Go shopping, to the gym or to the movies. Laundry? Write a novel? Wash the car? Nap, anyone? Do whatever you like. The Ice Box Cake is hanging out in the fridge, doing all the work for you!
To serve, slice into rectangles and top with a half strawberry, white chocolate curls, and maybe a smudge of the strawberry jam, if you’re feeling fancy. Or, scoop it and serve with additional whip and a strawberry!
Hope you enjoy!
XO, Michelle
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