This no bake cherry cheesecake icebox cake is filled with all the flavors we love in cherry cheesecake and none of the work! Delicious layers of graham cracker, cream cheese, and pudding are topped with sweet cherry pie filling to create an old fashioned, decadent dessert that’s as easy as it is delicious!
Old fashioned icebox cakes are a time honored dessert all across North America. And it’s no wonder. They’re delicious, and they’re ridiculously easy.
No baking is involved whatsoever, and the entire thing is simply a matter of layering and chilling. This combination of flavor and simplicity makes these kinds of cakes perfect for any occasion, and people certainly use them for almost everything.
I’ve loved icebox cakes for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been making them for as long as I’ve been cooking. The flavors are always tasty, and the ease of making these old fashioned icebox cakes was very attractive to me when I was a mom of a young boy.
Now that my son is grown, though, I still tend to make pudding icebox cakes all the time. What can I say? If it ain’t broke…
This no bake cherry cheesecake icebox cake has been a staple in our home for a long, long time. It’s a combination of two classics – icebox cake and cheesecake – and it just works so well!
A Brief History of Cheesecake and Icebox Cake
Cheesecake is delicious. So is every single icebox cake ever made. Without both of these, we wouldn’t have this delicious recipe for no bake cherry cheesecake icebox cake. To honor both of the main inspirations for this recipe, I want to take a brief moment to talk about the history of both.
Then it’s back to NOT baking!
History of Cheesecake
Cheesecake has been around for a long, long time in one form or another. In its earliest forms, the precursor of cheesecake, a quite yeasty affair, is mentioned by Aegimu, a 5th century BC physician. A later, more closely related version called sambocade can be found in Forme of Cury, an English cookbook from 1390.
Because of its similarity to modern cheesecake and its mention in Forme of Cury, many food historians credit England as the birthplace of the modern cheesecake.
Over hundreds of years, Europeans began removing the yeast that was a common ingredient in the earliest modern cheesecake recipe and began adding beaten eggs instead. Around the 18th century, with the overpowering yeast flavor done away with, cheesecake became more of what it is today.
The cheesecake that we all make today is the result of the creation of commercially available American cream cheese. Developed in 1872 by William Lawrence who was looking for a way to recreate Neufchatel, cream cheese is the result of Lawrence creating an “unripened cheese”.
History of Icebox Cake
Icebox cake is a layered dessert usually made with layers of cream, wafers, and various other sweet ingredients and then put in the refrigerator to set. No baking is involved. The entire idea of this type of cake is layering and chilling.
Icebox cake is a variation of desserts like the charlotte and the trifle that was introduced in the 1930s as a more accessible version of the two desserts. It was also one of the prime selling points for promoting the icebox as a staple appliance for the modern kitchen.
Throughout the 1930s the popularity of icebox cake skyrocketed because its use of commercial shortcuts and pre-made ingredients made it incredibly easy to make. This soaring popularity prompted many companies that made ingredients like condensed milk and wafer cookies to begin printing various icebox cake recipes on the back of their boxes.
Over the years, there have been a few variations on the icebox cake, but the one that most of us know and make today is composed of a series of layers using some sort of wafer, pudding, and whipped cream.
No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Icebox Cake
This icebox cherry cheesecake is pure decadence and also purely simple. Icebox cake features the rich texture of cream cheese, the sweet deliciousness of cheesecake pudding, the smooth sweetness of Cool Whip, and of course, graham crackers. It’s a fantastic treat that’s always welcome at any table or event, and it comes together in a snap!
Ingredients
The ingredient list for this icebox cake is the picture of simplicity. It only takes a handful of ingredients to make this recipe, and you probably already have more of them in your kitchen right this second! If you don’t, you can find any of the ingredients easily at your local grocery store.
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 – 3.4 ounce boxes of instant cheesecake Jello pudding mix, white chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding or your favorite flavor will work too
- 2 cups milk
- 8 ounces cool whip, refrigerated not frozen
- 2 sleeves of graham crackers, about 16 graham crackers
- 21 ounce can of cherry pie filling or another fruit pie filling
- Springform pan
That’s all it takes! I told you it was easy.
Making the Icebox Cake
Making this no bake cherry cheesecake icebox cake is as simple as the ingredient list. You’ll simply be mixing, layering, and chilling. There’s nothing to it! You’ll find the recipe complete with amounts in the recipe card below, but take a look at these highlights to see just how easy it is to make this tasty treat.
- In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the cream cheese for about 1 -2 minutes, enough to whip the cream cheese so that it combines well with the next ingredients.
- Add in the dry pudding mix and beat into the cream cheese until mostly combined, about 3 – 5 minutes.
- As the cream cheese mixture is about fully combined, slowly pour in the milk. Beat it until you reach a thick, pudding like consistency, about 3 – 5 minutes.
- Fold in the cool whip with a rubber spatula. Be careful not to overwork the mixture to maintain the cool whip’s fluffy consistency.
- Line the springform pan with parchment paper, trimming it to size.
- Spread ½ cup of the cool whip mixture evenly around the base of the lined pan.
- Lay full and broken pieces of graham cracker to fit the pan shape until you have a full layer of graham crackers.
- Divide the remaining cool whip mixture into thirds.
- Add ⅓ of the cool whip mixture on top of the graham cracker layer.
- Repeat with a layer of graham cracker, followed by another third of the cool whip mixture.
- Add one last layer of graham cracker, followed by the last third of the cool whip mixture.
- You should have 4 layers of cool whip mixture, including the small base layer, and 3 layers of graham cracker.
Chilling your cake
- Freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight to chill.
- Before serving remove from freezer and leave it to sit at room temperature for several minutes, allowing the edges to soften slightly. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to help it release.
- Remove the spring form ring.
- Spoon the cherry pie filling on top of the chilled cake and serve!
- Garnish with fresh mint if desired.
That’s all there is to making this pudding icebox cake! You might take a look at all the bullet points at first and be a bit daunted, but don’t worry, in the end, it’s all about the mixing and layering. It really is a breeze to make this old fashioned, graham cracker icebox cake.
Serving No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Icebox Cake
This delicious icebox cake is best-served, well, anywhere. It’s so easy, it’s perfect for a weeknight dessert, but it’s so fancy looking that it’s at home at any get-together. Bring to potlucks, backyard parties, and even holiday get-togethers.
To serve it, simply cut a slice and let your guests enjoy. There’s no need to add anything to the icebox cherry cheesecake recipe when you serve it. It’s so rich and delicious, anything more would just be overkill.
Storing Cherry Cheesecake Icebox Cake
This graham cracker icebox cake will keep well in the refrigerator for up to three days. However, the longer the cake sits, the softer the graham cracker layers will get. Bear that in mind. I recommend only making one of these cakes if you’re making it for a weeknight dessert. If you’re going to a particularly large party, you could make a double batch.
Here’s some good news. You can freeze this old fashioned icebox cake! Simply wrap the cake – without the cherry topping – tightly in cling wrap and place it in an air-tight, freezer-safe container. It will stay good for a couple of months.
If you freeze it, I recommend eating it cold, as Cool Whip breaks down when it defrosts. The great news is that it’s DELICIOUS frozen.
Try This No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Icebox Cake
This delicious no bake cherry cheesecake icebox cake is just about one of the best pudding icebox cakes I’ve ever made, and I think if you make it, you’ll agree. The creamy texture and delicious flavors of the cream cheese, cheesecake Jello pudding, or your favorite flavor, and Cool Whip layered with graham crackers create an absolutely heavenly dessert.
It’s incredibly easy to make and so delectable, you absolutely have to try it. You’ll be in and out of the kitchen in no time, and your family and friends will all be begging for more of this graham cracker icebox cake.
I know I keep going on and on about this icebox cherry cheesecake but it’s true. This is the perfect pudding icebox cake if you ask me! Give it a try, and I know you’ll soon be using it heavily in your dessert recipe rotation.
No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Icebox Cake
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer
- Parchment paper
- 8” spring form pan
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 boxes (3.4 oz) instant cheesecake Jello pudding mix, white chocolate, vanilla or your favorite flavor
- 2 cups milk
- 1 carton (8 oz) cool whip, refrigerated not frozen
- 2 sleeves graham crackers (about 16 full crackers)
- 1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling, or your favorite
Instructions
- Get out and measure your ingredients.
- In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the cream cheese for about 1-2 minutes, enough to whip the cream cheese so that it combines well with the next ingredients. Add in the dry pudding mix.
- Beat into cream cheese until mostly combined, about 3 - 5 minutes.
- As the mixture is about fully combined, slowly pour in the milk.
- Beat it until you reach a thick, pudding like consistency, about 3 - 5 minutes. Fold in the cool whip with a rubber spatula. Be careful not to overwork the mixture to maintain the cool whip’s fluffy consistency.
- Line the spring form pan with parchment paper, trimming it to size.
- Spread ½ cup of the cool whip mixture evenly around the base of the lined pan.
- Lay full and broken pieces of graham cracker to fit the pan shape until you have a full layer of graham crackers.
- Divide the remaining cool whip mixture into thirds.
- Add ⅓ of the cool whip mixture on top of the graham cracker layer.
- Repeat with a layer of graham cracker, followed by another third of the cool whip mixture.
- Add one last layer of graham cracker, followed by the last third of the cool whip mixture.
- You should have 4 layers of cool whip mixture, including the small base layer, and 3 layers of graham cracker.
- Freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight to chill.
- Before serving remove from freezer and leave it to sit at room temperature for several minutes, allowing the edges to soften slightly. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to help it release.
- Remove the spring form ring.
- Grab whichever pie filling you're using
- Spoon the cherry pie filling on top of the chilled cake
- Until covered with pie filling.
- Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.
- Slice with a hot knife if possible and wipe your knife between cuts.
- Serve.
- Enjoy every bite!
What an absolutely beautiful recipe, luv! I’m drooling now!
Just wait until you try it! You’re the best! Take care and be well. Karin