Easy 3 Ingredient Cranberry Icebox Cake Recipe
This incredibly delicious and easy icebox cake is the perfect dessert to make for Thanksgiving and the holidays. It's made with just 3 simple ingredients: cranberry sauce, graham crackers and whipped cream or whipped topping. Make it ahead and decorate it before serving for the easiest dessert that everyone will love!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 286kcal
Ingredients
- 9 whole graham crackers 1 sleeve (150g), or one 150g package of Swedish ginger thins, or 27 Biscoff cookies (200g).
- 400 g cranberry sauce one 14 oz. can or 1-1/2 cups of homemade cranberry sauce
- 454 g whipped topping one 16 oz. tub or 6 cups of homemade stabilized whipped cream detailed below
Stabilized Whipped Cream - makes enough for piped decoration
- 227 g cold mascarpone 8 oz. container, or softened cream cheese
- 150 g granulated sugar 3/4 cup or more to taste for a sweeter version
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 720 g cold heavy cream 3 cups/12 oz., or double cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Garnish
- 1/2 cup sugared cranberries
- 4 whole fresh cranberries sliced
- 3 half slices of navel orange
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- If making homemade whipped cream start by whipping the mascarpone, sugar and salt together in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on low-medium speed for 15 seconds just to incorporate them together.
- Add the cold heavy cream and vanilla extract and continue whipping at medium speed then increase to high speed until soft peaks form. Lower speed and whip until stiff peaks just start to form being careful not to over whip the cream or it will split and turn into butter.
- Divide the whipped cream in half and store half in an airtight container in the fridge to use for decorating the cake the following day.
Assemble the Cake
- Spread a thin layer of whipped topping or whipped cream in a roughly 3-4" wide by 8" long rectangle onto the plate or platter you will serve the cake on.
- Place graham crackers or cookies on top of the cream layer, breaking them into smaller pieces to fit the rectangle shape.
- Spread a thin layer of homemade cranberry sauce or canned cranberry sauce slices over the graham crackers.
- Spread a layer of whipped cream or whipped topping over the cranberry sauce.
- Repeat layering graham crackers, cranberry sauce and whipped cream two more times for a total of 9 layers ending with whipped cream.
- Spread whipped cream over the sides of the cake with an offset spatula. It's ok if the cake looks messy at this point or if some of the cranberry sauce bleeds through the cream because it will be covered with more whipped cream the following day.
- Stick toothpicks into the top and sides of the cake an loosely cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the cake for 24 hours.
Decorate the Cake
- The following day remove the plastic wrap and toothpicks close tot he time you are ready to serve the cake.
- Refresh the reserved whipped cream if it looks deflated by adding a splash of heavy cream to it and whipping it back to stiff peaks. If using whipped topping then skip this step.
- Coat the sides of the cake with more whipped cream with an offset spatula. Spread a thick layer as the final decoration or if doing a piped decoration then just spread a thin layer of cream on the top of the cake first. To pipe the cream fit a pastry bag with a large tip (I used #686) and fill the bag with the cream. Pipe the cream in a decorative manner as you like.
- Optionally garnish the cake with sugared cranberries, fresh cranberry slices, fresh orange slices and tiny rosemary sprigs.
- Serve immediately or return the refrigerator until ready to serve within 1-2 hours.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition facts listed are for a cake made with graham crackers, whole cranberry sauce, and whipped topping.
- Store leftover icebox cake wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days total.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 63IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg