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Why we love this recipe
This creamy, dreamy conglomeration of a strawberry banana pudding cake is one of my summer faves.
Not only because of the scrumptious taste, but because “no-bake” part of this soft and scrumptious No Bake Strawberry Banana Icebox Cake is almost as delicious as the cake itself. Yep, no oven involved.
And with only a handful of ingredients, it’s a great easy dessert to make with the kiddos!
What is an Icebox cake?
Icebox cake recipes date back to when refrigerators were called iceboxes (because that’s what they were – my grandma had one!) and they all involve pairing some kind of cookie with some kind of cream or pudding (and in this case, lots of fruit) and popping it into the fridge for a few hours until everything is soft and kind of smooshed together in the most delicious way possible.
In other words, instead of the oven baking things up into one delicious cake, the cold temperature of the fridge does the same thing. Oh happy summer day!
This icebox cake takes advantage of the glorious local strawberries that are starting to pop up all around us, and if you want to know more about how to pick out, store and prep these sweet berries, here’s a handy strawberry guide for you!
Now on to some tasty strawberry banana graham cracker dessert heaven!
Ingredients You Need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Pudding: We like the instant kind because it is ready, well, instantly! But if you prefer cooked pudding that will work too! One way or the other, you need about four cups of pudding.
- Graham Crackers: We used plain graham crackers for this recipe, but cinnamon grahams would also be great (and add another level of flavor).
- Whipped cream: Any kind of canned whipped cream (regular, lowfat, etc) will work. Or you can use homemade whipped cream by whipping a cup of heavy cream along with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar until it forms soft peaks.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
Here’s how to make this recipe
STEP 1: Prepare a 5.1 ounce box of vanilla instant pudding according to package directions and set aside.
STEP 2: Line an 8×8 baking pan with plastic wrap, letting the wrap extend out over the sides of the pan.
STEP 3: Put 9 graham crackers squares in a single layer of the pan (don’t worry if they don’t totally cover the bottom).
STEP 4: Spread 1/3 of the pudding over the graham crackers. If you have one, an offset spatula works great for this!
STEP 5: Put a single layer of sliced strawberries over the custard, then a layer of sliced banana.
STEP 6: Add another layer of graham crackers, then pudding, then strawberries, then banana. Spread the rest of the pudding on top of the bananas, then top with a final layer of graham crackers.
STEP 7: Take the extended edges of the plastic wrap and bring it up over the cake, give the whole thing a light smoosh, then pop it in the fridge for at least 3 hours (and overnight is fine too!)
STEP 8: When you are ready to serve it, lift the cake out using the edges of the plastic wrap as handles, and slide it on to a serving plate (I like to use a big spatula to help it along).
STEP 9: Spritz the top of the cake with whipped cream garnish with strawberries and serve it up! (You can also just spread the whipped cream over the top if spritzing isn’t your thing.)
PRO TIP: Make sure you wait until right before serving to add the whipped cream and the berries, otherwise the whipped cream will start to get melty.
Recipe FAQs
Nope! I like to use the plain honey grahams, but cinnamon graham crackers would add that little bit of extra flavor to this cake.
It’s for making the instant vanilla pudding – and yes, if you want to use regular pudding you can do that too…just make sure it is fully set.
You sure can! Or any type of canned whipped cream that you like best. This is one flexible recipe!
Yes and no! You actually need to make the cake (except for the whipped cream topping) at least a few hours ahead of time so that it has time for the graham crackers to soften. However, don’t make it more than a day ahead or things will get too soft.
The cake will keep for a day or two, but here is my best tip for the leftovers: Scrape them into a bowl, give it a stir and voila! You have strawberry banana pudding with a graham cracker swirl. If you try and keep the leftovers in cake form, they will get a little melty and messy…even though they are still delicious!
Leave your question (or comment or suggestion) in the Comments box below the recipe and I will answer pronto!
Last of all I can say with one million percent certainty that it is the Southern husband’s favorite dessert recipe at the moment.
As in, I’ve caught him eating the leftovers for breakfast. I’d say that’s the sign of a sure-fire dessert hit!
Other fruit flavored cakes we love!
Looking for more cake inspiration? Here is our sweet and complete collection of cake recipes!
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
No Bake Strawberry Banana Icebox Cake
This no bake strawberry banana icebox cake is a perfect summer dessert! Fresh fruit and pudding melt into graham crackers for a soft and scrumptious flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cooling Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 9 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- Two 3.4 ounce packages instant vanilla pudding
- 4 cups milk (to make the pudding)
- 27 graham cracker squares
- 3 large bananas, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 pint strawberries, sliced, plus a few extra for garnish
- Canned whipped cream for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the pudding according to package directions and set aside.
- Line an 8×8 baking pan with plastic wrap, letting the wrap extend out over the sides of the pan.
- Put 9 of the graham crackers in a single layer of the pan (don’t worry if they don’t totally cover the bottom)
- Spread 1/3 of the pudding over the graham crackers. If you have one, an offset spatula works great for this!
- Put a single layer of sliced strawberries over the custard, then a layer of sliced banana.
- Add another layer of graham crackers, then pudding, then strawberries, then banana.
- Spread the rest of the pudding on top of the bananas, then top with a final layer of graham crackers.
- Take the extended edges of the plastic wrap and bring it up over the cake, give the whole thing a light smoosh, then pop it in the fridge for at least 3 hours (and overnight is fine too!)
- When you are ready to serve it, lift the cake out using the edges of the plastic wrap as handles, and slide it on to a serving plate (I like to use a big spatula to help it along).
- Spritz the top of the cake with whipped cream, garnish with strawberries and serve it up!
Notes
-
- Pudding: We like the instant kind because it is ready, well, instantly! But if you prefer cooked pudding that will work too! One way or the other, you need about four cups of pudding.
-
- Graham Crackers: We used plain graham crackers for this recipe, but cinnamon grahams would also be great (and add another level of flavor).
-
- Whipped cream: Any kind of canned whipped cream (regular, lowfat, etc) will work. Or you can use homemade whipped cream by whipping a cup of heavy cream along with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar until it forms soft peaks.
Alyssa says
The perfect summer dessert! The combo is so delicious and the whipped cream pushed it over the edge. Amazing!!
Thanks Alyssa, and hurray for summer! :)
Nancy says
Do you need to use lemon juice on the bananas to keep them from browning ?
Hi Nancy, and that is a great question! I don’t, because the bananas are so covered with pudding and graham crackers and strawberries that you really only see the edges of them. But of course you can if you want to! :)
Nancy says
Thanks ???? I can’t wait to make this . Strawberries will be ripe here in Maine in a few weeks . Keep those wonderful recipes coming .
Strawberry season is the best! They’ve been out for more than a month now in North Carolina. Thank you for your kind words!