Blueberry Cheesecake Icebox Cake Is Our Favorite No-Fuss Summer Treat
When it’s hot outside, a no-bake dessert like this blueberry cheesecake icebox cake is an ace up your sleeve. Layers of blueberry jam, whipped cream cheese, and graham crackers are stacked together for a no-fuss cool and creamy masterpiece that looks like you spent hours crafting it—when all you did was shove it in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours. No oven required.
The layers:
An icebox cake traditionally includes layers of store-bought cookies and whipped cream, which, when the cake is refrigerated for a few hours, meld together to create a cohesive sliceable “cake.” I’ve tweaked this standard formula by adding cream cheese to the whipped cream and bringing in a third layer of homemade blueberry jam to create the blueberry cheesecake vibe.
Assembly:
Layering this cake is not difficult, but it does take a little patience. A small offset spatula is your best friend here: It’s great for spreading both the cream cheese filling and the jam into perfectly even layers—particularly at first, when the layers are sitting deep in the pan. The cream cheese layer tends to mix with the blueberry filling as you spread it on top, so to minimize this, scatter small dollops of the cream cheese over top of the blueberries and then use the tip of the spatula to gently connect the dollops, gradually spreading them out into a cohesive layer.
Chilling and storage:
For best results, this cake should be chilled at least 4 hours before serving. If you want to make it a day in advance, that’s fine too. I wouldn’t recommend chilling for over 24 hours before serving it, though: At that point, the layers will begin to go past the point of pleasantly melding and become harder to distinguish. You want them clearly visible when you slice and serve.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
Yields: 10 servings
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 5 hours
Ingredients
1 lb.
fresh blueberries
1/4 c.
cold water
3 tsp.
cornstarch
3/4 c.
confectioners’ sugar, divided
1 tsp.
fresh lemon juice
12 oz.
cream cheese, softened
2 tsp.
finely grated lemon zest
1/8 tsp.
kosher salt
2 1/2 c.
heavy whipping cream
9
graham cracker sheets
Directions
In a medium pot over medium-high heat, cook blueberries, water, cornstarch, and 1/4 c. confectioners’ sugar, mashing down on blueberries, until bubbling and thickened and berries are mostly broken down, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let cool.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese, lemon zest, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar until light and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cream and continue to beat on high speed until mixture is light and fluffy and stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes more.
Line an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2"loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on all sides. Line bottom of pan with 3 sheets of graham crackers, breaking ends as needed to fit and using trimmings to fill pan. Spread 1 cup cheesecake mixture on top. Top with 1/2 cup blueberry sauce, then carefully dollop with another 1 cup cheesecake mixture, spreading with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to avoid the layers merging. Add another layer of graham crackers, then repeat layers of cheesecake, blueberry sauce, and cheesecake; reserve any remaining sauce and cheesecake (cover and refrigerate until ready to use). Top with remaining graham cracker sheets.
Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
Remove top layer of plastic wrap from top of cake. Place a rectangular platter upside down on top of pan, then invert pan. Remove pan and peel off plastic wrap.
Frost top and sides of cake with reserved cheesecake mixture. Top with reserved blueberry sauce.
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