A Year of Icebox Cakes

We set out to fill your calendar with 12 wildly creative, creamy, no-bake cakes –– ideal for everyday celebrations and major holidays alike.

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An Icebox Cake for Every Celebration

At Cooking Channel we have been embracing the recent renaissance of those classic icebox cakes — the ones you construct with cookies and whipped cream and leave in the refrigerator to soften and magically become a cake. We’ve reimagined them with doughnuts, made the wafers from scratch and spiked whipped cream with caramel.

Riding the sugar high from our Icebox Doughnut Birthday Cake, we decided that icebox cakes shouldn’t be relegated to summer celebrations — a low-lift dessert is equally appreciated for a birthday party, during the winter holidays or, really, on any old day. So we created 12 icebox cakes (one for every month of the year) in different shapes and sizes. Filled with an array of cookie bases and whipped creams, these cakes are bound to blow those old nostalgic ones right out of their springform pans.

January: Orange and Cream Icebox Cake Jars

These cute layered cakes are reminiscent of that favorite summertime frozen treat on a stick and are just as portable, packed in Mason jars. Sweet vanilla wafers and Mandarin oranges are balanced by the tang of orange juice- and cream cheese-spiked cream.

Get the Recipe: Orange and Cream Icebox Cake

February: Maple-Waffle Icebox Cake

Layer crispy butter-waffle cookies with maple syrup-flavored whipped cream to create this freeform icebox cake: the classic breakfast combo reimagined as dessert. Pile pillows of cream and chopped walnuts on the cake's top to evoke a plate of loaded, deep-pocketed waffles.

Get the Recipe: Maple-Waffle Icebox Cake

March: Grasshopper Icebox Cake Stacks

Give icebox cake new (vertical) dimension by stacking store-bought chocolate wafer cookies with mint-flavored cream. Like the much-loved Girl Scout cookies, these chocolate-mint towers are drizzled with a coating that cools to a fudgy shell.

Get the Recipe: Grasshopper Icebox Cake Stacks

April: Coffee and Doughnut Icebox Mugs

Fill mugs with espresso whipped cream and miniature doughnuts for dessert (or a sweet breakfast) served with a wink. Dangling a powdery doughnut on each rim and sprinkling the cakes with cocoa or cinnamon paints that "dunking a doughnut into coffee" picture.

(You can also make this as an 8-by-8-inch square cake. See the recipe for instructions.)

Get the Recipe: Coffee and Doughnut Icebox Mugs

May: Icebox Birthday Cake

This easy-to-make birthday cake has all the flavor of a regular baked cake — no oven necessary — thanks to vanilla wafer cookies and extract-spiked whipped cream. Slice into it for a fun surprise: The sprinkles inside are as festive as confetti and streamers.

Get the Recipe: Icebox Birthday Cake

June: Berries and Cream Ladyfinger Icebox Cake

Tangy sour cream and bright lemon zest form a whipped cream that complements the inherent sweetness of fresh berries in this low-lift (yet impressive-looking) summer icebox cake. The whipped cream acts as a glue to enable its ladyfinger wall to stand tall. This cake is best served like a trifle, dug into with a big spoon and generously divided into individual bowls.

Get the Recipe: Berries and Cream Ladyfinger Icebox Cake

July: Peach-Raspberry Greek Yogurt Icebox Cake

Transform the trendy breakfast parfait into an even-sweeter cake. Stir fresh raspberry syrup into Greek yogurt to form a tangy whipped cream, and layer it with graham crackers (double them up for sturdiness!) and rows of distinctly summery peaches and whole berries.

Get the Recipe: Peach-Raspberry Greek Yogurt Icebox Cake

August: Banana Cream Carousel Icebox Cake

Banana pudding is one of those iconic backyard barbecue desserts: easy to make, easy to serve and universally liked. This cake subs animal crackers in for the pudding's usual ladyfingers or wafers, and, decorated with cookie creatures on its top and sides, is as celebratory as the day at the circus. (Make sure your bananas are very ripe for a cake that's full of banana flavor.)

Get the Recipe: Banana Cream Carousel Icebox Cake

September: Peanut Butter and Jelly Icebox Cake

Back-to-school season is the perfect time to embrace the ideal lunchbox flavor pairing: peanut butter and jelly. Saltines form this cake's surprising base, but trust us: The smooth peanut butter and honey-roasted peanut topping form a trio of salty flavors along with the crackers, enhanced by candy-sweet grape jelly layers.

Get the Recipe: Peanut Butter and Jelly Icebox Cake

October: Black Forest Icebox Cake

Like its German-dessert namesake, this cake contains layers of chocolate, cream and cherries. Thick cherry syrup intensifies the fruity flavor between the chocolate wafer strata, and a generous hot fudge drizzle ensures that digging into this cake will be satisfyingly messy. Spike the whipped cream with cherry liqueur for an adults-only version.

Get the Recipe: Black Forest Icebox Cake

November: Pumpkin Pie Icebox Cake

This spiced pumpkin pie cake works equally well on Thanksgiving or whenever you're craving the classic fall flavors. It comes together quickly thanks to the use of prepared pumpkin pie puree, which is already sweetened and requires no additional spices. Make it the day before and let it sit overnight to ensure the melding of flavors and to allow the pie crusts to become more tender.

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Pie Icebox Cake

December: Gingerbread Icebox Cake

Prepare this gumdrop-bedecked cake in a Bundt pan for a stunning holiday dessert that is way easier to construct than a gingerbread house. The spicy gingersnaps flavor the creamy filling overnight, so make it ahead of time and then decorate it before guests arrive.

Get the Recipe: Gingerbread Icebox Cake