No-Bake Strawberry Cake Pie

So the other day while I was avoiding doing my library homework (Oh you didn't know? I'm 25 and working towards my Master's in Library Science) I decided that I just needed to make yet another dessert, but being that my apartment was an brisk 88 degrees, I determined that turning on the oven was seriously not an option. That's when it hit me to make an icebox cake. For those of you who have yet to hit the ripe old age of 25, an icebox is an old school refrigerator. Think "I Love Lucy". Oh wait... you don't know what that is, either. Darn. It.

So anyway, I found a recipe online for an icebox pie, but because I think that I can bake and cook better than everyone else, I decided to alter the square-shaped slop that I stumbled upon via Google.

I made this 36 hours in advance, and it was perfect. I wouldn't recommend making it fewer than 12 hours before serving, as the graham crackers may not have adequate time to absorb the moisture from the whipped cream. Basically, you want the graham crackers to soak up all the yumminess and take on a cakey texture.

Make sure you read the method before you go nuts with assembling the ingredients in a fashion that you feel appropriate!

Ingredients:
2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Sleeves graham crackers
2 lbs sliced strawberries
1 tsp lemon extract
1/4ish powdered sugar
2ish ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:
1. In a 9 x 9 baking dish, arrange graham crackers so that they completely cover the bottom of the dish without much overlap. I used a deep dish pie plate, which worked just fine, but was kind of a beeyotch because it was round and the crackers are not. I also used honey grahams, but I will probably try chocolate next time. I am actually really excited about trying this!

2. Make whipped cream. Pour all of the whipping cream (less about 2 tbsp) into a cold bowl. Add lemon extract. Go to town with your hand mixer (or stand mixer- for those of who recently got married and got one as a wedding gift!) and beat until you have formed stiff peaks. Slowly add the powdered sugar, tasting before adding more.

3. Spread a layer of whipped cream over the graham crackers.

4. Arrange a layer of strawberries over the whipped cream.

5. Create another layer pattern of graham crackers, whipped cream, and strawberries until you run out. Your last layer should be strawberries.

6. Make ganache! Combine the leftover heavy whipping cream and the chocolate chips and slowly melt over the stove. Once the chocolate has completely melted and there are no cocoa chunks, drizzle over the top of the pie.

7. Chill until ready to serve.

I'm so glad that I decided to clean my stove before snapping these pics!

Go ahead.... spend the $7.50 necessary to complete this glorious concoction. I won't lie to you and tell you that this bomb is part of a heart-healthy diet, but I can assure you that it's actually refreshing and not nearly as dense as some of the other crapola that you'll come across when searching for new recipes on the dub.dub.dub. 

Enjoy and check back later to see what I've cooked up for dinner tonight! Pin It