Mini Oreo Icebox Cakes are a simple, no-bake dessert, perfect for hot days when you don’t want to turn on the oven. Oreo cookies, whipped cream, and fresh berries are all you need to make this quick and easy dessert!
The Cutest Oreo No-Bake Cakes
Icebox cakes, also known as no-bake cakes, are the lazy baker’s best friend. Craving a rich, creamy, cake-like dessert but also craving quality Netflix-and-couch time? Icebox cakes to the rescue!
With just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients, you can throw together an icebox cake in 10-15 minutes, and have plenty of time left afterwards to binge watch an entire season of Nailed It.
These cakes are incredibly simple to make, so they’re great for when you’re short on time or cooking with kids. But unlike some quickie recipes, they don’t taste like you took any shortcuts, and they’re fabulously rich and satisfying–not to mention adorable!
If you find yourself with extra Oreos after making these cakes, put them to good use in Oreo Fudge, Dirt Pudding Cups, or Cookies and Cream Cake!
What the Heck is An Icebox Cake?
Icebox cakes came to prominence in the 1930’s and 40’s, when refrigerators (or “iceboxes,” in old-timey lingo) became more common in the average household. Packaged convenience foods like graham crackers and condensed milk were gaining popularity at the same time, and icebox desserts were the perfect way to make use of both refrigerators and these quickie ingredients.
The two main components in an icebox cake are thin, crunchy cookies, and a moist frosting, like whipped cream or cream cheese frosting. The cookies and cream are layered together, then left to sit overnight in a refrigerator. The cookies soak up the moisture from the cream, and magically the crispy cookies transformed into soft, delicious cake layers.
Icebox cakes are most traditionally made in the shape of a round or rectangular cake, and cut into slices to serve. (My Chocolate Raspberry No-Bake Cake is a perfect example!) But they work equally well in smaller serving sizes, and mini cakes have the added advantage of looking cute and helping with portion control, if you’re into that sort of thing. Make them in nice glasses or ramekins for parties, in lidded jars for picnics, a delicious Chocolate Bowl–or in any small containers you have on hand!
🧾 Ingredients
For these mini cakes, you’ll need just a few things: Oreos, whipping cream, fruit, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. A few notes about the ingredients:
- Oreos: You only need the cookie portion of the Oreos–the cream part is scraped out and tossed (or eaten… I won’t tell). You can use whole Oreos, but the sweetened filling combined with whipped cream in the cake is too much sugar for most people. Alternately, you can swap in Oreo Thins or Nabisco chocolate wafers, if you’re able to find them. If you have extra Oreos after making this recipe, whip up some Cookies and Cream Bars, an Oreo Layer Cake, or Oreo Peppermint Bonbons.
- Cream: Make sure you buy heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, which has more fat than light whipping cream. More fat means a more stable, more flavorful whipped cream. I like to use manufacturing cream, which has even MORE fat, around 40%, and makes a gorgeously thick, rich whipped cream. I find it at Costco or Smart & Final.
- Fruit: I like an assortment of different berries in my mini cakes (another advantage to making lots of little ones instead of one big cake!). There’s really no wrong way to make these, so just use whatever is fresh and seasonal where you live!
📋 Instructions
- Start with a little cookie surgery: twist open the Oreo cookies and scrape out the cream filling. Toss it, save it for another use, or eat it–up to you!
- Combine your cream, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract, and whip until it’s thick and holds firm peaks. See below for some tips for perfect whipped cream!
- Slice any large berries, like strawberries or big blackberries, into smaller pieces.
- Layer away! Place a little whipped cream in the bottom of a glass jar or cup, and top with a layer of cookies, more whipped cream, and a generous amount of fresh fruit. Repeat until you’ve filled the glass!
- Top the icebox cakes with chocolate shavings, fresh fruit, and a mini Oreo, if you’re fancy.
💭 Variations
What Other Cookies Can I Use?
There are lots of possibilities when it comes to no-bake cake ingredients. The most common cookies are probably either chocolate wafers or graham crackers, but any thin, crunchy cookie or sweet cracker should work. Gingersnaps, sugar cookies, vanilla wafers–even crunchy chocolate chip cookies or crunchy oatmeal cookies are delicious!
What Other Fruits Can I Use?
Berries are great because their natural juices work well in icebox cakes, but there are many different fruits you can use. Sliced bananas go well with graham crackers and vanilla bean whipped cream, while sliced and diced mangoes give a nice tropical twist. Try stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, or plums, or go for a fall vibe with sauteed apples. Anything juicy and not too acidic is perfect!
💡 Tips and FAQs
Making Perfect Whipped Cream
Because whipped cream is such an intrinsic part of this recipe, it’s important to make it properly! Whipped cream seems like it should be a no-brainer (after all, the name is basically the recipe!), but there are some steps you can take to ensure successful whipped cream, every time.
- Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, not light whipping cream.
- Keep it cold. Use cream straight from the refrigerator, and chill the mixing bowl and beaters for at least 15 minutes before you use them. Cold ingredients and tools produce a more stable whipped cream.
- Stabilize your whipped cream. Why do I keep talking about “stable” cream? Because there’s nothing worse than whipped cream that is too runny, or that has separated! It doesn’t look good, or taste good, and it will ruin your icebox cake, too. Stability is KEY to success, so to stabilize the cream in this recipe, I mix in a little cream cheese at the very beginning. You can’t really taste it in the final product, but it makes a really thick, gorgeously textured cream.
How Long Do Icebox Cakes Keep?
Plain cakes, with just whipped cream and cookies, will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Because of the addition of the sliced fresh berries in this recipe, the shelf life on these is more like 2-3 days. After that time, the taste and texture of the berries suffers.
Can These Be Frozen?
Yes! Here’s how to freeze your icebox cakes: let them sit overnight in the refrigerator so the cookies can absorb maximum moisture, then wrap them very well in cling wrap/freezer bags, and freeze for up to a month. Let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then enjoy the next day.
Note that the sliced berries will probably weep and become mushy upon defrosting, so if you know in advance you want to freeze these, I recommend only layering cookies and cream together, and leaving space at the top to add fresh berries later, once the cakes have defrosted.
❤️ More No-Bake Desserts You’ll Love:
Oreo Fudge
Mini Oreo Icebox Cakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 18-24 Oreo cookies
- 6 oz cream cheese at room temperature. (Do not use low-fat)
- 2 oz powdered sugar (1/2 cup)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups fresh berries like strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Twist apart the Oreo cookies. Scrape out the frosting and discard it (or eat it!).
- Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix them together until the mixture is smooth and creamy, without any lumps.
- Stop the mixer and add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Whip on medium to medium-high speed until the cream is dense and thick and holds firm peaks when you remove the whisk. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- Pipe a dollop of cream on the bottom of twelve ½-cup glasses or jars. Place an Oreo cookie on top of the cream, and press down gently to embed it in the cream. Depending on the size of your glasses, you may need to break apart a second cookie to fill in any blank spaces around the edges—just try to fill in all the space with a single layer of cookies.
- Pipe a swirl of whipped cream on top of the cookie layer, then press chopped fresh berries into the whipped cream. Add a second layer of cookies on top of the berries, and repeat this process until you’ve reached the top of the cup. Finish with a final swirl of whipped cream on top.
- Add any additional garnishes you’d like—I used chocolate curls, fresh berries, and mini Oreo cookies. Refrigerate the icebox cakes for at least 4-6 hours to soften the cookies, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
About Elizabeth LaBau
I’m Elizabeth, but you can call me SugarHero! I’m a former pastry chef turned blogger, cookbook author, and baking instructor, and I consider myself sugar’s #1 fan. Learn more from my About page, or connect with me on social media:
What can I use instead of International Delight OREO creamer? I cannot get this where I live.
Janet Schager
Hi Janet, you can replace it with an equal amount of heavy cream.
We love Oreos and these little individual desserts look adorable! Definitely putting these together soon!
What a simple and delicious treat! These were so easy to make and so tasty. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Angela, I’m so glad to hear that you liked them!
Such a fun and gorgeous dessert! My kids loved it!
Thanks Toni, I’m so glad to hear it was a hit with your kids!
These look out of this world tasty! Can’t wait to make these! They will be a big hit here at the house! So excited!
Thank you, Beth! I hope your family loves them!
We are into individual desserts in our house because everyone HAS to have equal proportions, so this is perfect! Especially love that it’s no bake!
Haha, YES! Totally forgot that key point! My kids are crazy detectives when it comes to figuring out what’s “fair.”
This oreo icebox cake looks like the perfect summer dessert!
Thank you, Scarlet! We eat them year-round, but it definitely shines in summer when it’s way too hot to cook. 😀