Creamy, cool, and no-bake: a perfect summertime dessert! Maple Black Raspberry Icebox Cake was inspired by one of Vermont's favorite treats, the creemee, and a classic creemee flavor combination of real maple and black raspberry. *Updated recipe!*
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A chilled no-bake dessert that features two favorite New England flavors! Whip up a Maple Black Raspberry Icebox Cake as a family dessert in summertime, or to share at the next backyard cookout.
This icebox cake features layers of maple whipped cream, black raspberry jam, and sliced pound cake. It was inspired by one of Vermont's most beloved summer treats: a black raspberry and maple creemee twist!
Reader Review
This was delicious! It reminded me of New England! I made it with gluten free ice cream cones. I will for sure make it again!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Why you'll love this chilled dessert
A visit one summer to Colchester, Vermont's favorite local ice cream shop, The Village Scoop, for one of their real maple black raspberry twist creemees got me thinking about the possibilities of turning this Green Mountain specialty into a whole other dessert. And one of the best desserts to make in summertime is an icebox cake!
A kid-friendly, no-bake dessert with creamy layers, recipes for icebox cakes are quick to assemble and they set up overnight in the fridge. The next day you have a sweet, sliceable dessert, happy friends and family, and a cool kitchen!
Maple Black Raspberry Icebox Cake is a make-ahead dessert that's perfect for mid-week sweet treat or as a dish to share at a summer party or cookout. It's a creemee-flavored icebox cake!
What's an icebox cake?
Icebox cakes, or refrigerator cakes, are old-fashioned, no-bake desserts made by layering ingredients into pie plates or baking pans. They set up overnight in the fridge, and the next day, you have a firm, sliceable treat.
I've come across many different recipes for these cool cakes in my vintage cookbooks. Though there are innumerable combinations, the basic elements of icebox cakes are:
- Something already baked (like leftover cake, cookies, or crackers)
- Something sweet and creamy (like pudding, custard, mousse, or whipped cream)
- Layers of sweet mix-ins like fruit (berries, mango, peaches, etc.) or candies (such as chocolate chunks, toffee bits, candy bars, ganache, or caramel sauce)
The overnight refrigeration allows the layers in the icebox cake to soften and meld together into a firm, chilled dessert that's easy to slice and serve.
In my Maple Black Raspberry Fridge Cake recipe, there are fresh berries, homemade whipped cream, real maple syrup, and slices of pound cake.
Well then, what's an icebox??
Why, it's your fridge, of course! I like that retro name, though—icebox. Where'd the name come from?
Starting in the late 1920s, more and more households were buying the coolest (literally) new appliance on the market: the electric refrigerator. Before that, families kept perishable food cold in iceboxes: tall, metal-lined, wooden cabinets that held large blocks of ice. The ice kept everything stored inside the icebox cold.
Because iceboxes needed ice, there was a whole business around ice deliveries. Horse-pulled wagons brought enormous blocks through neighborhoods. Delivery men would hack off big chunks and use large metal tongs to grab and carry the pieces into homes. Like in this Three Stooges episode!
Despite the upgrade in the '20s to electric refrigerators, for many decades, folks still referred to their fridges as iceboxes. Remember in the 1984's "Ghostbusters" movie when Dr. Venkman tells Dana Barrett about the evil deity named Gozer? (He was very big in Sumeria.) "Well, what's he doing in my icebox??" she asks. Dana's talking about her fridge!
Vermont Maple Syrup Recipes
Use more of your Vermont pure maple to make a Maple Irish Coffee, Orange Scones glazed with maple, or Peanut Butter Maple French Toast!
What is a creemee?
A creemee is the Vermont version of a soft serve ice cream cone, and the state's most famous flavor is the maple creemee. To the casual ice cream fan, it may look like just any other soft serve. (Truth be told, there are some places that sell ordinary soft serve laced with artificial maple flavoring and call it a creemee.)
It's worth finding Vermont places that make creemees the real way. As Seven Days explains, real creemees have a higher percentage of milk fat than regular soft serve. And when you get the real stuff swirled into a cone, you know right away. A creemee feels heavy in the hand, and looks glossy and dense. It also tastes incredibly rich and satisfying. Creemees made with the addition of real maple syrup are far more delectable than anything artificial.
That's why Vermonters love to track down the scoop shops or sugar shacks who are doing it right: real creemees, real maple. These spots include Silloway Maple in Randolph Center, Vermont Country Store in Weston and Rockingham, Burlington Bay Market, and Palmer Lane Maple in Jericho.
And one of the best flavors to swirl with a maple creemee? You guessed it: black raspberry! That's why black raspberry jam is part of this Vermont maple dessert idea.
Speaking of ice cream...
The Massachusetts Ice Cream Trail
We try 32 flavors of ice cream!
🔪 How to make a Maple Black Raspberry Icebox Cake
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Ingredients:
- Black raspberry jam: Use your homemade jam or pick some black raspberry jam up at the store. Check the label carefully; be sure it isn't made with blackberries. (This is a different flavor made with a different kind of berry.)
- Maple syrup: Pick up pure Vermont maple syrup or syrup from a local sugar maker near you!
- Cream cheese: Let it soften completely first; this way, the cream cheese will blend smoothly with no lumps.
- Confectioners' sugar: I use this fine powdered sugar because it blends quickly and smoothly for creamy icebox cake layers.
- Pound cake: You can of course use homemade pound cake, or just pick up a convenient, frozen pound cake and let it thaw.
- Cream of tartar: I add just a little cream of tartar to the whipped cream to help it hold its shape in this cake.
- Sugar cones: Because this dessert was inspired by a creemee served on a cone, I garnish the top of the icebox cake with broken sugar cones. They add a nice crunch to the soft dessert!
- Fresh black raspberries: If these juicy little berries are in season, sprinkle some over the top of the finished cake.
Make the maple whipped cream
Beat heavy cream with sugar in a mixer until it's thick. Blend in the maple syrup.
Make the black raspberry layer
Blend the cream cheese with sugar and black raspberry jam.
Assemble the cake
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Arrange thin slices of pound cake over the bottom. Then, layer in the cream cheese black raspberry filling and the maple whipped cream. Continue adding layers until the pan is full.
Chill
Cover the pan and refrigerate it overnight.
Unmold and frost the cake
Invert the cake onto a serving plate, then use the rest of the maple whipped cream to cover the top and sides.
Garnish and serve
Top the icebox cake with crushed sugar cones and fresh black raspberries if you have any. Slice the cake and serve this easy icebox cake!
Tips:
- Black raspberry jam is easy to confuse with blackBERRY jam, but the two have different flavors. Black raspberry jam has a much sweeter and fresh, picked-in-the-sun flavor. Some brands that make it are Dickinson's, Smucker's, and Stonewall Kitchen.
- Skip the imitation stuff; for the very best flavor, always go with pure maple syrup. And I always recommend Vermont maple! If that's not available to you, use a pure maple syrup from your local sugar house—whether you use a light or dark grade is up to you.
- Homemade whipped cream is more flavorful than store-bought, and whips up in minutes. Keep a close eye on it and stop the mixer as soon as you have stiff peaks.
FAQs
Even though the name has the word "ice", an icebox cake should be stored in the fridge. That way, the cake gets chilled and can set. Refrigeration also protects the textures of the baked element, fruit, and cream.
Yes, this is a very important step! This chilling time lets the layers in this raspberry icebox dessert meld together and set, and the deepens the flavors as well. The result is a uniform dessert that's easy to slice and serve. Cover the icebox cake tightly after assembling and refrigerate it for at least eight hours or overnight.
If you can't find sugar cones or prefer something different, try topping the cake with pieces of wafer cones, graham crackers, Biscoff cookies, or vanilla wafer cookies.
No, no, no, no. Pancake syrup is just corn syrup with artificial flavoring and color. This dessert is worth using and tasting the real stuff, so look for bottles labeled "100% pure maple syrup." The bottles will also list the place of origin—I always recommend Vermont maple syrup, but if this isn't available in your town, pick up some real maple syrup from local sugar shacks.
Blackberries tend to be much larger (1 to 2 inches) while black raspberries are smaller (about ½-inch to ¾-inch.) Another way to tell them apart is that blackberries are shiny and have a white plug in the center where they came off the stem. Black raspberries have a fuzzy appearance and are hollow in the center.
The flavors also differ, with black raspberries having a very sweet, jammy, sun-kissed sweetness. Blackberries have more of a floral flavor and sweetness.
So if you can't make it to Vermont to get a black raspberry and maple creemee, don't worry—those luscious flavors are captured here in this New England summer dessert! A unique flavor combination that's straight outta the 802.
The Maple Black Raspberry Icebox Cake recipe is below! Here are a few more tastes of New England:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Maple Black Raspberry Icebox Cake
SAVE THIS RECIPE OR POST!
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Equipment
- 9x5-inch loaf pan
Ingredients
For the maple whipped cream:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar, divided
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
For the black raspberry layer:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup black raspberry jam
For the cake layer:
- 10 ounces pound cake (a little more than half of a 16-ounce pound cake, such as Sara Lee frozen brand.)
Garnish:
- 3 sugar cones
- Optional: fresh black raspberries
Instructions
Prepare the pan:
- Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper strips, one to go across the width of the pan and one to run long ways. The strips should be long enough to hang over the edges.
- Place the bowl and whisk attachment for a stand mixer into the freezer to chill for 10 minutes.
Make the maple cream filling:
- Assemble the chilled mixer bowl and whisk attachment onto the mixer. (Or use a large bowl and hand mixer.) Pour the whipping cream into the bowl and turn the mixer on medium-high speed. Beat the cream until you see it just begin to thicken.
- Pause the machine to add in ¼ cup of confectioners' sugar and the cream of tartar. Continue beating the cream until it's thick. Add in the maple syrup in a slow stream with the mixer running. Finish whipping the cream until it has stiff peaks—this takes about 2 to 5 minutes in total.
- Transfer the cream to a bowl and hold it in the fridge.
Make the black raspberry filling:
- Clean and dry the stand mixer bowl and assemble it with the paddle attachment. (Or the beaters and large bowl for a hand mixer.)
- Beat the softened cream cheese on medium-high speed for about two minutes, until it's very smooth and creamy. Then, beat in the remaining ¾ cup of confectioners' sugar.
- Add in the black raspberry jam; blend it in on medium speed, scraping the bowl once or twice, until the mixture is smooth and ingredients are blended together.
Assemble the cake:
- Slice the pound cake into ½-inch thick slices. Lay a single layer of pound cake to completely cover the bottom of the prepared loaf pan, cutting the pieces to fit as needed.
- Spread half of the black raspberry-cream cheese mixture over the cake layer to completely cover it and reach the sides. Then, spread a cup of the maple whipped cream over the black raspberry layer.
- Repeat these cake, black raspberry-cream cheese, and maple whipped cream layers, spreading both layers to reach the sides.
- (If your loaf pan has flared sides instead of straight, use 1½ cups of maple cream in this layer to reach the sides.)
- Finally, arrange a final layer of pound cake slices over the whipped cream, cutting the pieces to fit as needed.
- Cover the top of the loaf pan tightly with food wrap. Press down on the top very gently to push the cake and creamy layers together.
- Put the pan in the fridge for at least eight hours or overnight.
- Cover the remaining whipped cream and hold it in the fridge.
Unmold and frost the cake:
- Remove the food wrap from the pan. Place a cutting board or serving plate on top of the pan, then carefully flip them over. Use the parchment paper flaps to loosen the cake and release it onto the cutting board or plate.
- Frost the top and sides of the icebox cake with the remaining maple whipped cream. (There may be a little liquid at the bottom of the bowl; just use the firm whipped cream above it.)
Garnish and serve:
- Just before serving, coarsely crush the three sugar ice cream cones and sprinkle the bits over the top of the cake. If they're in season, you can also sprinkle a few fresh black raspberries over the top.
- Slice the Maple Black Raspberry Icebox Cake with a sharp knife and serve the slices immediately.
To store:
- Leftover icebox cake should be covered with food wrap and stored in the fridge for up to five days.
Notes
- Black RASPBERRY jam is easy to confuse with blackBERRY jam, but the two have different flavors. Black raspberry jam has a much sweeter and fresh, picked-in-the-sun flavor. Some brands that make it are Dickinson's, Smucker's, and Stonewall Kitchen.
- Skip the imitation stuff; for the very best flavor, always go with pure maple syrup. And I always recommend Vermont maple! If that's not available to you, use a pure maple syrup from your local sugar house—whether you use a light or dark grade is up to you.
- Homemade whipped cream is more flavorful than store-bought, and whips up in minutes. Keep a close eye on it and stop the mixer as soon as you have stiff peaks.
Nutrition
Heidi says
This sounds amazing, and maple/black raspberry twist is usually my favorite choice for a creemee. Will have to try this!
Nancy Mock says
Our mutual friend Amy H. made them - she needed her maple/black raspberry fix! It’s nice to pull together during a hot stretch like this one: no baking required!
Amy says
This was delicious! It reminded me of New England! I made it with gluten free ice cream cones. I will for sure make it again!
Nancy Mock says
Amy, I’m so happy you enjoyed these cakes! I didn’t know you could get GF cones - I’ll add that tip to my post. Thank you!!