Strawberry White Chocolate Icebox Cake

Layers of white chocolate cream, strawberries, and buttery cookies give this dessert a decadent taste. Yet it’s not too sweet. Taste like strawberries and cream plus white chocolate. You get a bit of tang from the cream cheese and freshness from the strawberries.

This dessert is easier to make than expected. The hardest part is making the strawberry compote, which takes only a few minutes. Other than that little bit of cooking, there’s no baking involved! Great for those hot days when you don’t want to turn on the oven. It can also be made ahead of time, so if you’re overbooked on activities like we have been lately, you can whip this up beforehand. If you ask me, I kind of like it more once the cookies have softened, which requires an overnight chilling time.

Notes:

Cookies – use any shortbread or butter cookie variety. I tried with both the chessman and Lorna Doone cookies and enjoyed both versions. Though I found that the shortbread cookies had a slight touch of salt which helps balance the dessert. I tried Biscoff cookies as well but found those to be a bit overpowering.

Strawberry compote – make sure that the strawberry compote is completely cool before adding to the whipped cream. You can spread the compote on a plate to ensure it cools quicker if you are in a crunch for time.

White chocolate – use your favorite chocolate bars or use white chocolate baking chips. The chocolate chips are more economical. They can be melted in the microwave or a double boiler. Make sure the chocolate has cooled enough before adding it to the whipped cream mixture. However, letting it sit too long could lead to the chocolate hardening when folded into the cream. So just a minute or two of cooling time is the sweet spot.

Strawberry White Chocolate Icebox Cake

Time: 4.5 hours
Yields: 9-12 servings

10 oz. square shortbread or butter cookies (Lorna Doone or Chessman cookies)
1 lb. fresh strawberries, sliced and divided
2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (7 g) cornstarch
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
2 ½ cups (591 ml) heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz. white chocolate bars or chips, (chopped if using a bar), divided

8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish

1. In a small saucepan, add 8 oz. of strawberries, granulated sugar, and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until you get a thick almost jam-like mixture. This will take 4-5 minutes. Transfer into a bowl or plate and place in the fridge to cool completely.
2. Microwave 4 ounces of the chopped white chocolate on high for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat heat until the chocolate has melted and is smooth. (I needed only 30 seconds using my microwave.) Set aside for a minute so that it is not too hot.
3. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together until smooth and creamy. Pour in the heavy whipping cream and beat until you get stiff peaks. Divide the whipped cream mixture in half. Fold the melted and cooled white chocolate into one half of the whipped cream. Fold the cooled strawberry compote mixture into the other half. Try not to overfold as this will deflate the whipped cream.
4. Line a square baking dish with parchment. Arrange a layer of the cookies on the parchment. Break the cookies into pieces as needed to fit the dish. Arrange a third of the remaining strawberry slices over the cookies.
5. Spread the strawberry mixture over the first layer of cookies and strawberry slices. Then spread a layer of the white chocolate whipped cream on top of that. Repeat with another layer of cookies, strawberry slices, strawberry whipped cream, and white chocolate whipped cream.
6. Place the dish in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours. This can be made ahead up to 2 days in advance.
7. Before serving, top with cookie crumbs, white chocolate shavings, and the remaining strawberry slices.
8. Enjoy!