Aaron Hutcherson's Chocolate-Strawberry Icebox Cake

People Staff
·2 min read

Jennifer Causey

"What makes this recipe shine is the balsamic whipped cream," says the popular food blogger behind The Hungry Hutch. "It complements the fruit beautifully."

Aaron Hutcherson's Chocolate-Strawberry Icebox Cake

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup (about 2 oz.) powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

36 chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco Famous) (from one 9-oz. pkg.)

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in 1/4-in.-thick rounds (about 3 cups)

3/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

  1. Beat heavy cream, powdered sugar and balsamic vinegar with a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

  2. Use a springform pan or line bottom and sides of an 8-inch-round cake pan with two overlapping layers of plastic wrap. Leaving about 3 inches overhang on sides of pan. Place a layer of about 12 cookies in bottom of pan, overlapping slightly if needed. Spread evenly with 3/4 cup of the whipped cream. Top with 1 cup of the strawberries, followed by 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Spread evenly with 3/4 cup of the whipped cream.

  3. Repeat layering process, using 12 cookies, 1 cup of the whipped cream, 1 cup of the strawberries, 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips and 1 cup of the whipped cream.

  4. Top with remaining 1 cup strawberries on top in desired pattern, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

  5. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight, so the cookies soften and absorb the whipped cream. Gently lift cake from pan using plastic wrap overhang as handles (or remove sides of springform pan). Unwrap cake, and slice into wedges.

Quick tip! Accidentally over-whip the cream? Add a few more tablespoons of cream, and whisk it in by hand, suggests Hutcherson. As long as the cream hasn't formed clumps, it should smooth out again.

Serves: 6

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 4 hours, 20 minutes