No-Bake Pumpkin Icebox Cake

There’s nothing better than a cake that doesn’t need to be baked. This pumpkin icebox cake combines together layers of luscious pumpkin whipped cream with gingersnap cookies. After assembling, it sits in the refrigerator and is ready to eat! That sounds like a great, easy dessert for fall!

This no-bake cake filled with pumpkin flavor is delicious!

After creating this recipe and sharing the finished cake with friends, I realized not everyone knows about icebox cakes. What a sad life! Everyone needs to know about icebox cakes!

An icebox cake is a cake that’s really just a simple combination of crisp cookies and whipped cream. Flavors can be mixed in, but the important part is that the cookies and cream are layered and set in the refrigerator. The cream hydrates the cookies during the chilling time, and a cake is born.

The icebox cake slices like a cake but has a pudding-like texture. This recipe’s key is adding pumpkin purée, spices, and gingersnap cookies. This becomes an autumnal dessert with no baking needed and hardly any work.

Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.

This no-bake pumpkin recipe has only ten ingredients for a simple cake. Here are some of the important ingredients:

• Pumpkin purée adds real pumpkin flavor but poses a serious risk of adding in too much moisture. To counter this, cook the purée on the stove, reducing the moisture.
• Brown sugar, which has notes of molasses and caramel, sweetens the pumpkin and whipped cream mixture. It also creates a greater depth of flavor as compared to white sugar.
• Ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg are the trifecta of the iconic pumpkin spice flavor. Each works together in unison to create a warm, spice-filled cake.
• Gingersnap cookies are used because of their crunchy texture, which is super important in this recipe. The idea of the cake is to soak up the moisture from the pumpkin whipped cream, softening the gingersnaps and creating a sliceable filling. Make sure to purchase or bake a variety of dry and crisp gingersnaps.
• Cream cheese both stabilizes the whipped topping mixture and adds additional richness.

Here’s how to make this recipe.

A no-bake recipe should not only be sans baking but also easy. And that’s exactly what this recipe is all about! Five simple steps make for a simple yet flavorful cake that’s perfect for fall. Here are the steps to make this recipe:

1. Prepare the pumpkin filling. To a kettle, add the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Mix all of the ingredients together and place on the stove over medium-low heat. Cook the mixture for about five minutes, constantly stirring, to cook off some of the liquid and the raw flavor. Once the mixture has cooked, remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

2. Prepare the whipped topping. To a bowl, add the cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla extract. Whip the mixture using either a hand or a stand mixer until stiff peaks form.

3. Mix together the two fillings. To the whipped cream, add ⅓ of the pumpkin mixture. Fold this amount into the whipped cream to slowly combine the two. Once the first ⅓ is mixed in, add the remaining ⅔ and fold everything together, making sure not to over-mix.

4. Assemble the first cake layer. To the final serving platter, add a small dollop of the pumpkin whipped cream mixture. Spread it out to a thin layer across the entire platter. Then begin layering the gingersnap cookies all over the whipped cream mixture until a layer of cookies is formed with no cookies overlapping.

5. Assemble the rest of the cake. Once one layer is assembled, scoop another dollop of the pumpkin whipped cream and place it on top of the cookies. Spread it out into an even layer, covering up the previous layer completely. Add another layer of gingersnap cookies on top, and continue this process until all of the filling and cookies are used up. Finish with a final layer of pumpkin whipped cream and sprinkle the top with some crushed-up gingersnap cookies. Before serving, cover the mixture and place it in the refrigerator for six to eight hours.

These pro tips will make this recipe a success.

• When folding together the whipped cream mixture and the pumpkin mixture, start with about ⅓ of the pumpkin mixture. Combining the whipped cream with this small amount of pumpkin will prevent the whipped cream mixture from deflating and ensure that the mixture stays light and voluminous.
• To fold the whipped cream and pumpkin mixture together, use a spatula to “slice” the mixture in half from top to bottom. When the spatula is at the bottom, turn it and draw a half circle around the edge of the bowl while also turning the bowl slightly. Repeat this motion until the mixture is evenly combined and has a nice, light brown color.
• When preparing each layer of cookies, some cookies may need to be broken to fill in any large gaps or irregular spaces. This is completely fine. Once the cake is assembled, the pumpkin whipped cream will fill and cover any unseemly shards of cookies.

You’ll love these other no-bake recipes.

• No-bake triple berry cheesecake
• No-bake pumpkin pie cheesecake
• No-bake s’mores cake
• No-bake icebox cookie cake
• No-bake pumpkin pie
• No-cake chocolate oatmeal cookies
• Strawberry rhubarb fool

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