Pineapple Icebox Cake, made with layers of Nilla wafers, a blend of cream cheese, pudding and condensed milk with pineapple and whipped topping. I like to finish mine with a little coconut, maraschino cherries and a sprinkle of chopped nuts.
Pineapple Icebox Cake
Can y'all believe that summer is almost out the door? Well, it won't be temperature-wise around here for months yet, but kids around here have been back in school for weeks now and we're already coming up on Labor Day?
Well, are y'all sittin' down? Because last month I shared a Summer Berry Cobbler and today, I already have a dessert again!! I say that, because, if you've been around here any length of time, you know that I'm much more of a savory gal than I am a sweets lover.
Oh don't get me wrong. I do enjoy dessert as much as anybody else, but when it comes down to a craving, I'm almost always wanting a meat and three. And bread, of some kind. Fluffy, flaky biscuits. Skillet cornbread. Crispy, individual hoe cakes, or crusty, tender pistolettes, oh yes indeed! {did I make ya hungry?}
Just a quick reminder.... this is a blog, not just a "recipe site," and yes, there is a difference! I want to first thank all of you who have supported my work over the years, but if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such in a post, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!Now... that's not to say I don't enjoy say, for instance, peach cobbler, because I can tell you that despite the heat this summer, I have probably baked a peach cobbler more this summer than I ever have! It could be because I've purchased cases of peaches no less than three times this summer - two from Georgia, one from South Carolina - and two of the three were double boxes! I just had a craving for peaches this summer, and while, as with every summer, as a "blogger," I may have had good intentions to come up with some new peach recipes to share with you... well... I ate most of them for my daily snacks. The rest? Cobblers. What can I say?
So, with all our summer holidays here's a yummy dessert, that has nothing to do with bread, or peaches, but one that your friends and family will certainly enjoy. And, while it's still hotter than hot in most of the south, no worries. It's an icebox cake, so there's no baking involved!
Nilla wafers stand in for the cake layers just like with a banana pudding, and my favorite filling for desserts like this makes another appearance.
The dessert itself has been around a long time and has gone through many different variations over the years, so you may have seen some form of it under any number of names in your old church and community cookbooks. Although the dessert is not heavily pineapple flavored, the names usually center around the pineapple aspect of it, including Vanilla Wafer Pineapple Pudding, Pineapple Icebox Dessert, Summer Delight, Pineapple Refrigerator Cake, Hawaiian Icebox Pie, Creamy Pineapple Pudding, Vanilla Wafer Pineapple Cake and lord knows what else.
It sometimes includes a variety of juices in place of part of the milk, or layers of fruit sandwiched in between, like bananas or strawberries, earning names like Banana Split Pudding Cake. I've seen it also called Italian No Bake Cake or Italian Bakeless Cake, though I have no idea why. All I can tell you for sure is that this is good!
I made this one in a 9-inch square pan, which makes for nice thick layers, though you can certainly stretch this out in a larger pan for thinner layers, or simply double it, for a 9 x 13 inch dish for your party or potluck. Either way, get this on your next cookout menu. Here's how to make it.
For this recipe you'll need cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, a little lemon juice, instant pudding, milk, Nilla wafers, crushed pineapple, whipped topping and coconut, maraschino cherries, and chopped nuts for garnish, if you like. For the filling, cream the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice and gently blend. You do not want to overbeat the pudding.
Add the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice and gently blend. In a mixer bowl, beat the milk and pudding on medium, or with a whisk, until thickened, only for 2 minutes, no longer. You do not want to overbeat the pudding. Fold by hand into the cream cheese mixture by hand.
Add the well drained, crushed pineapple and 1/2 of the Cool Whip; gently blend. I only had a larger pineapple, so I used half in this dessert and saved the rest for my green smoothies. Cover and reserve the remaining Cool Whip in the fridge. You'll need that later.
Spread a couple of spoons of the pudding filling in the bottom of an 8 or 9-inch by square, 2-1/2 inch or deeper glass baking dish and top with one layer of vanilla wafers.
Pour 1/3 of the pudding mixture (about 2 cups) carefully on top of the vanilla wafers and add another layer of cookies. An offset spatula {affil link} is a handy dandy tool to have for jobs like this.
Continue layering with another 1/3 of the pudding mixture, another layer of vanilla wafers, and spread the remaining pudding mixture over the top. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 24.
Before serving, spread the remaining layer of cool whip on top,
Garnish with coconut, well-drained, maraschino cherries and chopped nuts, if desired. May also cut into individual servings, adding desired garnishes and dollops of whipped topping on each slice.
Cover and store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Double for a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Just look at that deliciousness! What are you waiting for? Go make this!
For more of my favorite icebox, freezer and refrigerated desserts, visit my page on Pinterest!
If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!
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