Anyone who knows me, knows I am a tea girl all the way (no coffee for me, thanks). So making a cake with tea as the star ingredient is a no brainer. With the weather warming up, I’ve had no-bake desserts on my mind and matcha seemed like the perfect ingredient to make this cake pop. This cool icebox cake is filled with an amazing mousse-like vegan matcha green tea cream and fresh strawberries, which are sandwiched between gluten free graham crackers, making it the perfect treat to cool off on a summer day.
If you love no bake recipes, check out my no bake blueberry cheesecake or my amazing gluten free peanut butter pie.
This post is sponsored by Matcha.com. All opinions expressed are my own.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is easy to make and only takes about 15 minutes to assemble.
- There is no baking involved.
- Strawberries are perfect with matcha.
- It’s gluten free and vegan.
- It’s filled with delicious matcha powder to give it a little something special.
Ingredients
- Vegan Cream Cheese
- Vegan Heavy Cream (or substitute with canned full fat coconut milk)
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar
- Matcha.com green tea powder
- Vegan Whipped Cream
- Fresh Strawberries
- Gluten Free Graham Crackers
What is Matcha?
Put simply, matcha is green tea. But it’s not just regular green tea. It’s the only type of tea where you consume the entire leaf, rather than just steeping the leaves and discarding them. It’s filled with benefits from cholesterol reduction to stress relief and it even benefits your cognition. Special growing conditions and handling are required to preserve the health benefits of the tea leaves. Sadly, today there are less than 60 authentic matcha tea farms left in Japan.
With the popularity of matcha on the rise, there are many low quality products emerging on the market to meet the demand. Unfortunately, buying mass produced matcha reduces the benefits you receive from consuming it. Not to mention it is more bitter in flavor.
The color of your matcha powder will indicate the quality. Vibrant green powder is a higher quality than that which appears a yellow-ish green or with hints of brown. Usually a brighter green matcha is referred to as ceremonial grade and it has a more subtle umami flavor with an almost sweet endnote as opposed to more bitter varieties.
I use matcha powder from matcha.com, which is top quality. It’s lab tested to be pure of all heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants. Matcha.com has a variety of different products to fit every need and price point. They also carry all the tools you will need to enjoy your matcha. Plus, every purchase helps to support the remaining authentic Japanese matcha farms. Use code WELLFED at checkout to save 20% off your order.
How to Make a Strawberry Matcha Cake
Step 1 - Combine vegan cream cheese, vegan heavy cream and vanilla extract in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Step 2 - Add the powdered sugar and matcha powder. Beat until fully incorporated.
Step 3 - Add vegan whipped cream and fold together with a spatula.
Step 4 - Assemble the icebox cake in a 9x5 loaf pan lined with plastic wrap. Add the matcha cream, a layer of strawberries and a layer of graham crackers. Repeat making three layers total with the graham crackers on the top.
Step 5 - Place in the freezer for 6-8 hours to set.
What is an Icebox Cake?
Up until the 1930s, refrigerators weren’t found in most homes. They had what was called an icebox, which was more like a refrigerator sized cooler and a large block of ice was put inside to keep things cool.
Icebox cakes actually became popular around the same time that the refrigerator was being brought into American homes. It’s not really a cake at all but a layered dessert made from cream or pudding, crunchy cookies or crackers and frequently fruit. It is similar in construction to a trifle and doesn’t require any baking. It can be made in any shape, in this case we’re making a loaf, but a round pan will work just as well.
The icebox cake gets its cake like texture from the crackers soaking up the moisture from the creamy layer as it sits in the refrigerator. It all ends up with a nice soft texture that blends together perfectly.
How to Store this Cake
This cake can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The crackers will continue to soften over time, so it is best eaten sooner (as if you need an excuse!)
If you prefer to keep it frozen, like I do, store it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to a week.
If you're looking for more no bake desserts, check out these great recipes!
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
No Bake Strawberry Matcha Cake (Gluten Free & Vegan)
Ingredients
- 8 ounce Vegan Cream Cheese
- ½ Cup Plant Based Cream or full fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 Cup Powdered sugar sifted
- 2 Tablespoon Matcha green tea powder
- 9 ounce Vegan Whipped Cream
- 4 Cup Fresh Strawberries de-stemmed and quartered
- Gluten Free Graham Crackers I used about 24 squares
Instructions
- Add cream cheese, heavy cream and vanilla to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl.8 ounce Vegan Cream Cheese, ½ Cup Plant Based Cream, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Add powdered sugar and matcha powder to the mixing bowl. Begin mixing on low speed until dry ingredients are incorporated. Then mix on medium speed for about 1 minute until it's an even consistency and color.1 Cup Powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoon Matcha green tea powder
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the whipped cream. Fold in with a spatula.9 ounce Vegan Whipped Cream
- Line a 9x5 loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang at the sides for a handle.
- Begin layering your dessert with ⅓ of the matcha cream in the bottom of the pan.
- Follow by adding strawberries in a single layer.4 Cup Fresh Strawberries
- Top the strawberries with a layer of graham crackers taking care to fill in all the space.Gluten Free Graham Crackers
- Repeat with remaining cream, berries and crackers making 2 more layers. You should end with graham crackers on top.
- Place dessert in freezer for 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove from freezer. Top with additional whipped cream, a sprinkling of matcha powder and some sliced berries if you'd like.
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
Suzi says
As a matcha addict, I have to say this cake was right up my alley! I used digestive cookies instead, and it still came out delicious !!