Strawberry Icebox Cake

I made a couple of icebox cakes last year (key lime and pumpkin), and I decided it was time for another one. Luckily, there were some strawberries in my fridge crying out for the same treatment. These cakes are great for summer entertaining, light, not requiring an oven and just so stinkin' adorable.

Strawberry Icebox Cake

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 pint of strawberries (you may want to pick up an extra pint so there's no chance of running out)
2 packages almond wafer cookies (you'll need about 42 cookies, I used Anna's)

In a large bowl, beat cream, sugar and vanilla together with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Set aside. Remove stems from strawberries and slice lengthwise.

On a serving plate or cake stand, arrange cookies, slightly overlapping in a circle, and place 1 cookie in the center. The amount of cookies will determine the diameter of your cake. I used 7 for the outer circle and ended up with a cake 7 inches across and 3 inches tall, which contained 6 layers of cookies. Cover cookies, almost completely, with whipped cream, spreading evenly. An offset spatula helps, as does rotating the plate while you spread the cream. Then arrange a layer of strawberries, slightly hanging over the edge of the cream. Use the less pretty end pieces in the center of the cake where they aren't visible. Repeat, alternating cookies, cream and strawberries until you run out of cream or you're happy with the height of your cake. I finished the cake with a layer of cream and waited until just before serving to top it with the final layer of strawberries.

Cover carefully with plastic wrap (you can stick toothpicks in the top of the cake to keep the plastic off of it) and refrigerate overnight. Decorate with the final layer of strawberries before serving. And if you have leftover ingredients, make a few icebox cookie sandwiches!