A store-bought strawberry shortcake ice cream cake is a dessert that is mostly sugar and corn syrup: sweetened shortcake crumbs, a layer of ice cream, and a glossy red topping that is gelatin, sugar and dye. This sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake keeps the shape of that dessert and changes what is actually in it. The base is a toasted almond shortcake crumble, the middle is a frozen cream filling, and the top is real strawberries cooked down with allulose.
One thing to be clear about before you start. This is a no-churn cake, and the layer that behaves like ice cream is a frozen mixture of Philadelphia Neufchâtel, FAGE Total 0% Greek yogurt and whipped heavy cream. There is no ice cream maker anywhere in the recipe and nothing is churned the way a proper ice cream base is, so call it what it is: a frozen cream filling between two layers of almond crumble.
If you want a frozen dessert you scoop rather than slice, my easy peach ice cream takes the same no-added-sugar approach in a bowl. If coffee is more your speed, my sugar-free coffee mousse ice cream is no-churn as well.
Why You’ll Love This Sugar-Free Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
- Three real layers and no machine. Crumble, filling and glaze assembled in one square dish and left to freeze.
- A homemade strawberry glaze. 1¼ cups of fresh strawberries simmered with allulose and reduced until thick, not a jar of sugary topping and not a packet of Jell-O.
- Creamy rather than icy. Neufchâtel and 2 cups of Greek yogurt give the filling body, and whipped cream folded in at the end keeps it light.
- Ten portions out of a 6×6-inch dish. About 149 calories and 4g net carbs a square.
That is the appeal of this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake. It looks like the bakery version, it cuts into the same neat squares, and nothing in it needed a machine or a store-bought mix.
The whole thing is one dish, one oven and one freezer. There is no springform to wrap, no water bath, and no churn to clean afterwards, which is what makes this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake an afternoon project rather than a weekend one.
Ingredient Notes
Everything in this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake is listed in grams as well as cups, because the gram number is the one that matters. Two ingredients do most of the work: the Greek yogurt in the filling and the strawberries in the glaze.
- Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour, ½ cup (56g) is the crumble. The super-fine grind matters here, because a coarser one leaves grit in a layer you eat straight off the sheet, and the crumb is what gives this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake its shortcake name.
- Unsalted butter, 1 tbsp, melted (14g) is melted rather than cold so it coats the flour and the crumble clumps instead of staying powdery.
- Granulated allulose, 1 tbsp (15g) sweetens the crumble. Allulose is a rare sugar that the FDA allows to be excluded from the total sugars and added sugars declarations on the Nutrition Facts label, and it toasts the way sugar does in a 325°F oven.
- Philadelphia Neufchâtel, 6 oz, softened (170g) is the structure of the filling. Neufchâtel rather than full-fat cream cheese, because it gives the same tang without the extra fat.
- FAGE Total 0% Greek yogurt, about 2 cups (450g) is the bulk of the filling and the reason this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake stays creamy instead of cutting like a solid block.
- Heavy whipping cream, 6 tbsp, cold (90g) gets whipped to soft peaks and folded in, never beaten into the yogurt.
- Powdered allulose, about ⅓ cup (65g) sweetens the filling. Powdered rather than granulated, so it dissolves without leaving grain in the cream.
- Fresh strawberries, 1¼ cups, chopped (180g) and 1 tbsp + 1 tsp granulated allulose (20g) become the glaze. Cooked down hard, which is what stops the top from turning into an ice sheet.
The yogurt is also what keeps this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake from tasting like cheesecake. A baked version of the same idea is my sugar-free classic cheesecake, the recipe every flavored cheesecake on this site starts from.
Per-100g values for almond flour, Greek yogurt and Neufchâtel are all in the USDA FoodData Central database if you want to check the nutrition yourself.
How to Make This Sugar-Free Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
Prep is 25 minutes, the crumble bakes for 10 to 12 minutes at 325°F, and then the cake spends 7 to 8 hours in the freezer. You need a 6×6-inch square freezer-safe ceramic baking dish that is 2 inches deep, a 13×18-inch rimmed baking sheet, parchment, an electric mixer and a small saucepan.
Read through the twelve steps once before you start, because the order matters in this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake. The crumble and the glaze both have to be completely cold before anything is layered, and the whole thing needs the long freeze at the end.
Step 1. Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Step 2. Mix the almond flour, 15g allulose and melted butter until crumbly.
Step 3. Spread it on the baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes, stirring halfway, until lightly golden. Cool completely.
Step 4. Simmer the strawberries with 20g allulose for 7 to 10 minutes, mashing some of the berries and leaving small pieces. Cook until thickened, then refrigerate until cold.
Step 5. Beat the softened Neufchâtel with the powdered allulose until smooth. Gradually mix in the Greek yogurt.
Step 6. Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks. Gently fold it into the yogurt mixture.
Step 7. Scatter half the cooled crumble across the bottom of the 6×6-inch baking dish.
Step 8. Spread half the creamy filling over the crumble. Freeze 30 to 45 minutes until the surface firms slightly.
Step 9. Add the remaining crumble, followed by the remaining filling. Smooth the surface.
Step 10. Spoon the chilled strawberry glaze over the top. Gently swirl a few areas into the cream.
Step 11. Cover and freeze at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Step 12. Rest at room temperature for 15 to 25 minutes before cutting into 10 portions.
That 30 to 45 minute set in step 8 is the part people skip, and it is what keeps the top layer from sinking into the bottom one. Skim it and this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake still freezes and still tastes right, but the squares stop holding their layers.
Step 11 is the one to plan around. Cover and freeze at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, and then let the cake sit out for 15 to 25 minutes before it goes near a knife. Rushing that rest is how this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake ends up cracking instead of slicing.
Success Tips
Four things decide whether this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake slices cleanly or crumbles into the dish. None of them add any time.
- Cool the crumble and the strawberry glaze completely before layering. Warm crumble melts the filling and a warm glaze runs straight off it.
- Reduce the strawberry sauce well to prevent an icy topping. Under-reduced sauce freezes hard instead of staying glossy.
- Whip cream only to soft peaks for a lighter filling. Stiff peaks take the air out of the whole thing and leave it dense.
- Soften briefly before slicing. Take the dish out 15 to 25 minutes before you cut, and the squares come out creamy instead of hard, which is the single biggest difference between this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake served straight from the freezer and served properly.
For another strawberry dessert that needs no oven and no freezing, my sugar-free strawberry coconut fluff comes together in about 15 minutes of work.
Storage
Store tightly covered in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. That is the whole of it, and it makes sense: this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake is a frozen dessert, so the freezer is where it lives.
Cut it in the dish rather than turning it out. One clean pass with a knife keeps the crumble where it belongs, and the layers in this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake stay that way instead of slumping onto the plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an ice cream maker?
No. This is a no-churn recipe, and I would rather say so than let the name do the work. The filling is Neufchâtel, Greek yogurt and whipped cream, frozen rather than churned, which is exactly why the filling in this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake is dense enough to slice instead of scoop.
Why did my strawberry topping turn icy?
The sauce was not reduced enough. Simmer it for 7 to 10 minutes until it visibly thickens, then refrigerate it until cold before spooning it over the cream. The recipe’s own note says it plainly: reduce the sauce well, or the top of this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake turns icy.
How long should the cake rest before slicing?
15 to 25 minutes at room temperature. Straight from the freezer it is too firm to cut cleanly, and this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake needs that rest for the squares to hold their shape on the plate.
Can I use frozen strawberries for the glaze?
The recipe calls for 1¼ cups fresh strawberries (180g). Frozen berries release extra liquid and would need a longer reduction, and I have not tested that, so I would stay with fresh if you are counting on the glaze setting glossy on this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake.
Can I skip the 30 to 45 minute freeze in step 8?
You can, but the layers stop holding. That short set is what firms the first layer of filling enough for the second layer of crumble to sit on top of it instead of sinking in, and it is the difference between this sugar-free strawberry shortcake ice cream cake keeping three clean layers and becoming one thick block.
Sugar-Free Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Mix almond flour, 15g allulose, and melted butter until crumbly.
- Spread on baking sheet. Bake 10–12 minutes, stirring halfway, until lightly golden. Cool completely.
- Simmer strawberries with 20g allulose for 7–10 minutes. Mash some berries, leaving small pieces. Cook until thickened, then refrigerate until cold.
- Beat softened Neufchâtel with powdered allulose until smooth. Gradually mix in Greek yogurt.
- Whip cold heavy cream to soft peaks. Gently fold into the yogurt mixture.
- Scatter half the cooled crumble across the bottom of the 6×6-inch baking dish.
- Spread half the creamy filling over the crumble. Freeze 30–45 minutes until the surface firms slightly.
- Add remaining crumble, followed by remaining filling. Smooth the surface.
- Spoon chilled strawberry glaze over the top. Gently swirl a few areas into the cream.
- Cover and freeze at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Rest at room temperature for 15–25 minutes before cutting into 10 portions.
Notes
- Cool crumble and strawberry glaze completely before layering.
- Reduce strawberry sauce well to prevent an icy topping.
- Whip cream only to soft peaks for a lighter filling.
- Soften briefly before slicing for a creamy texture.
- Store tightly covered in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.