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Home » Cakes, Cookies and Desserts » No-bake pineapple icebox cake – fridge tart

No-bake pineapple icebox cake – fridge tart

Author: VJ Published : June 2020 Modified : April 2022 / 4 people have commented

Recipe
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This no-bake pineapple icebox cake is luscious, creamy and definitely moreish! All you need are 4 simple ingredients and 15 minutes of your time. Try it yourself and I’m sure you’ll agree that this recipe for pineapple icebox cake is a winner!!!

A slice of pineapple fridge cake being lifted from the dish.

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Table Of Contents
  1. No-bake pineapple icebox cake
  2. Ingredients for pineapple icebox tart
  3. How to make pineapple icebox cake
  4. Variations
  5. You may like to try one of my other desserts
  6. Pin for later
  7. Recipe – No-bake pineapple icebox cake
  8. No-bake pineapple icebox cake

No-bake pineapple icebox cake

This pineapple icebox cake recipe is one of my favourite recipes – I’ve been making it for years and it has always been a firm family favourite. It is the ideal dessert to make now that the weather is warming up and you are looking for a nice light, chilled dessert.

I grew up in South Africa where an icebox cake is actually called a fridge tart. South Africa is well known for its fridge tarts, the most iconic of which is a peppermint crisp fridge tart, which is a decadent, gooey icebox cake, made with condensed milk and peppermint chocolate. I defy anyone to have more than one slice. I much prefer the lighter fridge tarts though, such as the pineapple icebox cake that I am sharing today, and this citrus cheesecake. Contrary to its name, the citrus cheesecake does not contain any cheese. Instead, it gets its fresh tangy taste from Greek yoghurt.

While my version of a pineapple icebox cake is very creamy – it doesn’t contain any cream at all. The creamy filling is made by whipping evaporated milk until it thickens. This is then mixed with fruit layered between crispy coconut flavoured biscuits (cookies) to make a light, fresh, dessert, packed with fruit, that you can enjoy at any time. And with only 180 calories per slice, you can be excused for taking an extra helping.

If you want to reduce the calories even further you can leave out the cookies and spoon the filling into individual glasses. It will thicken and set in the fridge, a bit like a mousse. The calories would drop to only 58, making this the ideal dessert for those of you who are on a diet.

And it is so versatile. I’ve used pineapples, which provide a lovely tangy flavour. But you can use any canned fruit of your choice. I’ve tried it with canned pears and or peaches, which work really well. And if you would like a more exotic flavour, why not use a can of lychees.

Apart from dissolving a jelly /jello in the pineapple juice in a saucepan, there is absolutely no cooking involved. Just mix, assemble and leave in the fridge for a few hours to set.

A no-bake pineapple fridge tart with a slice removed.

Ingredients for pineapple icebox tart

You can get the complete recipe on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

You will only need 4 ingredients :

  • A packet of flavoured jelly (or jello if you live in the US) . I’ve used pineapple, but a lemon flavour would work just as well. You can use the gelatine type of jelly, as I’ve used here, or you can use jelly crystals. Both work just as well.
  • A small can of pineapple chunks (or rings) or other fruit of your choice. You need the smallest sized can. The weight on the side of the can I used was 227g (8 oz) but it doesn’t matter if it’s slightly over. In the UK you can also buy cans of crushed pineapple which would work just as well.
  • 1 large can of evapourated milk (NOT the sweeter condensed milk). Evapourated milk is simply milk that has been heated until half of the water content has been removed. The size I used was marked 410g (14.5 oz).
  • 1 x 300g packet of Nice biscuits (or cookies) which is about 10.5 ounces.. The original version of this dessert uses a South African biscuit/cookie called Tennis biscuits which are thin coconut/caramel flavoured biscuits/cookies.
  • The closest substitute or Tennis biscuits that I can find in the UK are Nice biscuits (they are stamped with the word NICE). For my US readers, I believe the closest substitute would be Graham crackers. However, any thin shortcake-type cookie will work. The biscuit/cookie has to be thin enough to absorb some of the filling, as this is what helps thicken the tart.

Update – one of my readers suggested using Biscoff biscuits. I think the flavour of these would be perfect.

How to make pineapple icebox cake

Mix the filling

A collage of 4 images showing how to mix the filling for the pineapple fridge tart.

Start by opening the can of fruit and pouring the juice into a saucepan. Add the jelly/jello and heat gently until it melts (image 1). If you are using jelly/jello crystals, just stir them into the warm juice until they dissolve.

Chop the pineapple into small pieces (image 2).

Open the can of evapourated milk and pour it into a mixing bowl.

Top tip – store the evaporated milk in the fridge before using it so it is nice and cold. You will find it thickens faster if you whisk the milk while it is chilled.

Whisk vigourously (I used a hand beater) until the milk becomes thick and creamy and leaves a trail when you draw a spoon through it (image 4). This takes 3 or 4 minutes. The milk should treble in quantity as the air gets incorporated.

Assemble the cake

A collage of 4 images showing how to assemble the pineapple fridge tart.

Next, pour melted jelly/jello into the whipped milk and add the chopped fruit (image 1). Stir well to distribute the fruit evenly.

Arrange a single layer of cookies in your pie dish. You may need to break/cut some cookies to fit.

Cover the cookies with half of the milk/fruit mixture (image 3).

Repeat with a second layer of cookies and the remainder of the milk/fruit mixture.

Add the topping

A collage of 4 images showing how to cover the pineapple fridge tart with crushed biscuits.

Place a few of the remaining cookies in a plastic bag and crush to fine crumbs with a rolling pin (image 1).

Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the cake(image 2).

Place the pineapple cake in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and allow it to set (image 3).

Eat a slice before anyone finds out you’ve made this delicious cake. It will disappear before you know it 🙂 .

Variations

You can vary this icebox cake by substituting different fruits for the pineapple. Peaches and pears work well, but you can use any fruit that has been canned in juice. You will need the juice from the fruit to dissolve the jelly/jello.

If you want to make a lighter dessert, you can pour the filling into individual serving dishes, without adding the cookies for a deliciously creamy, fruity mousse. Place the individual bowls in the refrigerator to set for a few hours before eating.

You may like to try one of my other desserts

  • Easy apple cake traybake
  • Boozy black forest trifle
  • Easy coconut pie
  • Dom pedro
  • Classic lemon meringue pie

Or why not just have a browse through all my sweet treats and see if there is anything else you might like.

A slice of pineapple icebox cake on a cake lifter, resting on top of the cake.

If you’d like to be notified of any new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter. As a thank you gift, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

Pin for later

Why not pin this no-bake pineapple fridge tart recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can make it later. Just click the image below.

Recipe – No-bake pineapple icebox cake

A slice of pineapple fridge cake being lifted from the dish.

No-bake pineapple icebox cake

This no-bake pineapple icebox cake is luscious, creamy and definitely moreish! All you need are 4 simple ingredients and 15 minutes of your time. Try it yourself and I'm sure you'll agree that this recipe for pineapple icebox cake is a winner!!!
Recipe by: Veronica

(Click the stars to rate this recipe)

5 from 2 votes
Dessert
South African inspired, Western
Calories 180
Prep 15 minutes
Set in fridge 3 hours
Cook 0 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 1 12″ diameter tart
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Equipment

  • Sauce pan
  • 12″ diameter pie dish
  • Spatula
  • Balloon whisk or
  • Electric hand mixer

Ingredients

  • 410 g can evapourated milk (14.5 ounces)
  • 227 g can pineapple chunks/rings (8 ounces)
  • 300 g coconut flavoured biscuits (cookies) Nice or Tennis biscuits or Graham crackers
  • 1 packet pineapple flavoured jelly/jello

Instructions

  • Open the can of fruit and pour the juice into a saucepan.
  • Add the jelly/jello and heat gently until it has dissolved. Allow to cool.
  • Cut the pineapple into small pieces.
  • Pour the evapourated milk into a mixing bowl and whisk vigourously until the milk has thickened and trebled in volume.
  • Pour the cooled jelly/jello and the fruit into the thickened milk and mix well.
  • Arrange a single layer of cookies in a 12" diameter pie dish.
  • Cover the cookies with half of the milk/fruit mixture.
  • Repeat with a second layer of cookies and the remainder of the milk/fruit mixture.
  • Crush a few of the remaining cookies into crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the cake.
  • Place the cakein the fridge for at lease 3 hours to allow it to set.
  • Serve chilled.

Notes

Variations
You can vary this tart by using different fruits. Peaches and pears work well, but you can use any fruit that is canned in juice. You will need the juice from the fruit to dissolve the jelly/jello.
If you want to make a lighter dessert, you can pour the filling into individual serving dishes, without adding the cookies for a delicious creamy, fruity mousse

Nutrition

Calories – 180kcal | Carbohydrates – 23.7g | Protein – 3.9g | Fat – 7.6g | Saturated Fat – 1.6g | Cholesterol – 10mg | Sodium – 37mg | Potassium – 125mg | Fiber – 0.8g | Sugar – 5.9g | Calcium – 92mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I’d love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Cakes, Cookies and Desserts

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ashok

    2 August 2021 at 5:08 am

    5 stars
    Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.

    Reply
    • VJ

      2 August 2021 at 12:00 pm

      Great, thanks for letting me know 🙂

      Reply
  2. Magda

    4 January 2021 at 9:25 pm

    Thanks for recipe! Always loved the Pineapple “Yskastert”, but tomorrow will be the first time I will make it myself. Regards.

    Reply
    • VJ

      5 January 2021 at 8:18 am

      I hope it turns out well for you Magda. Thanks for the comment 🙂 x

      Reply

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