A and C makes excellent points. Here are some additional thoughts.
* Avoid CU like the plague. You may be able to climb through a stratiform layer with trace or no ice, but convective cloud is a completely different matter.
* Don't forget that if you pick up ice on your climb through the cloud, your fuel burn for the rest of the trip will increase. Sublimation is distinctly overrated as a deicing technique.
* Keep climb speed high. That offers two advantages: a higher total temperature (even a degree can help) and a lower AoA (exposing less of the wing).