Much of this site is more about cooking rather than baking. NOT TODAY! It is accurate that most of the posts on this site are more about cooking because that is what I do most of on a weekly basis. But I equally love to bake and create sweets almost as much as I love to cook. Truth is, when choosing between a meal and dessert, dessert often loses.

There are many a flagged or dog-eared page in my cookbooks for what look to be absolutely delicious recipes waiting for me to try. Add to it all the screen shots of fun recipes found online – and maybe you start to think I have an obsession – no, wait – let’s call it true passion for trying all things with food.

Icebox Cakes are just fun and they are called Icebox Cakes because you create all of these great layers in a cake pan and then put it in your Icebox (which is the old school way of saying, in your fridge or freezer – aka, the box they kept their ice in.)

This dessert for me was a compromise of the creating the sweet after creating the savory meal of dips and salads. And bonus – I didn’t even need to turn the oven on. Icebox cakes are wonderful in the summer. These are to desserts as crockpots are to dinners – this is the ‘set it and forget it’ of the dessert world.

When creating, you could look online or at cookbooks to get an thought of proportions, then make it your own. You do this by first determining your main flavor. In this case, it was always going to be lemon. I love lemons and the bright punch that they bring to any dish – whether a meal or dessert or even a cocktail. Then, determine what type of cream and crunch element that will compliment. In this case, the cream was a combo of heavy cream and cream cheese with lemon curd and the crunch was Nilla wafers (who doesn’t love Nilla wafers?).

If I wanted to go key lime for this, I could have used the same creamy combo, substituting lime curd, of course, but probably use ginger snap cookies for the crunch element. Or if you wanted a strawberry, it may just be heavy whipping cream whipped with powdered sugar and graham crackers for the crunch element.

I keep saying crunch element, but the end result won’t be crunchy at all. As the layers sit, the crunch element absorbs part of the cream and curd and becomes more smooth and cakey. Finish the top off with Nilla wafer crumbs, candied lemons, or more lemon zest and you are ready to serve this literally cool dessert.

Lemon Icebox Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 box Nilla Wafers
• 1 cup lemon curd

Preparation:

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine room temperature cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed.  When combined, add the heavy cream and slowly increase the speed to whisk until thick peaks form. Not quite as thick at meraigne peaks, but firm.  Slowly fold in the lemon zest.

Spread 1-2 Tbsp of cream mixture on the bottom of a 9×13″ cake pan, enough for the Nilla wafers to stick to.  Add one layer of Nilla wafers across the bottom of pan.  Top with 1/3 of the remaining cream mixture and spread with offset spatula.  Then add 1/2 of the lemon curd and spread over the cream.  Add another layer of Nilla wafers, then 1/3 of cream mixture, the other half of the lemon curd.  Finish the top with the heavy cream.

Wrap with plastic wrap and freeze for minimum of 3 hours.  Top with crumbled Nilla wafers, candied lemon peels, or more lemon zest.  Can be stored in freezer for up to 7 days.

Happy Icebox Caking!!!

*Recipe from delish website.