Vanilla biscuits, whipped cream, lemon curd and fresh blueberries come together in this recipe for a delicious no-bake summer dessert.
Here we are in August! It feels a little like summer is slipping through my fingers; what about you? I’m not ready to give up lemonade for pumpkin spice lattes just yet, nor do I want to preheat my oven to make a dessert. So, here is the first of several posts this month to celebrate no-bake desserts! Today, I’m highlighting the icebox cake. This itieration of the American classic is a Lemon Icebox Cake with Blueberries.
A cousin to the English trifle, icebox cakes became popular in the 1920s thanks to the convergence of Nabisco chocolate wafers and affordable iceboxes. By the 1930s, refrigerator manufacturers focused on cuisines that would showcase their electric appliance as indispensable. So, icebox cakes and other layered cold or frozen desserts were popular.
But this really is more of a pudding than a cake. The idea is the wafers or biscuits are nestled in a good deal of whipped cream and left overnight in the refrigerator to become super soft. Although the early chocolate-wafer-whipped-cream version remains delicious, I was inspired to work with lemons and fresh blueberries after seeing this icebox cake in a magazine.
You’ve no doubt noted my version doesn’t closely resemble the inspiration photo! There were some construction challenges for me, but I will make this one again because unlike the traditional icebox cakes that are formed in a square or oblong dish, this cake looked like a blossoming flower! So, read on to learn how to make my Lemon Icebox Cake with Blueberries and I’ll share tip to help you make this delicious summer no-bake dessert.
To make Lemon Icebox Cake with Blueberries, which makes 10 servings, you will need these ingredients:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
1 (10-ounce) jar prepared lemon curd
60 (approximately) Marie biscuits
½ pint fresh blueberries
Lemon slices for garnish
The inspiration for this recipe used lemon zest but I didn’t think that would pack enough pucker, so I decided to swap zest for prepared lemon curd. I used the Dickinson’s brand
but be advised that this one is on the sweeter side. When I make this icebox cake again, I’ll reduce the sugar added to whipping cream by at least 1 tablespoon.
Why Marie biscuits? These are larger than the standard vanilla wafers often used in icebox cakes. The Marie biscuits are what create the petal effect I mentioned earlier. I found a large box of these at Walmart but save what you didn’t use for this recipe. I knew these are wonderful when dunked in tea, but I didn't know until recently that these biscuits date to 1874 when first made by Peek Freans, a London bakery. These thin cookies are enjoyed around the world.
Directions for Icebox Cake with Blueberries
Wash berries and place flat on a clean kitchen towel to air dry.
In a large bowl, beat the cream and sugar on high until stiff peaks form. In my long and troubled journey with whipping cream, I’ve learned that your cream and bowl must be cold. Like, really cold, and it’s best to use a metal bowl because it keeps colder longer as the cream is whipping. And an optional addition here if you had it would be a few drops of lemon extract.
Arrange several Marie biscuits on your serving plate. Remember, you’re not transferring this icebox cake once it’s been assembled, so use the cake stand or serving plate on which you intend to present it. Depending on the size of your plate, start with anywhere from 6 to 8 wafers.
Tip: I made a thin layer of whipped cream on the serving plate before I laid down the first biscuit layer to keep the wafers in place.
Transfer whipped cream into a pastry bag and pipe enough to cover top of biscuits (about ¾ cup).
Full disclosure: my layering process went a bit off the rails. I folded about 5 ounces of lemon curd into the whipped cream so didn’t get to the full eight layers the inspiration recipe called for because I ran out of “glue.” I also tried strategically placing blueberries at each layer, but that adversely affected how the thin wafers stacked up. Here’s what I will do next time.
Place several biscuits on top of whipped cream. Transfer the lemon curd into another pastry bag and cover the second layer. Repeat this layering process, alternating between whipped cream and lemon curd, until you’ve used all the cookies.
Top with whipped cream, fresh blueberries, and lemon slices. Refrigerate overnight. Slice and enjoy!
Tip: If you want more blueberries in the layers, consider making an easy blueberry sauce with 1 cup of blueberries, ½ cup water and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Bring to a low boil and allow berries to break apart. Cool the mixture before spooning over the icebox cake layers. Use any leftover sauce over pancakes or waffles!
How to store Lemon and Blueberry Icebox Cake
This was a little tricky. I think it would be best if this dessert could be enjoyed at once—say a wedding or baby shower or Sunday family dinner—but it could keep for one or two days if covered with plastic wrap. Honestly, it didn’t look great after two days but still tasted great.
In the final analysis, Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake is a bit of a challenge and probably should be presented once to wow and feed several people, but I do like this recipe because it’s different than the traditional pan dessert. I loved the addition of lemon curd in this recipe. While I enjoy the combination of blueberries and lemon, it was a little cumbersome to this circular design. Next time, I’ll make the easy blueberry sauce or simply use a few blueberries to decorate the top.
I’ll always keep these posts real for y’all, and as a passionate home cook, I realize there are trials and errors in our kitchens. I hope you will learn from my mistakes on this first attempt at Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake and put your own twists on this recipe. Comment below or message me if you tried it.
Tasteful tip
If you want all the lemon flavor and don't mind heating your oven, Tastefully Simple's Sunny Lemon Pound Cake & Icing Mix is the way to go! Cube the baked cake and make a lemon-blueberry trifle by layering pound cake, whipped cream, and fresh blueberries in a pretty glass bowl. Contact me or your local Tastefully Simple consultant to order yours today.
About the blog
Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.