Icebox cake may be an old-school concept, but this recipe is truly spectacular. The combination of lemon curd and cream cheese frosting is intensely citrusy and refreshing, and the quick candied lemon peel makes it priceless. Did we mention how incredibly easy this is to make? You can whip this up in 10 minutes, and it will be ready to enjoy after a quick stint in your freezer–no need to even turn on the oven.
If you’re wondering, “what the heck’s an icebox cake?” or even “what’s an icebox?”, you’re not alone. Originally invented around the 1930s, an icebox is the precursor to modern refrigerators and freezers. Although at the time it was basically the cabinet equivalent of your Trader Joe’s freezer bag, it revolutionized keeping food cold at home. Housewives were very into it, and companies like Nabisco jumped on the bandwagon and started printing icebox recipes. Icebox cake is one of those that has stuck around, and for good reason.
Ingredients
- 6 oz.cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 c.powdered sugar
- 2 1/2 c.heavy cream
- Zest of two lemons
- 1(11-oz.) box Nilla wafers
- 1 c.lemon curd, store-bought or homemade
Easy Candied Lemon Peel
- 1lemon
- 1/4 c.simple syrup
Directions
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- Step 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and continue to mix on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold in the lemon zest.
- Step 2Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture onto the bottom of a 9″x13″ dish (to prevent cookies from sliding around), then cover it with a single layer of Nilla wafers. Top cookies with about 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture, using an offset spatula or back of a spoon to spread into an even layer. Drizzle this layer with approximately 1/2 of the lemon curd and lightly swirl in. Cover the curd with another layer of cookies and repeat, finishing with a layer of the cream cheese mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours.
- Step 3While the cake is freezing, use a vegetable peeler to slice long strips of peel from a lemon. (Be careful not to go too deep; you want to avoid the bitter white pith.) Slice the strips into very thin strips and soak in simple syrup for 3 hours or up to a week in the refrigerator.
- Step 4Remove the cake from the freezer and garnish with the candied lemon peel. Freeze any leftovers for up to 7 days.
- Step 1
