Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake

Summery, sweet, and oh so delicious! This Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake is the ultimate summer treat. Three layers of homemade ladyfingers, sandwiched between a lemon curd mousse, and homemade blueberry jam. Then after refrigerating, finished with Chantilly cream to really make this cake simply stunning…with little to no effort! Trust me, you’re going to need this simple cake for any and all occasions this summer. Every bite is lemony, creamy, and oh so sweet with a bright pop of flavor from the blueberries! SO. GOOD.

About The Recipe

With all this heat, there is no better time to make this delicious Lemon Blueberry Ice Box Cake! It’s bright, summery, vibrant, full of flavor, and…most importantly, COLD! It’s truly the perfect summertime dessert, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with all of you.

This cake is truly so special in so many ways. Not only is every element in this cake homemade, but they’re all relatively simple to make!

The cake layers are, in fact, giant ladyfinger cookies! Yep, you read that right. When we were discussing what we wanted to do with this cake, we had a long discussion about what needed to be the “cake” layers. We talked about graham crackers and traditional vanilla or lemon cake.

Nothing was really working for us. We wanted something that would stay soft. No matter what!

Which is how we came up with Ladyfingers!

We had just made a batch of Ladyfingers for our Mixed Berry Tiramisu, so the idea was fresh in our minds. After that, we didn’t waste any time! We made a test batch to see if the ladyfingers would actually cook properly that large.

Turns out, they do! And, the best part, they remained soft.

From there, we knew we wanted lemon curd “mousse” and blueberry jam as the filling. It was just figuring out how to make the lemon curd actually work. We decided to keep it simple. Make the curd and fold it into the heavy cream! It worked BEAUTIFULLY!

So, we whipped up a batch of blueberry jam and started layering! The cake turned out even more GORGEOUS than we originally thought it would. I decided at the very last minute to finish the cake with Chantilly Cream. So, when you cut into it, you get a stunning reveal!

Then, with every bite, it just gets better and better. It’s lemony, creamy, and sweet (without being too sweet) and just SO. GOOD.

What is an Icebox Cake?

Traditionally, icebox cake is a layered dessert made from cookies and/or wafers, cream, and maybe some fruit and is stored in the fridge (or icebox). It’s very customizable and typically no bake! With our version, you do need to bake an element, but not the overall dessert. It’s really all about building layers of flavor and texture that will yield something delicious!

Reasons You Will Love This Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake

• Every layer is homemade!
• A bright POP of summer flavor with every bite.
• It’s relatively simple to make.
• Oh so impressive for the summer holidays.
• Gorgeous with little to no effort.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing Bowls
• Hand Mixer
• Stand Mixer
• Rubber Spatula
• Sheet Pans
• Parchment Paper
• Piping Bag
• Cookie Spatula
• Wire Cooling Rack
• Large Saucepan
• Candy Thermometer
• Sieve

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Blueberry Jam:

• Blueberries – are our summer fruit of choice for this cake.
• Granulated Sugar – sweetens the blueberries, as well as helping to preserve them.
• Lemon Juice – is the acidic element to “activate” the pectin and make the jam thicken.

For The Cake:

• Pastry Flour – has a lower protein content than all purpose flour, making it the perfect choice for this cake.
• Egg Whites – provide lift in the form of a meringue that is folded in.
• Cream of Tartar – is used to stabilize the egg whites for the meringue.
• Granulated Sugar – is an essential element in meringue and provides the sweetness for this cake.
• Egg Yolks – are a binder that adds richness and flavor.
• Powdered Sugar – sifted on top before baking forms the crust.

For The Lemon Mousse:

• Granulated Sugar – sweetens while also contributing to the texture and structure.
• Egg Yolks – are the thickener.
• Lemon Juice – is the acidic ingredient that keeps the curd from curdling, as well as being a portion of the flavoring.
• Lemon Zest – is the flavoring component.
• Salted Butter – makes this curd velvety smooth.
• Heavy Cream – when whipped and folded in, is what turns this curd into a mousse.

For The Chantilly Cream:

• Heavy Cream – has a higher fat percentage that makes the whipped cream sturdier and able to hold peaks.
• Powdered Sugar – melts easily and adds just the right amount of sweetness.
• Vanilla Extract – enhances the flavor.

How To Make Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake

Step 1: Make the jam

Combine blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Cook and stir over medium low heat until berries have popped and mixture has thickened, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside.

Step 2: Make the batter

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until foamy.

With the mixer running, stream in 1/4 cup sugar slowly. Beat to medium stiff peaks.

In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and 1/8 cup sugar to ribbon stage, about 5 minutes.

Fold meringue into egg yolk mixture 1/3 at a time.

Sift flour over the top and fold in.

Step 3: Pipe and bake

Spoon the batter into a piping bag and snip off the end so you have a 1/2 inch opening.

Pipe batter into 5 inch x 9 inch rectangles on prepared parchment. Sift powdered sugar over tops. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from pans and let cool on cooling rack.

Step 4: Make the lemon mousse

In a medium heat proof glass bowl, whisk together sugar, egg yolks, and lemon juice. Place over the top of a pot of simmering water. Cook, stirring continuously, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Immediately strain into a clean bowl.

Add lemon zest and whisk in butter. Set aside to cool.

With an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream to stiff peaks.

Fold cream into cooled curd 1/3 at a time.

Step 5: Assemble

Place one cake layer on bottom of a lined loaf pan. Top with half of lemon mousse. Pipe half of jam on top of mousse. Repeat the layers until last piece of cake is placed on top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Step 6: Make Chantilly cream

Combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to stiff peaks.

Step 7: Frost cake

Remove the cake from pan and discard plastic wrap. Frost cake with Chantilly cream. Serve immediately!

Decorating Ideas

The best thing about this cake is that it literally SCREAMS summer! You can decorate it however you want and it will always be simply stunning. Though, here are a few of our favorite ways to decorate this cake!

• With Chantilly cream, of course! But you can pipe it, swirl it with jam, mix it with curd…the options are limitless.
• Fresh blueberries and candied lemon slices are a gorgeous way to decorate this cake.
• Edible flowers, especially purple and yellow, make a gorgeous decoration!

Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake FAQ’s

Do I have to make this recipe in a loaf pan? While you technically don’t, it’s definitely much easier if you do. A different pan would mean not enough ingredients to fill, different bake times/shapes for the ladyfingers, and longer refrigeration time.

Can I use store bought ingredients? Absolutely! If you don’t have time to make your own ladyfingers, curd, jam, or even Chantilly cream, store bought is a great and easy substitute.

Why does my icebox cake crumble/smush rather than slice? This is likely because the ladyfinger layers weren’t given time to soak in the moisture needed to soften them. It needs at LEAST 2 hours in the fridge.

Do I have to use fresh blueberries to make the jam? No, you don’t! If you don’t have access to fresh blueberries, frozen blueberries are a great way to make this recipe. Just be sure to let them thaw before starting the jam!

How To Store

Once this cake is made, it can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days, but it’s best eaten within the first day or two. However, this cake does freeze really well! You can place it in a freezer safe container and freeze the cake for up to 1 month. To defrost, simply take it out of the freezer about 30 minutes before you’d like to serve it.

Substituions

• You can use store bought Ladyfingers to make this recipe, just make sure they’re a soft cookie (typically found in the freezer section), rather than crunchy.
• Store bought lemon curd can be used, as well as store bought Chantilly cream and blueberry jam.
• Any jam you like can be used in this recipe.
• Frozen blueberries can be used to make the jam.

Expert Tips

• When you’re making the jam, be sure to keep it stirred! You don’t want it to burn on the bottom.
• If you don’t have pastry flour, use 1/2 cup all purpose flour + 1/2 cup cake flour!
• Do not skip sifting the flour.
• Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. Otherwise, you won’t get the volume you need!
• The meringue needs to be a medium stiff peak. When you lift the beater, you should still see a slight curve at the end of the peak.
• When piping the ladyfingers, hold the piping bag close to the parchment paper. You don’t want the layers to be too thick.
• Once you’ve coated the ladyfingers with powdered sugar, get them into the oven quickly! You don’t want the powdered sugar to soak into the batter.
• After baking, use a spatula to quickly get the ladyfinger layers off of the pans. The more the layers cool, the more likely they are to stick to the parchment paper.
• When making the curd, the texture should be about pudding consistency. It takes anywhere from 20-25 minutes to thicken. Just be sure to use a heatproof GLASS bowl and place over a simmering (not boiling) pot of water.
• When layering this dessert, try and get the layers as even as you can! Using an offset spatula tends to be very helpful.
• The cake needs to be refrigerated for AT LEAST 2 hours, but preferably overnight. This allows time for the ladyfinger layers to absorb moisture and become soft enough to cut cleanly.

When you make this Lemon Blueberry Icebox Cake, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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