A few days ago I posted some dreamy ice cream treats, one of which happened to be a Strawberry Icebox Cake. As I mentioned in that post, I have wanted to make an icebox cake forever and decided that now was the time! Add in the fact that I had been OBSESSING about making something with blueberries and lemon and voila! This delicious dessert was born.
So, was an icebox cake everything I thought it would be? Ummm, YES. And more. I can see why these things were so popular with our grandma’s back in the day…super simple to make and unbelievably delicious. Once the cake sets overnight, the layers of graham crackers get perfectly soft and the thick, whipped cream filling is almost mousse like sandwiched between everything.
In my humble opinion this is THE perfect summertime treat…simple, gorgeous and bursting with fresh blueberry and lemon flavor! Enjoy!
Note: If you don’t like lemon, feel free to omit it or substitute almond flavor, etc. It’s a very versatile recipe!
- 4 c. Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 c. Powdered Sugar
- 6 T. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 4 T. Fresh-Squeezed Lemon Juice (2 large lemons)
- 4 t. Finely Grated Lemon Zest (2 large lemons)
- 12 Whole Sheets of Graham Crackers
- 4 c. Fresh Blueberries (reserve about ½ c. for garnishing the top of the cake)
- Line a large, 6½x11x4-inch loaf pan with foil, letting the foil hang over either end of the pan to use as "handles". Spray lightly with cooking spray.
- In a chilled bowl of an electric mixer (I chill my bowl and my whipping beater in the freezer for at least 30 minutes), whip 3 cups of the heavy whipping cream on high speed until thick and slightly stiff. Beat in ¾ cup powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons of vanilla. Beat in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Spread a layer of whipped cream in the bottom of your pan. Place 4 sheets of the graham crackers on top of the whipped cream (they may overlap a bit in the middle and that's ok). Cover the graham crackers in another layer of whipped cream and cover the whipped cream with a layer of blueberries. Gently spread a layer of whipped cream over the blueberries. Cover with 4 more sheets of graham crackers, a layer of whipped cream, blueberries, whipped cream and 4 more sheets of graham crackers. Cover with foil and let set in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Before inverting the cake onto a plate, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream until thick and stiff. Add the remaining ¼ c. powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of vanilla. Place a large plate or platter over the top of the loaf pan and gently flip over. Carefully remove the pan and then gently and slowly peel away the foil. Quickly cover the cake with the whipped cream (see note below) and garnish with reserved blueberries. Slice and serve immediately.