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5 from 2 votes
A square of Lemon Ice Box Cake with layers of cake and filling is served on a dessert plat, with the remaining cake in the baking dish on the back .
Print Recipe
No-Bake Lemon IceBox Cake
Prep Time
25 mins
Chill Time
12 hrs
Total Time
12 hrs 25 mins
 

My lemon icebox cake is the perfect make-ahead summer dessert—cool, creamy, and citrusy, with 25-minute prep, overnight chill, and no oven.

Servings: 9 people
Author: Gemma Stafford
Ingredients
Cream Filling
  • 2 cups (16 oz/450 g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¾ cup (6 oz/170 g) granulated sugar
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ cup (6 fl oz/180 ml) heavy whipping cream
Cookie Layer
Garnish
  • 1 cup (8 fl oz/240 ml) heavy whipping cream, whipped
  • lemon slices
Instructions
  1. Set an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish aside.
  2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and zest until smooth and creamy.
  3. Turn the speed to low and stir in the heavy cream. Once incorporated, whip on high speed for 1-2 minutes or until the filling has thickened.
  4. Line the bottom of the baking dish with 4 graham crackers to cover the bottom with extra broken to fill out the base. Pour ⅓ of the cream cheese mixture over the cookies and smooth the top.
  5. Repeat layering cookies and cream until you have 3 layers of each.
  6. Cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.
  7. The next day before serving, spread the whipped cream on top and decorate with fresh lemon slices.
  8. Store leftovers, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
Recipe Notes
  • Cookie options: If you don’t have Graham Crackers, you can use Biscoff Cookies, Digestive Biscuits, Vanilla Wafers, or Gingersnaps in this lemon ice box cake recipe, and you can also make all of them with my recipes.
  • Different pans: Instead of an 8-inch (20-cm) square pan, you can use an 8-inch (20-cm) round baking pan. You can also use a  9x13-inch (23x33-cm) loaf pan and make a taller, narrower cake.
  • Softening trick: The cream cheese must be quite soft to blend smoothly. If you are starting with cold cream cheese, microwave it for about 15 seconds at a time until it is softened.
  • Change citrus: For a delicious variation, replace the lemon juice and zest with lime juice and zest.
  • Berry lemon: For a lemon-berry icebox cake,  fold in 2 cups (10 oz/284 g) of fresh raspberries or blueberries into your cream cheese filling before assembling.
  • Proper Timing: I do not recommend making this more than one day (12 hours) in advance. If you let it set longer, the cookies will absorb too much filling.