My sister is one of my biggest supporters. She is my sous chef, taste tester, and photography hand model. She is also a recipe developer in her own right – I hope to feature some of her recipes in the near future. Unfortunately for her, her birthday is often a test-bed for different types of cake whether it is a traditional chocolate cake with a peanut butter frosting, a confetti bundt cake or, this year’s very rustic-looking lemon icebox cake.
Blog inspiration
I recently came across the blog Food is a Four Letter Word. Not only does the blog have a great name, it has beautiful photography and a whole section on how to use foods found at Trader Joe’s. It is from this blog that I got my inspiration for this easy cake.
Missing Trader Joe’s
When I lived in Boston, I did most of my weekly shopping at Trader Joe’s. There are so many great products – both basics and more trendy items. I know people have tried to get the company to open a shop here in Hawai’i but I don’t think it will ever happen. Now, when I go to the mainland, I always make a point to get to a Trader Joe’s and bring back what I can to tide me over until my next trip.
Wafer alternatives
I’ve written before about how difficult it is to find Famous Chocolate Wafers to make the classic chocolate icebox cake. I also created a Hawaiian version using locally made coconut biscuits. But when I saw these different options on Food is a Four Letter Word, I realize that I didn’t have to limit myself and that options abounded, especially at Trader Joe’s. So on a recent trip, I brought back a box each of Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins and Triple Ginger Cookie Thins. I have yet to develop the recipe for the ginger cookies but I have a lot of ideas in mind …
Easy as … cake
The beauty of this “cake” is, in its simplest form, it only requires three ingredients – cookies, heavy cream, and sugar. This recipe isn’t far off from that basic recipe with the additions of a little flavorings to boost the lemon of the cookies and a few simple decorations.
Unlike previous icebox cakes that I’ve made, this one took a little more work to form, but not much more. Building it as a loaf cake created a fun presentation when sliced, showing off the pretty, albeit uneven, layers.
As long as you have the time (and patience) to let the cake sit in the refrigerator so the cookies soften and absorb the lemon whipped cream, then this is the perfect no-bake cake.
Enjoy!
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Lemon Icebox Cake
- Total Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins and billowy piles of whipped cream make up this easy and refreshing icebox cake.
Ingredients
1 9-ounce box Trader Joe’s Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
Instructions
Whip the heavy cream, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon extract on high speed until soft peaks form.
On a small serving platter, spread a thin layer of the whipped cream (about 1/2″ thick) – this will hold the cookies in place.
Layer cookies and whipped cream to create small stacks. Stand the stacks on their sides on the platter. Add more stacks, layering more whipped cream between stacks until the platter is filled.
Use the remaining whipped cream to completely cover the cookies. Place in the refrigerator and let sit for at least 8 hours or overnight.
To serve, decorate with leftover cookie pieces or sprinkles. Slice the cake on the diagonal to show off the pretty layers, wiping down the knife between each slice.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Inactive Time: 8 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 366
- Sugar: 118.74 g.
- Sodium: 157.99 mg.
- Fat: 26.55 g.
- Saturated Fat: 15.94 g.
- Carbohydrates: 30.96 g.
- Fiber: 0.03 g.
- Protein: 3.94 g.
- Cholesterol: 78.48 g.
Keywords: lemon cookies, whipped cream
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