The more particular you are when building the layers in the loaf pan, the more neat and tidy this will look when sliced. But if it’s a little uneven and the layers blend together, so be it!
Recipe information
Yield
8 Servings
Ingredients
8
¾
2
2½
1
16
1½
⅓
Preparation
Step 1
Line a 9x5" loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving overhang on all sides. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat mascarpone, powdered sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually add cream. Increase speed to medium as mixture thickens; beat until medium peaks form. Transfer two-thirds of mascarpone mixture to another large bowl and fold in ½ cup lemon curd. Cover remaining mascarpone mixture; chill until ready to unmold and cover cake.
Step 2
Place a single layer of graham crackers over bottom of prepared pan, breaking as needed to fit. Using a small offset spatula, evenly spread a quarter of lemon cream over graham crackers. Dollop ½ cup jam over top, then gently spread evenly over lemon cream. Drizzle ¼ cup lemon curd over. Spoon a third of remaining lemon cream over curd and top with another layer of graham crackers. Repeat layering process with half of remaining lemon cream, ½ cup jam, and remaining lemon curd. Finish with a final layer of lemon cream, then graham crackers. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze at least 6 hours. Cover and chill remaining jam until ready to serve cake.
Step 3
Uncover cake and invert pan onto a platter. Using the plastic overhang to help you, unmold cake; peel off plastic. Spread top and sides of cake with reserved mascarpone mixture (if mixture looks a little loose, whisk until soft peaks form before using). Chill in freezer at least 15 minutes.
Step 4
Just before serving, mix blueberries into reserved jam and spoon over cake.
Step 5
Do Ahead: Cake can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Reviews (21)
Back to TopThis is a fantastic recipe; I've made it 3 or 4 times. Instead of using Graham crackers, I prefer Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies.
Anonymous
Ohio
4/19/2018
Two stars with the recipe as written I think these instructions are wrong. While the flavors in this recipe are very good, I think freezing the cake is an error.. The instructions also seem to instruct serving it frozen, hence ... not an ice box cake at all. AND not very good. I doubted this step from the beginning, but I always follow a recipe exactly as written one time prior to changing anything. And frankly I expected more from bon Apetit. Maybe the author is too young to remember what an icebox is. It isn't a freezer, honey. When frozen, the mascarpone is chalky and brittle. Difficult to cut and to eat. But when I thawed it in the ice box over night, it was delicious and creamy and tart and sweet all at once. I like the recipe, and will make it again, but i'll refrigerate, not freeze. Three stars because of the
lschnoor9795
Wisconsin
5/28/2019
This was a big hit at the 4th potluck! So yummy, sweet and tart. I froze it overnight, took it to the potluck on ice for about 6 hours then served it. Perfect! I used gluten free graham cracker cookies, you can’t go wrong!
Anonymous
socal
7/8/2019
This is SO delicious! Perfectly light and sweet and tart. The graham crackers get kind of soft and take on this cake like texture and it’s just the right amount of structure this dessert needs. I used store bought lemon curd but made the chia seed jam - it’s easy and amazing. I made this the day before, froze it overnight, and then put it in the fridge to thaw the next morning. It was perfectly thawed by dinnertime. Wouldn’t change a thing in this recipe.
angelabernard79
New Orleans, LA
6/29/2020
This is absolutely delicious. No doubt a fancy and lovely, refreshing dessert that has some wow factor. I also but the lemon curd but made the jam. It's really easy and tasty. I had a bit of a hard time drizzling the lemon curd on top of the jam (the Trader Joe's curd is quite thick) but that didn't stop it from looking great and being delicious. Highly recommend if you have a bit of time and want something yummy. Also, I read the other comments and totally agree. This should not be served frozen. It's hard and icy if you eat it frozen. I did what one reviewer said which is to defrost in the fridge for a day if you made it in advance as I did. It holds its shape and structure when serving out of the fridge. Will make again!
Jen M.
Los Angeles, CA
6/19/2021
Very yummy. I will admit I didn't take the time to make it look fancy though. I did it with just three layers -- graham cracker, blueberry jam, and marscapone (combined with all the lemon curd). I also didn't "frost" it with the marscapone. Not as pretty but super easy and super delicious.
JLB
Washington, DC
6/3/2022
The family loved this cake. For the finish, I used 1 C blueberries and added lemon juice to the jam/blueberries to reduce the sweetness a bit. As noted by others, I froze it overnight then defrosted in the refrigerator the day of serving. It is a bit time intensive to make the cake look like it is in layers, but delicious. Someone suggested Pepperidge farm Bordeaux cookies instead of the graham crackers. Would it be too sweet if we substituted chocolate wafer cookies for the graham crackers, like in the original icebox cake?! Chocolate, lemon and blueberry? Not sure...
Cook from CA
Los Angeles, CA
7/5/2022