Key Lime Pie Icebox Cake

If you were to ask me what my absolute personality trait has been this summer, it is—without a doubt—finding ways to stay cool without sacrificing dessert. Which brings us to Episode 7 of the Everyday Crumb Club! And friends, I have officially peaked.

Say hello to the Key Lime Pie Icebox Cake (aka the dreamiest key lime ice cream cake you will ever meet).

I don’t say this lightly: this is truly the best dessert I have made all summer. It is incredibly refreshing, bursting with bright citrus flavor, and surprisingly light for how decadent it looks. If you love the punchy, tangy zip of a classic key lime pie but want the frozen, melt-in-your-mouth satisfaction of ice cream, this is your new holy grail.

Why You’ll Love This Icebox Cake

• No-Churn Magic: No fancy ice cream machine required. Just a hand mixer (or stand mixer) and a little bit of patience while it freezes.
• The BEST Texture Contrast: Layers of crisp graham crackers soften up just enough in the freezer to mimic a perfect pie crust, sandwiched between velvety, tangy ice cream and a punchy, smooth lime curd.
• Show-Stopping Height: We’re using a fun stacking trick to give this cake an elegant, bakery-worthy look that will make everyone at the backyard BBQ gasp.

Sue’s Baker’s Note: If you’re making this for a party, you can fully assemble and freeze the cake for up to a week in advance and tightly wrap the cake in plastic wrap when storing. Just whip up the meringue and torch it right before serving for that ultimate “wow” factor!

---

Key Lime Pie Icebox Cake

Created by Sue Mun

Serves about 8

Ingredients:

For the Key Lime Curd:

• 5 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp key lime zest
• 1/2 cup key lime juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter

For the No Churn Key Lime Ice Cream:

• 450g heavy cream, cold
• 7.5 ounces cream cheese
• 8 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon Beyond Good vanilla powder (or use 2 tsp vanilla extract)
• zest and juice of 6 key limes

For the Layering: 

• about 1/2 box of graham crackers
• Key Lime ice cream from above
• key lime curd from above

For Meringue Topping (optional):

• 3 large egg whites
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Make the Key Lime Curd:

1. In a heat safe bowl, mix together the sugar, egg yolks, lime juice, lime zest, and salt together.
2. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water and cook the mixture over the double boiler while whisking constantly. Continue cooking the curd and mixing at the same time until the curd thickens to an almost pudding like consistency.
3. Take the bowl off of the heat and add in the butter and stir until the butter has completely melted.
4. Pour the curd into a container and cover the surface with plastic wrap and store in the fridge to set completely. Thee curd can be made up to 3 days ahead of time.

Make the No Churn Key Lime Ice Cream:

1. In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside
2. In a large mixing bowl, whip together the sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, lime zest, and vanilla bean powder (or vanilla extract ) until smooth and combined.
3. Fold in the whipped cream into the key lime cream mixture until combined.

Assembling:

1. Line the bottom and sides of a 9” square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Cover the entire bottom of the parchment lined pan with graham crackers. You will have to cut the crackers to fit tightly in the pan.
3. Spread half of the key lime ice cream evenly on top of the graham crackers.
4. Spread half of the key lime curd evenly on top of the cream.
5. Then put another layer of graham crackers on top of the curd.
6. Then repeat the layering process until you are able to top the final layer with graham crackers. If you want a tall ice box cake like mine, you will only over HALF of the top layer with graham crackers instead of covering the whole top layer with graham crackers.
7. Cover the dish and let rest in the refrigerator for 6 hours before putting the cake to the freezer to freeze overnight.
8. Once the cake is frozen, remove the icebox cake from the freezer and carefully lift the cake out of the pan.
9. On a cutting board, use a hot knife to cut the icebox cake in half. Then carefully stack the two together so you have one tall cake. This is only if you are creating a taller icebox cake like mine.
10. Transfer the cake onto a serving plat and decorate the top as desired with toasted meringue.
11. Slice and serve or place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve cold and enjoy!

For the Meringue Topping: 

1. Place the egg whites into a mixer bowl and whisk on high speed with the whisk attachment for a few minutes, until soft peaks form.
2. Meanwhile, in a small pot, add in the sugar and water. Cook the sugar water over medium heat, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 240F/115C.
3. Quickly pour the hot syrup in a slow and steady stream over the egg whites while the mixer is running on medium speed.
4. Then add in the cream of tartar and vanilla.
5. Continue whisking the meringue on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sides of your mixing bowl is cool to the touch and thee meringue is finally at room temperature is glossy and is at stiff peaks.

Sue Mun