Graham crackers layered with lemony sweet whipped cream, and piles of juicy, fresh raspberries! This Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake is an EASY no-bake dessert for spring or summer!

Please tell me you love icebox cakes as much as I do.

Icebox cakes are kind of a new obsession for me. I don’t recall my mom making any icebox cakes (or maybe they just weren’t as famous or frequent as her Chocolate Chip Cookies), so I feel like a latecomer to the phenomenon.

But now I’m totally hooked. Try my classic Easy Icebox Cake Recipe, Snickers Apple Icebox Cake, this Black Forest Icebox Cake, and my Caramel Apple Golden Oreo Icebox Cake for more yummy icebox cake ideas.

On hot summer days, there’s nothing better than getting the grill going for a full BBQ spread with friends and family. Once the saucy mess is cleared, you bring out this No Bake Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake for the grand finale.

With layers of graham crackers, homemade lemon whipped cream, and fresh raspberries, this no-bake cake is always a hit.

This no-bake summer dessert is fancy enough for special occasions, but it’s a perfect make-ahead recipe for potlucks, parties, or a decadent summer brunch – and you know how I love brunch!

What’s not to love? With a few simple ingredients and a few hours in the fridge, you get one of the most delicious desserts you’ve ever had. That’s a win-win situation for me!

Lemon and berries are one of the BEST combinations for Spring! I know you know I’m right because you love these Baked Lemon Blueberry Doughnuts and this Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.

Ingredients Needed:

• Cream: use heavy whipping cream, 35%, for the best consistency.
• Sugar: powdered icing sugar will balance the acidic tartness of the lemon curd to make a super indulgent cream filling.
• Vanilla: pure vanilla extract adds a subtle warmth and sweetness to the filling.
• Lemon Curd: use my Easy Homemade Lemon Curd or store bought works fine too.
• Graham Crackers: I used the original flavor graham crackers, any brand will work! Choose gluten-free graham crackers for a gluten-free dessert.
• Raspberries: it’s best to use fresh raspberries. If you only have frozen raspberries, check the variations section for how to use them!

How to Make Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake

This recipe is quick and easy to make. Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.

1. Make lemon cream: Whip the cream then add sugar and vanilla, and whip again. Fold in the lemon curd.
2. Make bottom layer: Lay half of the graham crackers in the bottom of the pan.
3. Add cream and raspberries: Spread half of the whipped cream filling on top of the graham crackers and top with half of the raspberries.
4. Repeat and refrigerate: Repeat the same layers one more time, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight, until crackers have softened. Serve and enjoy!

Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake FAQs

Tips and Notes

• Whipped Cream. You can substitute whipped cream for whipped topping like Cool Whip. I get the convenience of whipped topping, and I do use it myself every once in a while, but for a dessert that is already easy to make and has so few ingredients, I really like to use THE BEST ingredients to make it extra special.
• Lemon Curd. My Easy Homemade Lemon Curd will give you the best lemon flavor, but you can buy a jar of lemon curd instead of making your own if you need to save time.
• Raspberries. I recommend using fresh raspberries instead of frozen raspberries for this icebox cake recipe, as frozen fruit will defrost to be watery which won’t hold up as well as fresh berries.

Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake Variations

• Mix up the fruit. You can use any kind of berry and fruit combination to make an icebox cake, so long as you enjoy the flavors together. Blueberry and Lemon, or Raspberry and Orange would be good variations. 
• Graham Crackers. Use original Grahams, or mix it up by using honey, cinnamon, or chocolate graham crackers if you like. You can even use vanilla wafers or chocolate wafers if you prefer.
• Pink Raspberry Icebox Cake. If you only have frozen raspberries, you can cook on the stove top with corn starch and sugar to create a thick sauce (use this Strawberry Sauce Recipe as a guide), then stir in with the whipped cream or layer it on the graham crackers.
• Garnish. Add some fresh raspberries to the top of the cake for a classic finish. Add fresh lemon zest or slices of lemons for decoration and an extra zingy flavor too! You can also add some Nilla wafers to the top for decoration and added texture.
• Fillings. You can jazz it up by adding a layer of vanilla pudding, white chocolate pudding, lemon pudding, or even cream cheese.

Serving Suggestions

Serve Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake after a summer BBQ, or as part of a spring brunch. Fill your dessert table with other fresh and fabulous desserts like these Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Cupcakes, my Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie, classic Pineapple Cake, or this amazing Dessert Charcuterie Board!

For drinks serve my Strawberry Lemonade, this Berry Lime Slush recipe, or a Cold Brew Coffee to perk you up!

More No Bake Dessert Recipes to Try

Desserts

French Silk Pie (easy method)

Appetizers

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Desserts

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Candies

Desserts

Peppermint Bark Fudge

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No Bake Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake

Graham crackers layered with whipped cream, lemon curd and a pile of fresh raspberries! This Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake is an EASY no bake dessert for Spring!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 9 servings

Calories 361cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream 35%
• ⅓ cup powdered icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of lemon curd
• 9-10 large graham crackers
• 3-4 cups fresh raspberries

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whip the cream with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold the lemon curd into the cream mixture – it’s okay to leave a lemon swirl and not mix completely!
• In the bottom of an 8×8″ baking pan, casserole dish, or trifle bowl, lay half of the graham crackers (enough to cover the bottom in a single layer). Spread half of the whipped cream filling on top of the first layer of graham crackers, and top with half of the raspberries.
• Repeat layers one more time, pressing the graham crackers down gently.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight, until crackers have softened. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

• Store: Store Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake covered in plastic wrap, or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• Freeze: Yes! Though I recommend only freezing your Icebox Cake if you have used full-fat heavy cream to make the whipped cream. Store it in a freezer-safe container, or wrap it in foil and freeze it for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator before serving.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 361cal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 790IU | Vitamin C: 9.1mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 0.8mg

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Soooo….. I like cake.

Swimsuits? Not so much. Turns out I’m not 20 years old anymore. See how priorities change?

Thankfully, there is cake out there for people who also like swimsuits. Like this Skinny Lemon Meringue Poke Cake.

Now, I’m going to tell you right off the bat that I didn’t do any calorie-calculating for this cake. But if you cheat and make it with a cake mix like I did (don’t look at me that way — I’ll also share with you my favorite scratch vanilla cake if you want to go that route), you start off with 160 calories per piece. Lemon curd? Mostly lemon juice and eggs (hey — protein!) and a ¾ cup sugar divided over the whole cake. And meringue is such an awesome way to add a light and fluffy topping to any cake without the calories of whipped cream or frosting. Max? 275-300 calories would be my guess.

Like I’ve explained before, I’m not really into calorie counting — I just like to swap out the things I’d really like to eat (like cake) with healthier and lighter versions of them. I don’t like to include calorie calculations because it can really depend on the brand of ingredients you’re using, and a calorie count wouldn’t be accurate for everyone. But if you’re a calorie counter, don’t take my word for it. There are some great online calorie calculators out there like this one.

I just love citrus anytime of year, but especially in the summer! There’s just something so light and refreshing about a lemon dessert.

If you don’t want to use cake mix, check out my favorite vanilla cake recipe here! (It makes quite a large cake, so you might want to divide the batter between 1 9×13″ pan and about 6 cupcakes).

To keep things even easier, you can use store bought lemon curd.

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Skinny Lemon Meringue Poke Cake

Skinny Lemon Meringue Poke Cake: Starts with a cake mix or scratch vanilla cake, this poke cake is covered in homemade lemon curd (or use store bought for a shortcut) and easy meringue — a great light dessert for Spring or Summer! www.thereciperebel.com

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories 313cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 vanilla cake mix
• 355 ml can diet lemon lime soda

Lemon Curd:

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 cup grated lemon zest
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 whole eggs
• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 4 tbsp butter

Meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

• Cake:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13″ pan. Combine cake mix and soda in a large bowl until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs (not batter!). Set aside to cool to room temperature. Poke holes into cake with the end of a wooden spoon or something of a similar size.
• Lemon curd:In a medium pot, combine sugar, zest, yolks, eggs, and lemon juice with a whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking, until thickened (about 3-5 minutes).
• Pour over cake while curd is still warm.
• Meringue:In a large bowl, combine egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (see picture below).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread meringue on top of cake and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
• Cool completely in the fridge before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 313cal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 393mg | Potassium: 90mg | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 265IU | Vitamin C: 7.2mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 1.2mg

The post Skinny Lemon Meringue Poke Cake appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

I just love summer.

I think that’s one of the best parts of being a teacher. Especially since, in Manitoba, we might only get 4 months of nice, warm weather to begin with. And now that I’m on maternity leave, I get a nice llooonnnggg summer.

And I definitely plan on taking advantage of it!

This is another old post that I’m redoing for you this summer. I just love the combination of vanilla cake, lemon, cheesecake, and juicy berries, but my photos were seriously lacking! I am having so much fun practicing my food photography, and it’s giving me a chance to give recipes another run through, just to make sure they are perfect.

I actually did make a couple changes to this recipe, but nothing major. I doubled the amount of lemon curd in the filling and decreased the amount of whipped cream (though these kinds of changes you can definitely adjust to your tastes!).

It’s been hard waking up the last few weeks. Even though the sunshine pours in our windows in the mornings (and our drapes don’t block out much light), I can almost convince myself that I can lay there as long as I want as long as my 3 year old will tolerate it. It would be so easy to just roll over and let my eyes close, shirking all responsibility.

But then the baby indicates she’s ready for breakfast and I drag myself out of bed yet again.

I am such a big fan of citrus. Citrus and berries = summer.

And lemon curd? I could eat it like pudding, by the spoonful. It is just SO good and super easy. There really is no reason to buy it at the store!

If you’re ever making a cake and have extra, I totally recommend freezing the cake cubes for an easy “no-bake” dessert using whatever fruit is fresh and looks good! See my favorite white cake recipe here.

See my lemon curd recipe here.

See my favorite vanilla cake recipe here.

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Lemon Berry Cheesecake Trifles

Lemon Berry Cheesecake Trifles: White cake cubes, no-bake lemon cheesecake filling and fresh berries make the perfect summer dessert! Use red and blue berries for a July 4th celebration, or use just red berries for a Canada Day celebration. Either way, it’s going to be delicious! www.thereciperebel.com

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 455cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 5-6 cups white cake cubes or an 8×8″ cake, cubed
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 cups cool whip or whipped cream
• 1/2 cup lemon curd
• 3-4 cups sliced fresh strawberries I used a 1lb container
• 1-2 cups fresh blueberries
• additional cool whip strawberries and lemon curd for garnish

Instructions

• For the cheesecake, beat cream cheese until smooth in a stand mixer. Add vanilla and sugar and beat until smooth. On low, or with a spatula, fold in the cool whip and lemon curd.
• Layer half of the cake cubs in parfait glasses or a 2.5-3qt glass bowl. Cover with half of the cheesecake mixture and top with half of the berries
• Repeat layers one more time, topping with additional cool whip, lemon curd and strawberries if desired

Nutrition

Calories: 455cal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 369mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 830IU | Vitamin C: 33.7mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 1mg

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