Thursday, April 9, 2015

lemon honey cream ice box cake



This pretty (and amazing) cake makes my heart sing!

It's a light and lemony Spring version of the Chocolate Mocha Ice Box Cake that I made for our oldest son's 21st birthday a few months ago.




I knew that I wanted to make a special dessert for our annual Easter family gathering last weekend, and this beautiful dessert was perfect!

I used honey instead of sugar to sweeten this beauty . . . and I couldn't have been happier with the result. Honey adds a warm sweetness that sugar just can't compete with . . . AND it pairs beautifully with lemon.






The luxurious whipped 'frosting' is heavenly!

The base is a combination of cream cheese and mascarpone, as I thought the "cheese" flavor would be more balanced and "lighter" using a combination of the two cheeses.

Lemon juice AND zest, honey, and whipping cream are also added . . . and together ~ these ingredients whip up to make an amazing 'frosting.'

You can use any vanilla or lemon cookie that you'd like to layer this cake. I used Nilla Wafers. I've always been a big fan of their vanilla flavor - and thought that they would pair well with the whipped lemon honey cream frosting . . . and they did!!







Did you notice that I topped this beautiful cake with shavings of white chocolate?!

I considered adding candied lemons like the ones I make for my lemon and honey tart, but thought that white chocolate would add a smooth creaminess that would cut through the tender tart and sweet flavors in this cake, rounding it out perfectly

Again, I was so pleased with the result. I also think that the shavings add beauty, dressing it up a bit. 

And for a finishing touch, I added a few yellow pansies from my garden to give it a Spring touch. 

Simple and elegant. Perfect.




This might be my new favorite lemon cake! My family loved it too!

I love its tender combination of flavors . . . and its rustic, yet elegant, look. 

A lemon honey cream ice box cake would make the perfect addition to any Spring and Summer gathering! 




lemon honey cream ice box cake
.     .     .     .     .     .
4 cups heavy whipping cream, COLD
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 ounce mascarpone, room temperature
8 Tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
¾ cup honey
230 2-­inch thin vanilla or lemon cookies (adjust amount according to cookie size)
       If you're using Nilla Wafers, then this recipe calls for 2 boxes.
.     .     .     .     .     .

Preparation
Whip together cream cheese, mascarpone, lemon juice, lemon zest, and honey until smooth and light.
Add heavy whipping cream and whip on high until soft peaks form.
Assemble the cake by arranging 2-­inch cookies in the bottom of an 8 or 9-inch Spring form pan (a ring of 9-12 cookies, edges touching, with 3 in the center). 
Gently spread ½ cup of whipped filling over the layer. Repeat cookie and filling layers until desired height. Top with final layer of cream.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until ready to serve.
Remove spring form ring and place cake on a platter or stand. 
Using a peeler, shave ribbons of white chocolate on top of the cake just before serving. Enjoy!
*This cake tastes best when it's made the day before you plan to serve it!





P.S.
I thought it would be fun to share a few photos of the eggs that everyone dyed at our Annual Easter Party.

It took me 3 days to boil 15 dozen eggs! 

And the result . . . 180 Easter eggs! All the little ones (and a few adults) dyed eggs for hours. So much fun!

We had a wonderful afternoon . . . and  hope that you had a beautiful Easter, too!









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Thank you so much for stopping by!
I love reading your comments and appreciate them so much!


33 comments:

  1. Oh Susanne, that is one pretty little cake! And the combination of honey and lemon sounds perfect!

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  2. What a beautiful cake! Your blog makes me so happy because everything you do is just gorgeous!

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  3. Oh my! That looks absolutely gorgeous!! I'm afraid that if I took that beautiful picture my lens probably would have gotten right in that icing!! And I can't believe you had to cook that many days!! They look so cute. You did a great job -- love the photos --as usual :-)

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  4. I just love reading and looking at your blog.

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  5. It's gorgeous! My husband hates lemon desserts. So I haven't made anything lemony since we've been married. It sounds beyond delicious.

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  6. What a beautiful cake, are those yellow pansies edible?

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  7. This looks delicious! I'm going to try it for our May book club.

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  8. Yay! I've been looking forward to this since you wrote about it on Instagram! It sounds, and looks, like an amazing cake. I love those colorful egg pictures too!

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  9. Truly you set a feast for the eyes for us! I have always wanted to make an icebox cake, and I LOVE that you used honey to sweeten yours!

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  10. Oh, this makes my heart sing too! Looks so refreshing and would easily slip down....he he.

    Thanks for linking up to Marvelous Monday on Smart Party Planning.

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  11. Hi! Visiting from Making Memories Monday. I love ice box cakes. I've never thought of making it in a springform pan. It makes it so pretty! Thanks so much for sharing! Pinned!

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  12. Oh wow Suzanne - pinned - ( looks to die for ! )
    Eggs were on sale last week and John bought 3 dozen plus we had a dozen - and I thought I had too many - 180 of them lol !
    Have a great week !
    xox

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  13. OH my word....I can not wait to try this....I have been wanting to make a icebox cake for a long time...but I always see chocolate versions...this lemon one would be perfect for spring....thanks for sharing with us!

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  14. Oh my heavens! I need that cake in my life!!!
    Thanks for sharing on Something to Talk About each week!
    Pinning!
    Karen

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  15. Oh my, this looks absolutely delicious! Love, love the white chocolate shavings. The photos of the eggs are gorgeous. Love the colors!! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  16. This looks so good! Pinned it and will make it the next time family is in town. Yum! Thanks for sharing with the Thursday Blog Hop!

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  17. How utterly divine....I can almost taste it! Mimi xxx

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  18. Once again you a turned a beautiful feeling into a beautiful dessert!

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  19. That is a work of art! So glad to see you at Best of the Weekend, Suzanne!

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  20. I love lemon deserts, this cake sounds amazing and is so pretty too! Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again this Monday morning!

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  21. Your cake looks oh-so delicious!!! I love lemon and would enjoy trying a new recipe for it too. Beautiful!
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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  22. Holy moly I WANT IT! Thanks for posting. Hello from Best of the Weekend.

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  23. Anonymous3:21 PM

    All of your linked up recipes are just amazing this week! My cakes never look as good as this!
    Thanks for linking up at the Talented Tuesday Link Party :-) It would be great if you joined us again this week!

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  24. Hi there. This looks amazing ;) So amazing that it was the most clicked link at the Teach Me Tuesday party last week. Yup, that means you'll be featured this week ;) Thanks so much for linking up with us every week!

    Have an awesome week!!

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  25. oh wow I have an ice box cake recipe in my clipping book and it does not compare to yours so beautiful and yummy and I love the honey thanks for sharing pinning have a great day

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  26. Hi Suzanne, just hopping back to let you know that I will be featuring you at SYC this week.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  27. Your cake looks wonderful, I love lemon and this looks like the perfect spring and summer dessert. I have pinned it to my desserts board and definitely want to give it a try! :)

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  28. I am stopping by from Home Sweet Home #217. This is really a beautiful cake and just bursts with Spring. Lemon is a wonderful Spring dessert inspiration. This one is on my Pinterest board.

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  29. Cream Cheese and Mascarpone sound heavenly together! Thanks for sharing on Weekend Bites Suzanne

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  30. Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing at Tickle My Tastebuds Link Party! I will be featuring your post at this weeks party! Have a terrific week!

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  31. Turned out beautiful and looks absolutely scrumptious. I love lemon and chocolate, but never thought of using them together.

    Judith

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  32. WOW! Everything about this is spot on! I would love it if you joined and contribute your awesome posts at my link party at City of Creative Dreams, starts on Fridays at 9AM eastern time and runs until Wednesday night. :D Hope to see you there at City of Creative Dreams Link Party.

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  33. Wow! So yummy cake, thanks for sharing.

    Visit: https://indiafoodnetwork.in/kissantiffintimetable/

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