The past several months have been a blur. Between the holidays, seemingly endless entertaining, travel and launching a new company, I’ve relied more than ever on a well stocked freezer. Not just for surviving the “oh $%&*#, it’s 5:30 and I haven’t even thought about dinner“ moments, but for taking some of the stress out of entertaining as well.
When I am looking for something to serve friends for dessert, I just have two requirements. First, it has to have good “curb appeal” – meaning a nice presentation. {If I was going for presentation alone, I’d binge watch a season of The Great British Baking Show and pick one of their show-stoppers. Great for inspiration, but for minimizing stress? Not so much…}
The second requirement is that I need to be able to make it ahead. Yes, I’ve finished a Baked Alaska in “real time” while guests watched. I don’t know which was more sweaty – me or the meringue on the top.
I prefer taking the stress out of the dessert phase and getting it done the day before. That way, if I’m experimenting and things go horribly wrong, I can go to Plan B.
Or just pick up more wine.
This Blueberry-Lemon Icebox Cake is a perfect end to a meal. I initially thought it would make a terrific summer dessert – cold and light, with tangy lemon and creamy mascarpone cheese. But it’s also a great way to brighten a stretch of gray winter days.
There’s no baking {or blowtorch} involved – just mixing and assembly.
You can make the Blueberry-Chia Seed Jam topping a few weeks ahead and refrigerate. Although, that’s dangerous because you’ll find other ways to serve it in the interim. It would make a great topping for a round of brie with crackers and cocktails, or finish off a stack of pancakes for brunch.
Make the cake a day – or even a week ahead, and freeze until ready to serve. {Freeze it unwrapped for about 45 minutes, or until the mascarpone is hard, then wrap in plastic wrap.}
- 3 cups fresh (or frozen, thawed) blueberries
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons (or more) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 8 ounces mascarpone or plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish
- 2½ cups chilled heavy cream
- 1 cup homemade or store-bought lemon curd, divided
- 16 graham crackers, divided
- 1½ cups Blueberry–Chia Seed Jam, divided
- ⅓ cup fresh blueberries
- Bring blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and maple syrup to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, just until blueberries begin to burst, about 5 minutes. Use a spoon to lightly mash about half of the berries to release their juices. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until juices are reduced by half, 5–10 minutes.
- Remove jam from heat; taste and add a bit more maple syrup if you prefer it to be sweeter. Return to a boil, then stir in chia seeds; cook 1 minute to soften seeds. Let jam cool slightly, then transfer to heatproof jars or containers. Cover and let cool completely. Chill until ready to use.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Just before serving, mix blueberries into reserved jam and spoon over cake. Garnish with additional lemon zest if desired.
Error thrown
Call to undefined function ereg()