Ice box cakes have been one of the easiest no-bake desserts since the 1920s and this Carlota de Limon is as easy and delicious as my Best Ever No Bake Key Lime Pie. This dessert has alternating layers of Spanish wafer cookies with a rich, velvety creamy lime base and topped with lime zest. Refrigerated for hours to perfection, it’s a classic Mexican take on a Charlotte Russe.
Jump to RecipeINGREDIENTS
3/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
4 ounces cream cheese
1 14-oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 packs of Maria vanilla cookies – can substitute with vanilla wafer, graham crackers or other digestive cookies
garnish with lime slices and zest
WHAT’S A MARIA COOKIE?
Maria cookies are Spanish digestive cookies with a mild vanilla flavor, not overly sweet. If you can’t find Maria cookies, use graham cracker cookies, vanilla wafers or any other digestive cookie of your choice.
HOW I MADE IT
You can make this in a blender, but I was too lazy to pull it out so I used a bowl and hand-held mixer I had on hand. Combine the lime juice, cream cheese, condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Add a thin layer of the creamy goodness to an 8X8 glass dish and lay down a layer of cookies. Continue alternating until you’ve placed 4 layers of cookies. Pour the remaining creamy goodness on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours, best overnight.
Note: Don’t let the plastic wrap touch the filling, it will stick to it and you want to eat all that goodness!
Unwrap, add the lime zest, pre-slice into squares and decorate with thin slices of lime. This yields nine portions. You could pre-slice smaller portions, but why would you? Just make a double batch in a 9X13 pan. You won’t have leftovers.
We couldn’t wait to dig into this dessert and two hours later, my family went for their slice. The creamy, tangy filling was delicious and the cookie was beginning to absorb the filling. You can still see the cookie definition below, but the next day the cookie had absorbed the filling and it was like eating cake. It’s incredible how the texture changes as it sits and the flavors marry. This is a perfect no-bake summer dessert.
I think I’m going to make another one and also try other flavors. In Mexico, they make Carlotta with many fruits such as peaches, strawberries, mangos, etc. All those sound amazingly delicious!!
Carlota de Limon (Mexican Lime Icebox Cake)
Mexico's classic Carlota de Limon – a no-bake, creamy lime icebox cake that's perfect any time you need a quick and delicious dessert. Easy to make with pantry staple items.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature half a block
- 12 ounce can evaporated milk, full fat
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk, full fat
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 sleeves of Maria cookies substitute vanilla wafer, graham crackers or digestive cookies
- lime zest and slices to garnish
Instructions
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Add the first five ingredients (lime juice, cream cheese, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract) to a blender and blend until creamy. You can also use a bowl and hand mixer like I did.
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Place a thin layer of the creamy filling to the bottom of an 8X8 baking dish or container followed by a layer of cookies. Continue alternating cream filling and cookies until you've laid four layers of cookies. Pour the remaining filling evenly over the top and cover the dish with plastic wrap, but don't press against the filling.
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Refrigerate at least four hours, best overnight.
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Remove the plastic wrap and garnish with zest. Pre-slice into nine even pieces and decorate with lime slices.
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Serve immediately.
Store in Refrigerator
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This keeps in the refrigerator a few days, if it lasts that long. I wouldn't freeze this as it's a quick dessert that's very easy to assemble.
3 comments
It was delicious but I turned it into a parfait because the ladyfingers stayed rather firm. I put everything, including the ladyfingers, back in the blender. I chopped the leftover peaches up, put some in the bottom of parfait glasses, added some of the creamy mixture, more chopped peaches, the rest of the mixture, and placed a peach slice on top of each glass. My guests loved it and I will probably make it again.
I can’t wait to make your Carlota de Limon cake for a party I am having. I have a package of Goya Ladyfingers that is unopened. Is it possible to use those in this recipe? Thanks.
Hello Dolores, ladyfingers are thicker and the texture won’t be the same, but I’m sure it will be equally delicious! Let me know how it turns out. I’ll have to try using ladyfingers myself. Enjoy!