I love going to the local Farmer’s Market in the summer time! They occur in my area on Fridays and Saturdays and my daughter and I head out on our bikes with baskets and peruse the farmer’s offerings. Last week, there were blueberries in abundance and we stocked up on a lot of them which lead to, now what are we going to do with all of them? The answer was simple-let’s bake with them.
I had been wanting to try out a recipe for Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake I came across in bon appetit magazine. Not only did lemons seem like the perfect marriage to our blueberries, this dessert also came across as light, refreshing and oozing with summertime goodness. And oh my goodness, it did not disappoint! Although simple, this recipe is a two step process and I encourage you to double the jam especially if you have extra blueberries on hand! The jam is also delicious dolloped over vanilla ice cream, spread on a croissant or added with whip cream to your morning’s pancakes or waffles! We also had some leftover lemon cream and it was a perfect complement to a bowl of fresh blueberries for another simple sweet tooth treat!
Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake
Ingredients for Blueberry-Chia Seed Jam
3 cups fresh blueberries
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons (or more) pure maple syrup
¼ cup chia seed
Ingredients for Blueberry-Lemon Icebox Cake:
8 plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, room temperature
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
2½ cups chilled heavy cream
1 cup homemade or store-bought lemon curd, divided ( I used store bought!)
16 graham crackers, divided
1½ cups Blueberry–Chia Seed Jam, divided
⅓ cup fresh blueberries
Preparation for Jam
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.
Note: Jam can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill, or freeze up to 2 months.
Preparation for Cake:
Line a 9×5″ loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving overhang on all sides. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat yogurt, powdered sugar, and lemon zest in a large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually add chilled cream. Increase speed to medium as mixture thickens; beat until medium peaks form. Transfer and reserve one-third of this yogurt mixture to another bowl, cover and chill. With remaining two-thirds of yogurt mixture, fold in ½ cup lemon curd to make lemon cream.
Place a single layer of graham crackers over bottom of prepared pan, breaking as needed to fit. Using a spatula, evenly spread a quarter of lemon cream over graham crackers. Dollop ½ cup jam over top, then gently spread evenly over lemon cream. Next spread ¼ cup lemon curd evenly over the jam. Spoon a third of remaining lemon cream over curd and top with another layer of graham crackers. Repeat entire layering process once with lemon cream, jam and 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 yogurt 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.
Voila!
Note:
Cake can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.
Besides being utterly delicious, what I love about this cake is that it is perfect for summer entertaining. It can be made 2 days ahead and simply taken out of the freezer to serve with fresh blueberries and jam. I would love to hear from you if you try it this summer!
You might also like, Lemon Loaf Bread for Easter Day.
Happy 4th of July!
L, M