With all of the hot weather we’re currently having, I’ve been craving ice cream and bright citrus flavors. And this Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Cake perfectly fits the bill! It’s a tart lemon sorbet surrounded by layers of creamy lemon ice cream, all topped with whipped cream. And the best part is that it’s all no-churn so anyone can make it!
I know layered desserts can look intimidating, but I assure you, this recipe couldn’t be any easier. Yes, it takes a little time since you have to chill each layer, but most of that time is hand’s off.
The middle layer is a no-churn lemon sorbet. It’s so simple and uses only a handful of basic ingredients. Please, please, please use fresh lemons. Not only so you can add the peel, which adds a ton of flavor without the tartness, but because bottled lemon juice is just not the same. I made my sorbet very tart, since I love strong citrus flavor, but you can increase the sugar to 3/4 cup if you prefer your lemon desserts to be a little sweeter. Just heat the water, sugar, salt, and peel until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice, cool, and strain. Add in a tablespoon of vodka if you’d like, which is just a little extra insurance to keep it from freezing quite so firm. If you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, it will still be great. I also added a few drops of food coloring just because I wanted a bright yellow color. Then freeze until mostly solid. Blitz it up in a food processor or blender, and freeze again until solid. Easy!
The lemon ice cream is even easier, if that’s possible. It’s a basic no-churn ice cream (heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk) with the addition of lemon juice and zest. Stir together the lemon juice, lemon zest, and sweetened condensed milk. Whip the cream, and fold in the sweetened condensed milk mixture and you have an ice cream base ready to freeze. This recipe makes a half batch of ice cream, which means you have half a can of sweetened condensed milk left. You can double the recipe to use a full can and freeze half of the ice cream in its own container if you prefer.
I topped mine with homemade sweetened whipped cream (heavy cream and powdered sugar), but you could also use Cool Whip. Or for a true lemon meringue pie feel, go ahead and top it with meringue (and torch it if you like!). Yes, you can freeze leftovers with meringue or whipped cream on top.
And don’t confine yourself to lemon. You can substitute any citrus in equal parts for the lemon. I personally love lime and can’t wait to try a lime version. Grapefruit or orange would be super refreshing. Or try mixing flavors! How about lime sorbet with lemon ice cream? Or orange sorbet with vanilla ice cream (just leave out the citrus and add vanilla extract to the ice cream base). I’m sure blood oranges would make a stunning dessert when they are in season as well.
Don’t let the layers intimidate you. It may look fancy, but truly anyone can make it. It uses basic pantry ingredients and no fancy equipment. Give this one a try, you are sure to impress guests with this one!
| Servings |
slices
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- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- lemon peel or zest from 2 lemons
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vodka optional
- few drops yellow food coloring optional
- 10 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons; half of a 14 oz can)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest finely grated
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
- sweetened whipped cream, Cool Whip, or meringue if desired
Ingredients
Sorbet
Ice Cream
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- Combine water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Use a vegetable peeler to remove large strips of peel from the lemons, leaving the white pith on the lemon. Add peel to the saucepan and heat over medium heat until just beginning to bubble and sugar is completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat, add lemon juice, and vodka and food coloring if using, and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- Pour through a strainer into a freezer-safe container and freeze until nearly solid, 3 to 4 hours.
- While sorbet is freezing, make the ice cream base. Stir together sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the sweetened condensed milk mixture.
- Line a 9"x 5" loaf pan with waxed paper, leaving a portion overhanging. I left the short ends un-lined.
- Pour half of the ice cream base into the loaf pan and smooth out. Cover and place loaf pan in the freezer and freeze until firm, about 3 to 4 hours. Store the remaining ice cream base in the refrigerator, tightly covered.
- Once sorbet is nearly frozen, break into chunks and place in blender or food processor. Blitz until slushy. If ice cream layer is firm, pour slushy sorbet mix directly on top, cover, and freeze until firm, 1 to 2 hours. If ice cream base is not yet set, place sorbet mix back into a separate container and return to freezer until ready to use.
- Once sorbet layer is firm, pour on remaining ice cream mixture, cover, and freeze until firm, 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
- To remove from pan, run a knife along the edges that aren't lined with waxed paper. Pull ice cream out of pan with overhanging paper. If it won't come loose, dip pan in 1 to 2 inches of hot water for just a few seconds. Invert ice cream onto a serving platter.
- Top with sweetened whipped cream, Cool Whip, or even meringue. Torch meringue if desired. Store leftovers in the freezer, covered, even with whipped cream or meringue.
- Use any citrus fruit you'd like.
- Mix flavors - use one flavor for the sorbet and another for the ice cream.