The 5-Ingredient Dessert I Make All Summer Long

A few minutes, 5 ingredients, and a fridge are all you need to make this summertime dessert.

Jul 11, 2024 - 16:00

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The 5-Ingredient Dessert I Make All Summer Long

A slice of lime cracker pie in a dish — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

If you’ve ever made an icebox cake (also known as a refrigerator pie), you know the possibilities and magic that takes place when a handful of ingredients are layered and left to rest in the fridge.

This take on the no-bake, hands-off dessert alludes to key lime pie with fresh lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, cream, and layers of salty crackers. It’s creamy, light, tart, sweet, and a little salty. With just five ingredients, easy lime icebox cake couldn’t be simpler or more delicious. Ten minutes of prep for a great payoff.

Make-Ahead Magic

Not only could this recipe not be any easier (no mixer, oven, or special equipment required!), it's also ideal for making ahead. The icebox cake needs to chill for at least 2 hours, freeing you up for grilling or prepping dinner. It also freezes well. Double the recipe, whipping up two, and stash the second in the freezer for later.

What Is Icebox Cake?

According to The Food Timeline, icebox cakes are an inevitable descendant of 19th-century ice cream cakes, and therefore no one person or company can be credited with their invention. That being said, we do know that the first printed recipes for icebox cakes date back to the 1920s and were used to promote the first in-home iceboxes.

Lime icebox cake in a glass dish with one piece cut out and lime slices on the side — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

One of the most popular recipes from the 1930s is credited to Nabisco. This famous recipe layered fresh, lightly sweetened vanilla whipped cream with their original thin and dark chocolate wafers. After sitting in the icebox overnight, the soft cream soaks into the biscuits and creates a sliceable dessert.

Lime icebox cake slice in a blue plate with a bite on a fork — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Easy Summer Desserts

Make the filling:

Zest enough of the limes to get 2 teaspoons of zest; set aside.

Then juice as many limes as you need to to get 1/4 cup lime juice.

Add the condensed milk, heavy cream, and sour cream to a mixing bowl. Add the lime juice and whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, about 1 minute.

Sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and sour cream in a glass mixing bowl — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Lime juice added and filling whisked together for lime icebox cake in a glass bowl — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Layer:

Use a 1/2 cup measuring cup to add filling to the bottom of an 8-inch cake or pie pan (you could also make individual servings using ramekins or even martini glasses) and spread evenly to cover the bottom. Top with a single layer of Ritz crackers.

Repeat, alternating layers of filling and crackers, ending with a final layer of the remaining filling; you should have 3 layers of crackers and 4 layers of filling. Sprinkle the top with lime zest.

A small amount of filling added to a glass pie plate with a spoon — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

A layer of Ritz crackers being added to the pie plate for lime icebox cake — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Chilled lime icebox cake in a glass pie plate — Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Chill and serve:

Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve chilled. The pie will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If frozen, let thaw for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.