Blueberry-Lemon Icebox Cake

5 from 4 votes

Tender pound cake layered between fluffy lemon curd mascarpone cream and a fresh blueberry sauce for a wonderful frozen dessert you'll be thrilled to serve all summer long!

Prep Time1

Cook Time30

Freezing1

Total Time1 1 30

Course: Dessert, Frozen Treat

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blueberry, dessert, frozen, summer

Servings: servings

Calories: 528kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the blueberry sauce:

3 cups fresh blueberries plus ⅓ cup, divided
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
juice of ½ large lemon about 1 tablespoon

For the lemon cream:

8 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature
¾ cup powdered sugar
zest of 1 large lemon
2 cups (16-ounces) heavy whipping cream
1 cup lemon curd divided (storebought or homemade)
1 (9x5) pound cake, trim off the top, bottom and sides (save for another use)

Instructions

To make the blueberry sauce:

Combine 3 cups of fresh (or frozen) blueberries with ½ cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a deep saucepan. Heat on medium until the mixtures begins to boil. Reduce the heat slightly to maintain a simmer, and cook until the blueberries pop and the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cook until the mixture is almost reduced by half (about 10 minutes.) You will need 1 ½ cups of sauce. Remove from the heat and cool. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Keep the extra ⅓ cup of fresh blueberries ready - they are added at the end.)
When ready to make the icebox cake, line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap making sure there is a lot of extra hangover on all sides. Set aside.
Prepare the pound cake by slicing into ½-inch pieces removing the dark ends, and sides if desired for a prettier presentation. Set aside.

To prepare the lemon cream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest. Blend until smooth. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the whipping cream until it's incorporated and starting to thicken. Increase the speed to medium, then high, and beat until medium peaks form. It won't take long.
Transfer ⅓ of the cream to a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate until needed. This will be used to "ice" the cake.
Gently fold in ½ cup of lemon curd into the remaining mascarpone mixture. Now you're ready to assemble the icebox cake.
Place a layer of pound cake in the bottom of the prepared pan, cutting to fit as needed. Spread ¼ of the lemon cream over the cake and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface (place the remaining lemon cream in the refrigerator until needed again).
Place the pan in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, then spoon ½ cup of the blueberry sauce in mounds over the lemon cream. Spread gently with a clean spoon to cover the cream. Place the pan back in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Drizzle ¼ cup of the lemon curd over the blueberry sauce. Spoon ⅓ of the remaining lemon cream over the curd and smooth evenly with the back of a spoon. Top with another layer of pound cake.
Repeat the process with ½ of the remaining lemon cream, ½ cup blueberry sauce, and the remaining lemon curd, freezing between layers as needed.
Finish with a layer of lemon cream and a final layer of pound cake. The cake may extend over the top of the pan depending on how thick you cut the pound cake. This is where you need that extra long pieces of plastic wrap to come up and over the cake to hold it all in.
Wrap the entire cake in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap and invert the cake onto a serving platter. Peel off the plastic wrap and trim the sides of the cake with a knife, if desired, to make a straight edge.
Spread the top and sides of the cake with the remaining mascarpone cream. If needed, whisk the cream until soft peaks form again.
Place the iced cake in the freezer at least 15 minutes or until ready to serve.
To serve, mix the ⅓ cup fresh blueberries into the remaining blueberry sauce and spoon over the cake.

Notes

The cake can be made two days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.
Mascarpone cream and the layering adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine, July 2016
Blueberry sauce can be replaced with good quality blueberry jam.
Homemade lemon curd can be replaced with store-bought.
To make homemade pound cake - try our recipe found HERE.
You may have leftover pound cake depending on how thick it was sliced. Freeze for use in other recipes or as an add-in to ice cream

Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered as an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition