When it comes to desserts in the summertime, the colder the better. Sure, we always love freshly baked chocolate chip cookies or warm brownies, but there’s just something about a frozen treat that gets us every time. From ice cream cones to Martha Stewart’s 1-ingredient frozen Coca-Cola, a chilled, refreshing treat just hits the spot this time of year. Now the lifestyle guru just came up with another delicious, no-bake summer dessert that looks as good as it tastes. This is about to be your go-to summer party recipe.
Stewart shared a picture of her amazing Blueberry-Cheesecake Icebox Cake on Instagram, which she said looks so good due to one small recipe tweak.
“This regal no-bake dessert gets its showstopping looks from the genius technique of layering graham crackers vertically, rather than the usual horizontal take,” she explained. In addition, the lemony cream-cheese mixture and blueberry filling holds the crackers in place. She continued in the caption, “And yes, it’s make-ahead as this beauty needs time to freeze until firm.”
A dessert this delicious and it’s make-ahead so you don’t have to stress on party day? It couldn’t be better! The only part that needs cooked is the blueberry mixture, which is made with the berries, sugar, and a few other ingredients. Cook it in a small saucepan, boiling, mashing the berries, and stirring constantly util thickened. Once that’s done, you can leave the oven off!
Mix cream cheese, lemon juice, and other ingredients in a large bowl. Now it’s time to make it creamy! You’ll whip cream into soft peaks and whisk some of it into the cream cheese mixture, folding in the remainder. From there, prep the icebox cake by lining a loaf pan in plastic wrap, then spreading half of the cream cheese mixture in an even layer on the bottoms and sides of the pan. Scoop half of the blueberry mixture into the bottom of the pan.
It’s time to add the graham crackers. You’ll spread a graham cracker sheet with some of the cream cheese mixture, sandwiched with another graham cracker. Place the whole thing lengthwise in the pan, then add more cream cheese mixture and one more graham cracker to the end. Repeat with 6 half-crackers and more cream cheese to finish the cake. You’ll layer with more blueberry mixture, cream cheese mixture, and more graham crackers, before closing off the top with plastic wrap.
Just stick it in the freezer and let the cold air do its work! You will freeze for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 1 week before serving. About 30 minutes before the party, transfer the cake to the fridge, then invert the cake before removing the plastic wrap. Add a blueberry garnish and serve!
“New favorite summertime/icebox cake recipe,” one happy chef commented. “Currently making another after the first was eaten too quickly because of how delicious it was!” Someone else shared a few tweaks they made to the recipe that sounds good too.
“This is such a wonderful summer dessert!” they wrote. “I use Biscoff biscuits for the base and add edible flowers in the layers which are so pretty.”
The recipe originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Martha Stewart Living. Get Stewart’s full Blueberry-Cheesecake Icebox Cake online HERE.
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