Easy No-Bake Icebox Cake With Just 5 Ingredients

Chowhound’s Guillermo Riveros shows us how to make the perfect no-bake dessert for the summer, carlota de limon (lime charlotte). This airy and luscious dessert is a favorite in Mexico. Not only is it pantry-friendly, it can also be made in five minutes. No oven needed; just let it set in the refrigerator and it’s ready to serve. The star ingredient is the lime with its floral, tart, and acidic notes, making this a refreshing and bright treat that will surely become a new favorite. According to Guillermo, “This is for sure the best cake I’ve ever made.” Scroll down for the recipe and try for yourself.

Recipe:

*you need a baking dish!
Ingredients
3/4 cup lime juice (about 5-6 medium limes)
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
1 can condensed milk (14 oz)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1+ pack Maria cookies or Marie biscuits (amount of cookies needed depends on the shape & size of your baking dish)
Lime zest
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzle (I recommend Arbequina)
Directions:
Juice limes.
Strain lime juice through a fine mesh sieve and pour into a blender.
Pour cans of evaporated and condensed milks straight into the blender.
Add vanilla extract.
Blend for a couple of minutes until you achieve a smooth mixture - be careful to not over do it or you’ll end up with too many air bubbles.
In your baking dish, pour in a little bit of the mixture, tilt the pan to cover evenly, or use silicone spatula.
Arrange a single layer of Maria cookies.
Pour in a bit of the mixture over the cookies to coat them and use a spatula to smooth, then add another layer of cookies and so on repeating until you have used up all of the mixture, and finish on a layer of just mixture (top layer).
*You can break up some of the cookies to fill in any small gaps (see video).
Cover and refrigerate to set - it needs at least 3 hours in the refrigerator - I recommend leaving it overnight.
When ready to serve, zest lime over the top layer and portion.
I like to finish mine with a drizzle of olive oil.
Enjoy!