For the girls’ Easter party at school, we decided to make these Easy No-Bake Lemon Cream Cakes.

These little cakes are both yummy and fun to make, made with just a few ingredients. Lemon is mixed into whipped cream and soaks into the vanilla cookies, which still maintain some crunch. The recipe is from The Kitchn.

First we made our lemon cream. Add the cream cheese first to soften, then add whipping cream. I can’t remember what Sarah was saying to Sophie, probably nagging her not to spill any!

Then we added powdered sugar (I was happy we got more than half of it in the bowl!), lemon juice and lemon zest. Keep whipping until soft peaks form.

We then laid out the cupcake liners onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, and started building the cakes. First we placed a vanilla cookie into each cupcake liner.

Then put a dollop of whipped cream on top, followed by another cookie, then another dollop of cream, then one more cookie and one more dollop. You’ll wind up with 3 cookies and 3 dollops of cream.

Finally we put about a spoonful of coconut on top of the cream, and a raspberry to finish. If you don’t like coconut, you can substitute white chocolate shavings or just leave it out entirely.

Let it sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours but you can let it sit overnight. The cookies will soften and absorb some of the lemon flavor. By the way, the girls described this as “the raspberries are dancing at the coconut dancing school!”

They were a perfect make-ahead treat and have a refreshing taste and contrasting textures. And these were the last of my mom’s Meyer lemons! Glad to have celebrated them once more! But I look forward to putting a chocolate spin on these, in both the cream and topping.

Easy No-Bake Lemon Cream Cakes Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces cream cheese, very soft
  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large lemons, zested and juiced (about 1/3 cup juice)
  • 72 Nilla wafers (from 1 box)
  • 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
  • 24 raspberries, fresh or frozen and defrosted

Directions:

Whip the cream cheese until very soft in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a large bowl and hand mixer). Gradually whip in the cream. When it has been smoothly combined with the cream cheese, add the powdered sugar, salt, and lemon zest (about 2 tablespoons). Whip until the cream forms firm peaks, then slowly beat in the lemon juice. Continue beating until completely combined. The cream should still hold soft peaks.

Place a Nilla wafer in a cupcake paper (I used regular-sized cupcake papers) or in a ramekin. Smear about a tablespoon of cream on top of the wafer. Smear cream on another wafer and put it on top, then repeat once more, for a total of three layers. Sprinkle coconut generously over the stack. Repeat until you’ve used up all the wafers and cream. Top each with one raspberry.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until the stack has softened into a cakey texture.

Happy Spring!