Lemon Icebox Pie

 

This was Mother’s go-to dessert. It was quick and easy and everyone always loved it. She’d made it so many times that she didn’t need a recipe. Maybe one day I won’t need it either.

 

Lemon Icebox Pie

 

Nilla Wafers

½ cup Butter, softened

Juice from 3 lemons (about ¼ cups)

1 14-oz. can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

3 eggs, separated

4 tablespoons sugar

 

Crush 40 Nilla Wafers. I put then in a Ziplock bag, seal it and use a rolling pin. It’s okay to use a food processor.

Melt the butter and mix with the crushed Nilla Wafers. Press into the bottom of a glass pie plate. Place additional Nilla Wafers around the rim of the pie plate to create a crust.

Combine egg yolks, Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed milk and lemon juice, mixing well. Pour into the crust.

Beat the egg whites on HIGH speed of a mixer until white and frothy. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff, white peaks form. Spread on top of the pie filling.

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes or until the top begins to lightly brown.

Cool. Then Refrigerate.

Lemon Layer Cake

 

This has become my favorite cake. It began as a quest to find a wonderful Lemon Layer Cake recipe. I never found one. But I did find many recipes and out of that muddle I ended up with this. I love it.

 

Please be sure use real ingredients. Real butter. Crisco shortening. Cake flour. And freshly squeezed lemon juice. All those things do make a difference in how the final product tastes.

 

  Lemon Layer Cake

 

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup solid shortening

3 cups sugar

5 eggs, room temperature

2 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon cake flour

¾ cup milk

¼ cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract

¾ teaspoon baking powder

 

Cream together butter and shortening. Add sugar and continue to beat until completely smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one until well blended. Slowly add flour and milk, alternating between the two. the lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon extract. Add baking powder last.

 

Line four cake pans with wax paper, using butter generously to coat the bottoms and sides. Divide batter evenly between the four pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a wood toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pans and let the layers cool.

 

Frosting

 

Two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

Yellow food coloring

 

Beat cream cheese and butter until well blended. Slowly add powdered sugar and lemon juice. Add yellow food coloring to the shade of yellow you prefer. It doesn’t take much.

 

Spread frosting between cake layers and on the top and sides of the cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate. This cake also freezes well.