This Carlota de Limón (aka Lime Icebox Cake) is an easy, creamy, tangy no-bake dessert made with just 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time! It’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo, all summer long, and any occasion throughout the year when you need an effortless, but elegant looking dessert.
Easy Mexican Lime Icebox Cake
No bake desserts, especially icebox cakes, are some of my favorite spring and summer treats. Depending on my mood and the occasion, I’ll make my beloved chocolate icebox cake, while other times I want something lighter and more citrusy like this carlota de limon – lime icebox cake.
Just like other icebox cakes, it layers cookies with a creamy filling – in this case, one infused with bright, tangy lime flavor – and is chilled until the cookies soften into a lovely cake-like texture.
As a no-fuss, no-bake dessert, this Mexican lime icebox cake is perfect for summer and celebrations like Cinco de Mayo.
What Is Carlota de Limon?
Carlota de limon is the Spanish name for lime icebox cake. It’s an easy Mexican dessert made with layers of galletas Maria, a popular Mexican digestive cookie, and a cream made from evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. The limón (lime) comes from the freshly squeezed lime juice in the filling.
It’s a no-bake dessert that takes just 10 minutes to assemble and it has a sweet but tangy flavor. It does need time to chill and set, but it truly doesn’t get much easier and so great for get-togethers when you need something super easy, but impressive.
Recipe Ingredients
The wonderful thing about making carlota de limon is that it requires just 4 ingredients, plus whipped topping if desired.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Lime Juice – FRESH lime juice is an absolute must here. No pre-bottled stuff!
- Evaporated Milk & Sweetened Condensed Milk – Be sure to grab both – you cannot substitute one with the other. The two create the creamy cake layers between the cookies.
- Mexican Maria Cookies – Mexican Maria cookies (galletas Maria) are the traditional cookie used in this dessert. They’re pretty widely available at most grocery stores, but if you can’t find them, you can use another digestive cookie in their place. Graham crackers and Nilla wafers also work.
- Whipped Cream Topping (optional) – If you want to decorate the top, you’ll need heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream of tartar (which stabilizes the whipped cream.)
How to Make Carlota de Limón
Here’s how to make this easy Mexican dessert, in just a few simple steps.
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details and don’t miss the helpful tips and video below.)
- Make the filling. Add the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and freshly squeezed lime juice to a blender. Blend until well-combined and puddling-like in consistency.
- Assemble the icebox cake. Add a thin layer of the creamy filling mixture to the bottom of a square pan. Add a single layer of cookies on top, then spread some of the filling mixture on top. Top with cookies and repeat until all ingredients are used.
- Refrigerate. Gently tap pan on the counter to remove the air bubbles and allow the cream to surround the cookies. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
- Make the topping. If desired, beat together the whipped topping ingredients until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe over the top of the cake. Garnish with cookie crumbs, lime zest, and twisted lime slices.
What Pan Should I Use?
This can be made in a 2 quart dish, square dish, pie plate, or springform pan. You can even do it in a larger dish with fewer layers, but I really prefer the height that a square dish provides.
Tips for The Best Mexican Lime Icebox Cake
If this is your first time making a Mexican lime icebox cake, here are a few tips to help you out.
- Break the cookies if needed. If the cookies don’t fit perfectly, just break them in half to make them fit. The important thing is to have a nice even layer.
- Don’t over blend the ingredients. Blend the filling ingredients until well-combined but don’t overdo it as that can cause a bunch of air bubbles to form.
- Chill overnight if possible. Cover the baking dish and refrigerate for at least 5 hours before serving. I usually set mine in the fridge overnight, which ensures the dessert has solidified enough and the cookies have ample time to soak up the cream mixture.
- Aim for 3 or 4 layers of cookies. I recommend not building more than 4 layers of cookies so that they don’t overpower the taste of the lime-cream. They will soak up the liquid so you also don’t want too many of them because it’ll just end up being like a big soggy cookie.
Video: Carlota de Limon
Serving Suggestions
Keep your carlota de limon stored in the fridge until serving. You want the filling to stay solidified and it should be served chilled. Slice into squares and serve as dessert to any of your favorite Mexican dishes, like salsa verde chicken or sofrito chicken. Enjoy a slice with some cool and refreshing Mexican Horchata!
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftovers, covered, in the fridge. It will keep up to a week but ideally consume within 2 days – the cookies become soggy the longer the dessert sits. It still tastes delicious, but the texture isn’t as nice. I do not recommend freezing this icebox cake.
More Easy Mexican Desserts:
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Carlota de Limón {Lime Icebox Cake}
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from 4 or 5 limes)
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 sleeves Mexican Maria cookies (galletas Maria, 6 ounces each)
Instructions
- Squeeze the juice from 4 or 5 limes until you reach 1/2 cup.
- Add the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk (make sure to get all of it out of the can), and lime juice to a blender. Blend together for a minute until well-combined and a pudding-like consistency is reached.
- In an 8x8x2-inch square baking dish, add a layer of the cream mixture just so it coats the bottom. Then arrange a single layer of Marias cookies on top, breaking up some cookies to fill in any gaps.
- Add about a 1/2 cup of the cream mixture to the top of the cookie layer; spread it evenly and smooth using a spatula. Then top it with a layer of cookies.
- Continue layering until there are no more ingredients left, ending with a smooth layer of the creamy lime mixture on top. (You should end up with 3 layers of cookies.) Give the dish a gentle tap on the counter to help remove any air bubbles and make sure the cream mixture surrounds all the cookies.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours (or overnight) until firm and set.
- Optional topping: Beat together 1 & 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe over the top of the cake. Garnish with cookie crumbs, lime zest, and twisted lime slices.
- Slice and serve!
This so easy and always a big hit when I’ve made it. I zest the limes and add that to the blended ingredients! Definitely in my rotation for summer desserts.