Lemon Icebox Cake

Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and continue to mix on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold in the lemon zest.

Step 2

Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture onto the bottom of a 9"x13" dish (to prevent cookies from sliding around), then cover it with a single layer of Nilla wafers. Top cookies with about 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture, using an offset spatula or back of a spoon to spread into an even layer. Drizzle this layer with approximately 1/2 of the lemon curd and lightly swirl in. Cover the curd with another layer of cookies and repeat, finishing with a layer of the cream cheese mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours.

Step 3

While the cake is freezing, use a vegetable peeler to slice long strips of peel from a lemon. (Be careful not to go too deep; you want to avoid the bitter white pith.) Slice the strips into very thin strips and soak in simple syrup for 3 hours or up to a week in the refrigerator.

Step 4

Remove the cake from the freezer and garnish with the candied lemon peel. Freeze any leftovers for up to 7 days.