One of the easiest and most iconic desserts of Latin America is definitely the lemon carlota. It is a refreshing and creamy dessert that has a lot of charm for its simplicity.
This is a no-bake dessert that is especially good for the recent summer days. And if you love lemons, you will love this carlota.
It is the easy and Latin American version of the lemon pie. The classic lemon carlota has its humble beginnings in México but the recipe spread quickly throughout Latin America. The reason? it is a lazy dessert and the ingredients are easy to find. Nothing fancy: Maria biscuits, lemon and three types of milk (like the tres leches).
The filling is all made in the blender and the layers are made of the classic Maria crackers. Seriously, you won’t find a dessert easier than this — unless you buy a buck of supermarket ice cream. It will take you less than 10 minutes to assemble and then it needs to stay in the fridge for at least two hours. You can make it before dinner and by the end of the night you will have a delicious “ice cream cake”.
You can add as many layers as you want (or as you creamy filling allows you). I prefer three or four layers at most. I like to have big chunks of lemony ice cream and just a few of biscuit to add texture. Also, I’m used to add some season berries to add a touch of color and extra fresh flavor.
This lemon carlota is a must-have for this midsummer.
How to make lemon carlota?
Did I mention how easy it is to make this refreshing lemon dessert?
This is a blender dessert like my whole orange cake.
You just have to blend 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 can of evaporated milk and 1 can of heavy cream (about 400gr each can). Then, add the juice of 7 to 10 lemons (about 150 ml of juice) with 1 cup of milk.
The lemon will curdle the milk and you will get a thick cream that will be layered between maria crackers.
Finally, let it cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Super easy!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
More Latin Dessert Recipes
Lemon Carlota
Ingredients
- 1 medium can sweetened condensed milk (400gr)
- 1 medium can heavy cream (400gr)
- 1 medium can evaporated milk (400 gr)
- 7-10 lemon (150 ml lemon juice)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 packages of Maria biscuits (500 gr)
- Lemon zest
- Mixed berries to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pour into the blender the condensed milk, the heavy cream, the evaporated milk and the lemon juice and blend for 2 minutes in low speed. The consistency must be like a thick cream.
- Soak the maria biscuits into the cup of milk for a couple seconds. Be careful because if you leave it in the milk for too long the biscuit won’t be hard enough to become a layer of the ice cream cake. The biscuit must be firm enough after soaking it in milk.
- Place the biscuits as a base then cover with some lemon cream and repeat the steps until you use all the cream. The last layer must be of cream. Sprinkle with lemon zest and take to the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Cut into pieces and decorate with fresh berries.
Video
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.