Carlota de Limón (Mexican Lime Icebox Cake)
This Mexican key lime ice box cake, known as Carlota de Limon, is the easiest no-bake cake. It needs only 5 ingredients and there’s minimal cleaning up to do. It’s a perfect Mexican dessert that you can serve any time of the year, plus this easy recipe uses pantry staple ingredients.
Carlota de limón is an incredibly delicious icebox-style cake. I promise the first time you taste it, your tastebuds will explode with delight and your mind will be blown at the simplicity of this killer dessert.
The first time I ate this cake was like 6 years ago. Well, I don’t have a memory of ever trying this postre de limón. before that. My first experience was with my neighbor who invited me over for a slice. I loved it so much that I secretly wanted another slice but was too shy to ask for one. Thankfully she gave me some to take home.
There’s a vague memory of me asking for the recipe, but I’m not much of a baker so I never followed through with it. We moved away and I never had a chance to ask her again. Thank goodness there’s Google!
A couple of weeks ago I was at the mercado and bought one too many limónes aka limes. So what do you do when life gives you limónes? You make cake!
Mexican 5 Ingredient Dessert
If you’re the kind of person that doesn’t like to spend too much time baking a dessert you’re going to love this carlota. It uses just 5 ingredients. And there’s no baking involved! How great is that?!
5-ingredient Carlota de Limón
The ingredients for this easy Mexican no-bake dessert are pantry iteams.
- Mexican limes or use key limes (the larger regular limes from the US aren’t as sweet)
- condensed milk
- evaporated milk
- galletas Maria or maria biscuits
- vanilla extract
I like to add vanilla but traditionally recipes don’t call for it. It adds a nice balance of flavor to the tart lime juice and sweetness, plus any chance I get to use my homemade vanilla is great!
There are other variations of to the carlota de limón recipe that can include cream cheese and media crema or the equivalent to half and half. I don’t use them because I feel the cake is rich, decadent and thick and creamy enough. But everyone’s taste is different so feel free to experiment if you’d like.
What Are Maria Cookies
Galletas marías or Maria cookies or biscuits are a type of digestive cookie that is not too sweet, so perfect for the very sweet condensed milk.
They are very popular throughout Latin American and many other parts of the World. This makes it easy to find them pretty much everywhere. You can check the foreign food aisle, Hispanic markets or even Amazon carries many different brands.
Substitute for Maria Cookies or Galletas Maria
If you can’t find them locally then you can substitute Maria cookies with a digestive cookies or graham crackers. You should be able to find any of these cookies at any grocery stores near you.
No-Bake Lime Cake & Perfect For Any Occasion
One of the things I love most about this popular Mexican dessert, is that it’s an easy dessert and there’s little preparation involved — plus there’s no baking. Since I live in year-round summer this is a big plus for me. This is seriously one of my favorite, if not all time favorite, no bake desserts.
Just like key lime pie this dessert too uses fresh limes.
Moveover ice cream cake because this Mexican icebox cake during the hot summer days is all the cake you’ll want to eat.
During the holiday season the carlota de limon would be perfect so you can prep it ahead of time and just leave in the fridge until ready to serve. Also, it’s light citrus taste is a perfect balance to a heavy holiday meal.
How is Mexican Lime Icebox Cake Made
It’s so easy! All you do is blend the liquid ingredients, then make layers of cookies and mix with the blended ingredients. To top you sprinkle some lime zest, then refrigerate the carlota and ¡listo! ready to eat.
Isn’t it crazy just how easy it is?!
Ok, let me share my recipe with you. Do watch the video for a visual guide and also read over the recipe card for more details.
Step #1
Juice the fresh limes then strain the juice into the blender. Pour in the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and the vanilla extract. Blend until completely smooth. Don’t use a too high of a blender speed so that too many air bubbles aren’t created.
Step #2
Once you have made the creamy lime mixture then you can begin to assemble the carlota. You’re going to need a casserole dish or deep baking dish or even a springform pan to create the layer of maria cookies with the lime cream mixture.
In a baking dish pour in a little bit of the sauce then arrange a single layer of Maria cookies. Next pour in a bit of the creamy mixture over the cookies to coat them, use the back of a spoon or spatula to help smooth out the surface.
Then add another layer of cookies and so on repeating until you have used up all of the milk mixture and created several tangy layers of creamy lime filling with the cookies.
You can use whole cookies and if you’d like you can break up some cookies to use to fill in the small gaps of the others.
Step #3
For the last layer or the top layer it needs to be the creamy mixture. The absolute final layer should be just some fresh lime zest sprinkled around the top.
Since this is a no bake lime icebox cake, the final step is let it set in the refrigerator.
Use some plastic wrap to cover the dish, careful not to let it touch the surface of the Carlota. Now place in the refrigerator and let it sit overnight or at least 2 hours, 5 hours is probably best to guarantee it’s very set.
How to Serve Carlota de Limón
Once the cake has been allowed to set in the refrigerator then you’re ready to serve.
The final result will be a creamy texture, a burst of tangy lime followed by sweetness. It’s just a simple recipe and no wonder at all why it’s such a popular dessert.
Slice the cake into small square pieces and serve chilled, or right out of the refrigerator. Make sure you don’t take it out of the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
What Does a Carlota De Limón Taste Like
A carlota de limón taste a little bit like heaven.
It tastes like a smooth, creamy whipped cream — but like the good, thick full fat whipped creams not the stuff out of a can. It has a creamy consistency. It has an airiness to it like the way a chocolate mousse does. The cookies turn into a perfect texture that’s neither crisp nor soggy.
It just kind of melts into your mouth.
There’s the velvety, sweet flavors from the condensed milk and hints of sweet from the Maria cookies. Then the tartness from the lime juice and the essence of the vanilla are bursts of flavor that just tickles your taste buds.
This is the perfect balance of sweet and tart in each bite. It feels like a refreshing dessert that’s sweet, but not a sweetness that leaves you feeling empalagoso or one that lingers for too long.
It’s a perfect dessert that will satisfy the sweet craving but won’t leave you with a heaviness that most cakes can.
A Dessert for Any Occasion
If you ever find yourself in a pinch needing to prep a recipe in a short amount of time, this is that dessert. It’s perfect for a dinner party or holiday party and I promise your guests will be impressed and very satisfied.
How to Make Vegan Carlota de Limon
Making a vegan carlota de limon is just as easy as the dairy based one.
The first thing you need to know is that the more popular Maria cookies brand in Mexico, Gamesa, use milk powder so they’re not vegan. But there are other brands that are vegan, just read the labels. If you can find the Soriana or Gisa brand, those are vegan Maria cookies.
For the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk you find several vegan options. On Amazon they have both vegan condensed milk and vegan evaporated milk. They are coconut based so should give your dessert a nice touch of coconut flavor.
The rest of the process or instructions are the same.
Carlota de Limon Recipe
Ok amigos, below is the recipe card for you to review or print out. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.
If you make my recipe please make sure to leave a rating, I’d really appreciate it. Gracias!
Carlota De Limón (Mexican Lime Icebox Cake)
Equipment
- 1 baking dish*
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup limes juice it's 6 small Mexican limes
- 12 oz evaporated milk it's one regular can
- 12 oz condensed milk it's one regular can, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 packs Maria cookies depending on the shape & size of your dish(es)
- lime zest to taste
- lime slices for decorating
Instructions
- Juice the limes then strain them through a fine sieve and pour into a blender. Pour in the evaporated and condensed milks the add the vanilla extract. Blend for a couple of minutes or just until you achieve a smooth mixture. Don’t over do it so you don’t end up with lots of air bubbles.
- In a baking dish pour in a little bit of the sauce then arrange a single layer of Maria cookies. Next pour in a bit of the milk mixture over the cookies to coat them and use a spoon or spatula to help smooth, then add another layer of cookies and so on repeating until you have used up all of the milk mixtures. If you’d like you can break up some cookies to use to fill in the small gaps of the others (see video).
- I would suggest that you try no to do more than 4 or 5 layers of cookies so that they don’t overpower the taste of the lime-milk mixture. 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 — no one wants that!
- The last or top layer should end with the milk mixture. Make sure you try to smooth it over as much as possible. I also like to give the dish a gentle tap on the table to help with any air bubbles. Coat the top layer with lime zest, if desired but will add an additional nice strong lime taste. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or its own lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. I like to leave mine in the fridge overnight to make sure the dessert has solidified enough and also so the cookies have soaked up the milk mixture.
- When ready to serve slice into as many and whatever size square pieces you’d like. If you’re not eating/serving the whole dessert at once do put it back in the refrigerator so it stays solid. This carlota de limon will keep in the fridge for up to a week but preferably consume in 2 days or the cookies become too soggy — still tastes great but the texture isn’t so nice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I really do hope you give this recipe a try. It’s a classic Mexican dessert and one the whole family should love. It’s not a regular cake, it’s a special treat with unique texture and crazy delicious sweet and tangy flavors in every single bite.
More Delicious Desserts to Try
Check out these Mexican recipes for easy to make and delicious sweet treats.
- Easy Guava and Cheese Empanadas Recipe
- Pastel de Chocolate Mexicano or Mexican Chocolate Cake
- Healthy Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips
- How to Make Rainbow Churros
- Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- How to Make Cajeta (Easy Mexican Dulce de Leche)
- Concha Strawberry Shortcake or Stuffed Concha Recipe
- Calabaza En Tacha or Mexican Candied Pumpkin
- Mexican Sweet Potatoes | Camotes Enmielados
- Marranitos or Puerquitos: Mexican Piloncillo Spiced Cookies
- Dairy Free Donuts (Easy Baked Vegan Donuts Recipe)
- Fresas con Crema
- Vegan Fresas con Crema
- Easy Mango Ice Cream Recipe | No Churn
- Easy Vegan Arroz con Leche Recipe (Mexican Rice Pudding)
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
Love how good and easy this recipe is. I make almost every week because my family loves it !!
Sad to say I don’t own a blender. Think I can use a food processor to blend the milks, juice, and vanilla?
Hi Amy, you could also try a hand mixer or a whisk either should work perfectly. Even a fork could do the job, you’ll get a work out but it should work.
I think the food processor may create more of a mess but you could try too.
My cake never set up. In regrigerator for over24 hours
What might be wrong?
Hi Mary! This isn’t like a regular cake. The texture is soft. What should have happened is that the Maria cookies should have absorbed the liquid mixture and created a soft texture but that should hold up. If you followed the instructions exactly this really shouldn’t have happened. But let’s see perhaps you didn’t use enough layer of the cookies? Or another issue could be using too much liquid mixture for the amount of Maria cookies used. LEt me know, thanks!
Can you substitue lemons for lime and will it setup if you add alcohol i was thinking lemoncello
Hi Francine, I do think lemons would be ok — but I’ve never tried it myself.
As for the alcohol, I really don’t know. I’ve never attempted it. But have fun experimenting.
What kind of cookie can you use if no maria cookies?
Hi Jan!
Any digestive biscuit or cookie will do. Enjoy!
Hi Nancy!
I’m from Denmark and want to make this tomorrow. I just want to clarify if “blend” means putting everything in a blender, or just mixing everything up, with a whisk or something like that?
Hi Nanna,
Yes you want to blend it in a blender for best result. You could use a whisk but you’ll need to make sure that it’s combined as very best as possible. Enjoy!
Hi Nancy,
I purchased 1 package of Maria cookies, it’s 7 oz. Do I need another 1?
I think you should have another, how much you’ll end up using of both will depend on the size of your baking dish and how many layers you want. Enjoy!
My friends and family absolutely LOVE this dessert. It is delectable using the recipe just as is, but the second time I made it, I did 2 minor changes that made it easier. First, instead of Maria cookies, I used rectangular tea biscuits, whose shape made it easier to fully and evenly cover the baking dish. And second, I added 4 ounces of softened cream cheese to the filling, which helped make the filling a bit more solid. Thank you again for sharing this amazing dessert with us!
My Niece makes this in the summer but she adds peaches and it is SOO GOOD!! One of my favorite desserts!
Peaches sounds like a yummy addition, thank you Celina!
Did you ever try making this in short straight sided glasses for individual servings? Its sounds almost like an english truffle. Mexican deliciousness.
Hi Carol,
I have not but it should work perfectly as individual servings. Would be such a fun way to present it. Thank you!
I do mine in glasses all the time. They look so pretty and it makes your serving size be set—plus, it means you don’t have to cut out servings. A full cookie or cookie crumbles can be added as a garnish just before serving–to give you a nice crunchy topping.
I have used different cookies, but I think I like the taste of “Biscoff” the best. “Barras de Coco” (coconut) are also good, but do tend to get a little soft.
This is such an easy recipe it is a great one to do together with kiddos who want to learn to cook but are not ready for a hot oven.
Thank yo so much Belinda! I love the idea of making small individual sized ones, would be perfect for a party. The coconut flavored cookies sounds like a mouthwatering combination. 🙂
My husband made this for a family gathering. It was delicious. We did not make any changes. He also told me about five times that it was the easiest dish ever. We both enjoyed the last couple bites for breakfast the next day.
Thank you Johanna! I’m so happy you enjoyed the carlota as much as I do. I’ve also been know to have a piece for breakfast 🙂
Your recipe repeatedly refers to condensed milk, not sweetened condensed milk, yet your photos of what ingredients you need includes a picture of sweetened condensed milk. So, which is it?
Hi Julie! Condensed milk and sweetened condensed milk are the same ingredient. The recipe uses this milk plus evaporated milk. Thanks
I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow but I’m worried about the size of cans of condensed and evaporated milk. The condensed milk is 300ml but evaporated milk is 354ml. Are those the sizes the recipe calls for? Thanks!
Hi Shelley!
Sorry for the delayed reply, but in case you haven’t made it yet, yes those are the correct size cans for both the milks. Thank you and enjoy!
Love LOVE this recipe! It’s so easy to make. I have made it several times and everyone always loves it!! I love delicious, no brainer recipes because a baker I’m not.
Thank you Berta, so happy to hear you like it that much. 🙂
Made this several time & always a hit. Gracias
Thank you, glad it’s a hit at your house.
Forgot to say that my family requests it for gatherings. It’s that good
Hands down, BEST Carlota recipe ever!! I’ve made it 3 times already and plan on it for mother’s day this year. 10 stars!!
Aw thank you so much, so happy you enjoy it.
What I love about Mexican key lime ice box cake is that it’s no-bake cake.:) And it only needs only 5 ingredients. Perfect!:)
Hehe, me too! Thanks so much Jerika.
I LOVE lemon cakes but never tried this Mexican version! Will make it this weekend.
Thank you Lucas, I hope you enjoy!
What a great dessert for summer entertaining. I love limes. This cake is just what I need for my next bbq party.
This is a perfect bbq party dessert, enjoy!
So easy and so incredibly delicious! All your recipes get me so excited to step into the kitchen.
Thank you Megan, really appreciate it.
I can’t believe how easy this was a to make, feels like cheating when making a dessert! The creamy lime flavor was a hit with the kids, will definitely make this again!
Yeah, it’s so easy, so glad your kids enjoyed it. Thank you!
This is such an easy dessert and my family loves it whenever I make it for them.
So happy to hear this Sara, keep enjoying it.
My father in law is a lover of key lime anything and he’s visiting this Thursday. I think I have found my Cinco de Mayo dessert for our fiesta!!
I hope your father in law enjoys it as much as my family does. Thank you!
This recipe was a 10/10 can’t wait to make it for my boyfriend’s birthday
Thanks Joy and enjoy!
We love lime flavored desserts, but have never had this carlota de limon before. It was so sweet and tart and absolutely perfect for us.
Thank you Marta, glad to hear it.
This cake is so delicious and it has so many delicious flavors for summer! Ice box cakes are my favorite for summer! Thanks for your recipe!
Thank you Kathryn, glad to hear you enjoyed it.
This was so simple to put together! The flavor was sooo… good. We will be making this again this summer for sure.
Fantastic, it’s a perfect summer treat. Enjoy!
This sounds and looks amazing! I’m always in need of easy, no-bake treats for the summer and I cannot wait to make this. We love key lime pie so I know this will be a hit with everyone too!
It’s always a hit when I make it and share with others, enjoy!
This was delicious. Melt in the mouth creamy but zingy from the lime. The whole family loved it, which is hard with 5 kids!!!
I used rectangular tea biscuits as that is all I could find, but I think that made it a bit easier to layer! GREAT RECIPE!
So happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the carlota. Thank you so much Claire!
What a beautiful recipe! This icebox cake will be the perfect pool side dessert this summer with the kids – yum!!
Yes, it’s a perfect summer dessert. Thank you and enjoy!
I made this today as written and my husband loved it. I’m not a fan of limes so I used lemons instead and it was so good!! I was afraid it may not set up but after 5 hours it was firm and so good!!
Oh I would love to try it with lemons, will have to soon. Thank you and happy to hear you all enjoyed it.
I have to confess, I am not a huge fan of Carlotas. Or at least I wasn’t. Growing up in Mexico it was a very common dessert to get at parties or at family gatherings. Probably because it’s a very simple recipe with few ingredients and no oven needed. My kids and husband love dessert specially baked goods. It’s been hot this summer so I don’t bake when it’s too hot outside. One night they were complaining how I haven’t made any dessert in a while. Scrolling through social media your recipe poped up on my news feed so I decided to give it a try. The next morning I went grocery shopping and got all the ingredients, I made it after lunch and set it in the fridge. We had unexpected guest that ended up staying for dinner. I served the Carlota for dessert and it was a hit, we all loved it. My friend liked it so much that she ended up taking the left overs and had me sent her the link to your recipe. This Carlota is light and refreshing super easy to make and just perfect for these hot summer days.
This is so wonderful to hear. thank you so much for sharing this. I’m thrilled that you are now a fan of carlota de limon. Keep enjoying it!
I love the taste of this dessert and i have attempted to make it twice now but my cream mixture keeps seperating while setting in the fridge. What am i doing wrong?!
Hi Faye! Oh that’s too bad that this is happening to your mixture, I’m honestly not sure why as I’ve never had it happen to me before.
Are you mixing it in the blender or by hand? Are you putting the carlota together right away or lime mixture sitting for a while before assembling the dessert?
Not sure where you’re located but I wonder too if the fat content in the sour cream you’re using is different and if that could cause this.
I used coconut condensed and evaporated milk to make it vegan and the coconut lime combo was sooo good!
That sounds delicious! Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your veganized take.
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!!
Thank you Rocky!
I look forward to making this for an upcoming Mexican dinner party. I am actually learning Spanish now. Isn’t limón Spanish for lemon, and lima Spanish for lime? Gracias!
Hi Duke! Hehe this is a discussion even native Spanish speakers have. In Mexico a limón and lima are actually two different fruits. So when us Mexicans use “limón” it referrers to what English speakers call a lime. It can get confusing because some people have a difficult time telling a limón apart from a lima, being that they are both green. In Mexico we call the yellow lemons “limón amarillo”, but those are not commonly found here. Hope this explains it a bit. Enjoy your carlota!
Had this pie for the first time in Manzanillo Mexico this last winter. Absolutely delicious!!! Now I make it at home….gracias!
Thank you Marie, so happy you can make it at home now. Enjoy!