Easiest-ever 3-ingredient lemon ripple cake

It’s not a tin of biscuits and it’s not a sewing kit, this clever recipe transforms the much-loved, nostalgic Danish butter cookies into a luscious and lemony ripple cake with just 3 ingredients!

How to make my 3-ingredient lemon ripple cake

I love ripple cakes, but sometimes the thought of sandwiching biscuit by biscuit makes me feel like I need to lie down even before I’ve started. However, I’ve discovered a clever hack to avoid this! Using the tin from Danish butter cookies as the pan means you can pop cream and lemon curd in the base and simply stand the biscuits upright, sandwiching be gone! Then simply spread the remaining cream over the biscuits and you have a fridge-ready ripple cake in just 10 minutes!

This beauty makes for the perfect bring-a-dessert solution. Simply transport it as is and there is no need to collect your pans or trays once the party is done. It’s also make-ahead friendly. In fact, you must make it ahead as it needs the full 24 hours of refrigeration to soften the cookies, so all that’s left to do when you're ready to serve is sprinkle over the biscuit crumbs and scoop. 

When arranging the biscuits, press them firmly into the cream mixture and ensure they make contact with the base. This makes sure that the top layer of cream will fully cover the cookies. See more tips in the recipe notes section. 

What goes into this Danish butter cookie ripple cake?

First, the Danish butter cookies in the round tins are the star of the show (alongside their iconic packaging). The star ingredient provides structure and the tin provides the mould itself. These buttery, crisp biscuits soften beautifully when surrounded by cream, transforming into tender cake-like layers. Tins of Danish butter cookies usually appear in supermarkets around Christmas time, which means you can whip up a decadent dessert for your festivities in just 10 minutes flat. However, the cookies are available from online retailers all year round. Next, thickened cream provides the rich, creamy body of the dessert. Thickened cream has the ideal consistency for whipping and holding its shape during the 24-hour setting time. It also has enough fat content to soften the biscuits without making them soggy. The third and final ingredient is lemon curd. The tangy counterpoint to the rich cream and buttery biscuits. Using a quality lemon curd keeps this recipe fuss-free. Some is whipped through the cream for flavour, while the remainder creates those attractive ripples and provides pockets of intense lemon flavour. You can swap the lemon curd for your favourite jam, if you prefer. 

For more Aussie summer dessert recipe ideas, see a selection of our favourite cool treats here.

Recipe, notes, photography and video by Digital Food Director Amira Georgy