Strawberry Lemon Mousse Icebox Cake

That title. A mouthful. For real.

I had a birthday. And it was a busy weekend of birthdays, graduation, and holiday celebrations. And being my birthday, I always have a million and one ideas of things I want to make. But I only had an hour.

I thought about making an ice cream cake. But I decided to buy some Ferrero Rocher gelato instead. Have you tried it? My Mariano's sells it at their gelato bar. And if you don't have a Mariano's, then you're not from the Chicagoland area. And I'm sorry for you on both counts. Really, I am. And not in a rude way. It's just that I've lived here all my life cuz it's so awesome. And I have a Mariano's up the street from where I live. That's all. But I digress.

Remembering the light and fresh taste of the strawberry lemon mousse I made for this cake and these ice cream cone cupcakes, I figured an icebox cake would work perfectly with my time restraints and my taste buds.

So I was one happy birthday girl. Even though I found a partially gray hair that morning. It was some serious ombre on its own (Mostly dark brown, then bright gray, some light brown, then back to dark brown at the end. I should've taken a picture).

This icebox cake though. Makes me forget my partially gray hair. Except when I braid my hair when it's warm out. Cuz it's almost summer. And I'm ready for it. It's.so.close.

Strawberry Lemon Mousse

4 cups frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup sugar
1 oz. sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
juice and zest of 1 large lemon or 2 T of lemon juice
8 oz. whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
1. Using a food processor or blender, blend strawberries and sugar until smooth.
2. Strain out seeds.
3. Return mixture to food processor.
4. Add dry pudding mix. Blend until combined.
5. Mix in lemon zest and juice.
6. Pour mixture into large bowl.
7. Gently fold in thawed whipped topping.

                                                       {lemon cookie layer}                      {biscuit cookie layer}                

Icebox Cake

Strawberry lemon mousse, prepared
24 biscuit cookies
20 lemon-flavored thin wafer cookies (depending on size)

Directions:
1. Layer 12 biscuit cookies on the bottom of a 7 x 11 in. baking dish
2. Scoop about 1/3 of mousse onto cookies. Use a small, offset spatula to spread evenly over cookies.
3. Layer 10 lemon cookies on top of mousse.
4. Scoop about 1/4 of remaining mousse on top of lemon cookies and spread evenly.
5. Layer 10 more lemon cookies on top of mousse.
6. Scoop about 1/2 of remaining mousse on top of lemon cookies and spread evenly.
7. Layer 12 biscuit cookies on top of mousse.
8. Scoop and spread remaining mousse on top layer.
9. Cover with foil and chill in refrigerator overnight.

Notes:
* Straining the strawberry seeds out takes the longest time. This 'cake' is easy, but this part is not quick.
* I found my cookies at Wal-Mart. I went with the biscuit cookies to have a thicker cookie layer, and I added the lemon cookies because they sounded good. And it was. But if you think it's crazy to buy two different types of cookies, by all means, do what suits your taste buds.
* My amounts of mousse are approximate. I only wanted a thin layer of mousse between the lemon cookies, and about equal parts of mousse for the other layers.
* The chill time in the refrigerator is what helps the mousse soften the cookie layers, so if you're planning on making/serving same day, you'll want to still let it sit for a few hours before serving.
* I thought about garnishing the cake with fresh strawberries, but I didn't - again because of time.