The Southern Light And Lemony Cake That's Been A Hit Since The '60s

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From Woodford pudding to apple stack cake, there are quite a few old-school Southern desserts that need to make a comeback. We respectfully request that lemon lush cake be added to the winner's circle of vintage Southern desserts, as this layered treat is equal parts sweet and refreshing. Typically featuring a tasty combination of whipped topping, cream cheese icing, lemon pudding filling, and a graham cracker crust, the origins of lemon lush cake are a bit murky. However, the dessert likely debuted at some point in the 1960s based on when the printed recipes first started appearing. 

Though the basic recipe is rather simple, lemon lush cake offers lots of delectable variations. Some bakers swap the pudding for lemon pie filling, while others opt to make their own pie crust instead of using a premade option or crumbled graham crackers. When it comes to the cream cheese icing, using sweetened condensed milk in the place of sugar makes for a smoother consistency. The sweet, tart flavors and lightness of this dessert make it a fine choice for summertime parties and gatherings, especially when using a recipe that calls for no-bake ingredients. 

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It's not clear who invented the lemon lush dessert or precisely where the recipe originated in the South. Legend has it that the dish was named after Robert Redford in the '70s in a joking nod to the actor's immense sex appeal at the time, which matched the massive appeal of this lemony dessert. It's worth noting that Redford's name is also attached to recipe variations involving chocolate pudding and other swaps. 

To understand why sweet and tart flavors pair so well, as illustrated by lemon lush cake, one must consider the unique characteristics of citrus fruits like lemons. Compounds in citrus act on your taste buds to create an intense flavor experience, which makes the sweet elements in the dessert really shine through. Lemons and other types of citrus fruit also impart sweet flavors of their own to complement whipped topping, sweetened cream cheese, and crust. If you're inspired to make your own pie filling to serve as the centerpiece of this refreshing dessert, remember there's a wide variety of lemons out there with varying levels of sweetness and tartness. For instance, Eureka lemons are pleasantly sour and versatile, working in both sweet and savory dishes, while Meyer lemons have a more prominent sweetness perfect for desserts.