Lemon Desserts

Lemon-lovers rejoice!

This limoncello cake offers a decadent flavor and texture that’s hard to beat.

Incorporate lemon and limoncello liquor into the cake batter, and then indulge in the mascarpone cheese icing that blends lemon curd and mascarpone cheese with whipped cream.

The lady fingers are soaked in lemon syrup spiked with Limoncello and there’s a layer of strawberries and cream in the middle.

Ingredients

For the Lemon Syrup

1 1/2 cup (120ml) water

1 1/2 cup (300g) sugar

2 large lemons, peeled with a sharp vegetable peeler to avoid the white pith (about 10 strips)

3/4 cup (180ml) fresh lemon juice (juice of 2 large lemons)

2 tablespoons (30ml) Limoncello (optional)

For the Mascarpone Filling:

3 tablespoons (45ml) water

2 tablespoons (25g) sugar

4 large egg yolks

16 ounces (2 cups, 340g) mascarpone cheese, cold

3/4 cup (100g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted if lumpy

1 cup (250ml) heavy cream, cold

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 quarts (about 2.5 lbs) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (or other berry of your choice)

1 1/2 packages of ladyfingers (about 36 cookies)

Borage flowers or other edible flowers, optional as well.

Method

Make the lemon syrup: Add water, sugar and lemon peel to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 1 minute, or until the sugar dissolves.

Remove from the heat, stir in lemon juice and Limoncello, if using, and set aside. Allow to cool and remove peels.

Make the cream: Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer until sugar dissolves, 1 minute. Place egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whisk on medium-low.

With the mixer running, slowly and very carefully drizzle in the hot sugar syrup. Increase the mixer’s speed to medium-high and beat until the bowl is no longer hot to the touch and the mixture has tripled in size, about 5 minutes.

Turn mixer to medium speed and add mascarpone in a few large dollops, letting each incorporate before adding the next. Add confectioners sugar and beat until just combined and smooth.

In a separate clean and chilled bowl, beat cream and vanilla to stiff peaks. Using a spatula, gently fold whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture until fully incorporated. Set aside.

Pour lemon syrup into a shallow bowl and dip ladyfingers, turning once to coat for a few seconds, allowing them to absorb some of the syrup. Line the bottom of the 9×13 baking dish with a single layer of the ladyfingers.

If you have a lot more than half the syrup left, drizzle an extra two or three tablespoons syrup over the ladyfingers in the dish.

Top ladyfingers with half of the mascarpone mixture and smooth the surface with an offset spatula or butter knife. Place a layer of sliced strawberries all over the mascarpone mixture, reserving the remaining strawberries for the top.

Repeat with the second layer of dipped ladyfingers, and top with the remaining mascarpone mixture. Smooth the top.

Decorate the top with the remaining strawberries. For a flower pattern, work from the center-out and angle the strawberries slices, continuing around the dish until you have a flower-like pattern.

Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Top with a sprinkle of edible flowers, if desired, then slice and serve.

You can also make this without the

The finished product looks like this , but also below it it’s shown without strawberries.

I love it both ways.

Here are 2 different recipes and a recipe for lemon cake.

I make these year round.

Recipe 2

Now a not so fancy or complicated but delicious lemon

Ingredients :

1/2 Cup Limoncello Liqueur

1 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Sugar

3/4 Cup Lemon Juice

40 Savoiardi or Lady Finger Cookies (2 Packages)

FOR THE MASCARPONE CREAM:

1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

16 Ounces Mascarpone Cream, Room Temperature

1 (10 Ounce) Jar Lemon Curd, divided

GARNISH:

Remaining Lemon Curd

Lightly Toasted Sliced Almonds

In a small pan, heat the limoncello, water, sugar and lemon juice to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the sugar has completely disolved.

Set the syrup aside to cool to room temperature.

In one bowl beat the cream with an electric mixer on high until soft peaks form.

Begin to add 1/2 cup of the sugar until blended.

In a separate bowl, beat the mascarpone with 3/4 of the jar of lemon curd until smooth, reserving the rest of the curd for the garnish.

Fold the cream mixture into the mascarpone mixture until blended.

Pour the syrup into a shallow bowl, and quickly dip each of the cookies into the mixture and lay them side by side in a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.

If necessary, cut the cookies to fill in any spaces.

Once you have one layer of cookies completed, spoon over half the mascarpone mixture.

Make another layer of dipped savoiardi cookies on top of the mascarpone cream layer, then finish by topping this layer with the rest of the cream mixture.

Use a knife to smooth the top of the cream, and garnish with the toasted almonds.

Mix the remaining lemon curd with a spoon, then drizzle it across the top of the tiramisu.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Recipe 3 Lemon Cake

Ingredients

CAKE:

2½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, softened

1½ cups sugar

3 eggs

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup limoncello (lemon-flavored) liqueur

Zest and juice of one lemon

Optional: white chocolate shavings

FROSTING:

16 ounces mascarpone cheese

1¼ cups lemon curd

2 cups chilled whipping or heavy cream

⅔ cups powdered sugar

Ingredients

CAKE:

2½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, softened

1½ cups sugar

3 eggs

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup limoncello (lemon-flavored) liqueur

Zest and juice of one lemon

Optional: white chocolate shavings

FROSTING:

16 ounces mascarpone cheese

1¼ cups lemon curd

2 cups chilled whipping or heavy cream

⅔ cups powdered sugar

Directions

CAKE:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt until well combined and set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour alternately with buttermilk and limoncello mixed with lemon juice.

Bake cakes for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely in pans. Once cool, remove from pans.

Place 1st layer on serving plate. Frost top with 1/3 frosting. Place 2nd layer on top. Frost with half of frosting. Use remaining frosting to frost sides of cake and decorate top with optional white chocolate shavings.

FROSTING:

Cream together mascarpone cheese and lemon curd. Whip cream. Slowly adding powdered sugar until it’s all added. Fold cheese mixture into whipped cream and mix until completely combined.