Lemoncello tiramisu takes the traditional Italian dessert and adds bright, tangy flavor! This easy-to-make dessert has layers of lemon-soaked ladyfingers and lemon cream, topped with fresh fruit.
Welcome to #LemonWeek 2021 hosted by Lynn from Fresh April Flours! What better way to welcome summer than with over 50 recipes featuring bright and sunny lemons? Come join me and my fellow Lemon Week bloggers as we bring you recipes from appetizers to drinks to entrées and desserts!
I love classic Italian tiramisu, but sometimes you want something different. Enter lemoncello tiramisu. This easy layered dessert doesn't have raw eggs and only a tiny bit of alcohol, so you can be confident in serving it to the elderly, pregnant women and children.
How to Make Lemoncello Tiramisu
- Mascarpone — the classic Italian cheese in every tiramisu recipe. Yes, it's a bit pricey, so if needed, use 8 oz of mascarpone and 8 oz of regular cream cheese.
- Lemons — meyer lemons would also work well, though you may need one or two more to get enough juice for the syrup.
- Lemoncello — an Italian lemon liqueur, made by soaking lemon zests in neutral grain alcohol (also known as rectified spirits).
- Ladyfingers— an Italian sponge cookie, sometimes called savoiardi. I prefer using store-bought ladyfingers because freshly baked ones get too soggy when dipped in simple syrup. Some stores have them in the cookie aisle; others have them in the pasta aisle with other Italian specialty ingredients.
This tiramisu is much easier than traditional tiramisu because it doesn't involve separating and beating egg yolks and whites. The hardest part is getting the hang of the "folding" technique when mixing together the mascarpone cheese and the whipped cream. It's a process of incorporating ingredients together without losing the air that's been whipped in. Slide a spatula through the middle of the bowl, then flip the spatula so the ingredients fold over the top, give the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat until the mixture looks even.
FAQs
A: Can you really call it tiramisu if you omit the mascarpone completely? I would recommend using 8 oz of mascarpone and 8 oz of cream cheese.
A: Of course!
A: When making the simple syrup, add the lemoncello in the beginning with the lemon juice and sugar and bring to a boil. It'll cook most of the alcohol off.
A: Double all of the ingredients, and use a 9x13 baking pan instead of a 9x9 square.
A: I don't recommend it. Freshly baked, they will become soggy when dipped in the lemoncello syrup. Store-bought cookies will be crisper and will more easily absorb the syrup without falling apart.
This is such a refreshing dessert that feels light, not rich, in your mouth. Garnished with fresh berries, it'll satisfy even the strongest chocoholic.
Refrigerate any leftovers by covering the tiramisu with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto any cut surfaces to prevent them from drying out in the fridge. Leftovers can also be frozen! Wrap in two layers of plastic wrap and then wrap in either aluminum foil and place in a freezer-grade zip-top plastic bag.
Lemoncello Tiramisu
Lemoncello tiramisu takes the traditional Italian dessert and adds bright, tangy flavor! This easy-to-make dessert has layers of lemon-soaked ladyfingers and lemon cream, topped with fresh fruit.
Ingredients
For the syrup:
- ⅓ cup (80 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup (2.75 oz/80 g) sugar
- 2 tablespoon (30 mL) lemoncello liqueur
For the cream:
- 16 oz (450 g) mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup (4 oz/115 g) powdered sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons
- ½ cup (120 mL) heavy whipping cream, cold
For layering:
- 36 ladyfinger cookies
Optional lemon crumb topping:
- ⅓ cup (2.75 oz/80 g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoon (2 oz/56 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup (3.5 oz/100 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) freshlly squeezed lemon juice
- Powdered sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Line a 9x9 baking sheet with parchment paper or tinfoil, letting it hang over the edges on two sides.
- Zest two of the lemons. Set the zest aside. Juice the remaining lemons until you have ⅓ cup of juice.
- Make the lemon simple syrup: Place the lemon juice in a small saucepan, and add the sugar. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add the lemoncello and set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese with the powdered sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl once or twice to ensure the ingredients are evenly mixed.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone cheese mixture.
- One at a time, dip the ladyfinger cookies into the lemon syrup, and arrange in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.
- Spoon one third of the mascarpone cheese mixture onto the ladyfingers and spread in an even layer.
- Repeat with more ladyfingers, and another third of the mascarpone cheese mixture, the remaining ladyfingers, and the remaining mascarpone cheese mixture.
- Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight.
- If making the lemon crumb topping, in a small food processor, combine the sugar and lemon zest and pulse until the mixture turns yellow. Add the melted butter and lemon juice, and pulse to combine. In a small mixing bowl, pour the lemon sugar/butter mixture over the flour and use a spatula to combine. Using your fingers, drop lumps of the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until just starting to brown at the edges. Let cool for 10 minutes, then use your fingers to crumble the baked dough.
- When ready to serve, use the parchment paper or foil overhang to lift the tiramisu out of the baking pan and onto a cutting board. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the tiramisu and dust with powdered sugar. Cut into 6 portions. Garnish with fresh berries. Refrigerate any leftovers.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 634Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 189mgSodium: 509mgCarbohydrates: 64gFiber: 2gSugar: 20gProtein: 20g
I am not a certified nutritionist. This nutrition information is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only.
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Manu says
A must try recipe! I am a big fan of Limoncello and lemon desserts, so this is a tiramisu version that I know I would love!
Liz says
I love all the versions of tiramisu this week---lemon will be my next to try! Beautiful!
Tracy Guida says
This looks amazing! You combined two of my favorite things. I can't wait to try this.
Stacy says
That bright fresh lemon flavor must taste like sunshine. Love the tip about freezing the tiramisu before cutting, Coleen!
Laura Dembowski says
Such a great twist on tiramisu! Yours is so pretty too. I always think tiramisu can be rather messy but you prove otherwise.
Sarah says
My whole FAMILY would devour this, we make our own limoncello and this would be a great pairing!
Amy Barrett says
great twist to tiramisu
Tara says
Looks delicious! Love the addition of Meyer Lemons and Limoncello.
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
I love how much freshness the lemon adds to this dessert!
Michelle says
Oh my gosh! I might just lick the screen! Sooooo, delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Brava!
Barrie says
What a fun version of this classic dessert for Spring!
DB, Foodie Stuntman | Crazy Foodie Stunts says
I bet the lemon would add a brightness to tiramisu not present in the traditional version. It looks delicious!
Christie says
And I have limoncello, too! You can bet I'll be making this.
WENDY RIEKEN says
Tiramisu is my favourite dessert and I also love lemons - so this can only be good!
I must just share: I was in Canada a few weeks ago and could not find lady finger biscuits anywhere - how odd is that?!
Jian - Sweden says
I will do it tonight. It. looks delicious and fresh. Tiramisu is the best dessert ever my housebound knows. So why not a summary version!
Elinor says
Where do you buy lemon cello? I want to try this recipe? When I search it corrects to limoncello.
Thank you,
Elinor
Elinor says
It is limoncello, it said otherwise in the recipe. I figured it out. Thanks anyways.
Hazel says
I’ve tried this twice. Don’t know what I’m doing wrong but on both occasions my cheese custard mixture looks curdled. Nothing like the picture. Taste great though