Limoncello Tiramisu Recipe – Lemon Dessert
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Immerse your taste buds in the tangy paradise of our Limoncello Tiramisu, a heavenly dessert infused with fresh lemons and tantalizing Limoncello syrup. It’s pure bliss in every bite!
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While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we recommend reading through the blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
Limoncello Tiramisu
Tiramisu is an Italian coffee-flavored dessert made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa.
It appears to have been invented in the 1960s, but where and when exactly is unclear. (Wikipedia)
In this Limoncello Tiramisu recipe, we’ve put a citrus spin on the original dessert, which we think makes it perfect for summer!
Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur, made from the zest of lemons, and mainly produced in Southern Italy, especially in the region around the Gulf of Naples, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily. It is the second-most popular liqueur in Italy and is traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestivo.
Wikipedia
The lemon flavor is found in every layer: the ladyfingers are soaked in homemade Limoncello syrup, the filling is made with mascarpone and lemon curd, and the fluffy cream on top of the tiramisu is sprinkled with lemon zest.
This lemon-flavored tiramisu takes about 30 minutes to make and needs plenty of time to chill before serving—around 10 hours.
Whether you’re hosting a summer dinner party, barbecue, picnic, or poolside get-together, Limoncello Tiramisu will surely be the star of the dessert table!
If you want a less boozy lemon dessert, try our Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes or this Lemon Curd Layer Cake, complete with lemon frosting.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
The ingredients and tools for this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers such as Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart. The quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients Needed For Limoncello Tiramisu
- Fresh Produce – Lemons
- Dairy – Heavy Whipping Cream (Double Cream/Whipping Cream), Mascarpone Cheese
- White Granulated Sugar
- Limoncello – an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy.
- Ladyfingers – or sponge fingers in British English are low-density, dry, egg-based, sweet sponge cake biscuits roughly shaped like large fingers. Wikipedia
- Lemon Curd – a dessert spread and topping usually made with citrus fruit. If you can’t find it in stores, it is actually quite easy to make your own batch with our Lemon Curd Recipe
- Powdered Sugar – also known as Icing Sugar or Confectioners Sugar.
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post.
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Is Mascarpone Cheese the Same as Cream Cheese?
Mascarpone and cream cheese differ in their primary ingredients, fat content, and texture.
Mascarpone is made using heavy cream, resulting in a higher fat content and a luxuriously creamy texture.
On the other hand, cream cheese is produced from whole milk, yielding a fat content of around 30 to 40 percent, significantly lower than the 60 to 75 percent fat content found in mascarpone.
Equipment Needed For This Recipe
- Small Saucepan
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Electric Mixer – either a handheld or standing mixer.
- Rubber/Silicone Spatula
- 9″ x 13″ Baking/Serving Dish
- Plastic Wrap
- Zester
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide US customary, imperial, and metric measurements. Still, it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
More Desserts Using Lemons
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is lemons, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Quick & Easy Lemon Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
- Sweet & Tangy Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
- Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
- Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
- Strawberry & Lemon Summer Layer Cake with Lemon Frosting
How Do I Make Limoncello Tiramisu?
The printable recipe card with the full ingredients list and instructions can be found at the end of this post.
Step 1 – Make Limoncello Syrup: Place the water and sugar into a small saucepan and stir to combine. Place the pan on medium-high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour the sugar water into a medium-sized bowl and whisk in the Limoncello and lemon to combine. Set the bowl aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 2 – Whip the Mascarpone: Using an electric handheld or standing mixer, whip the mascarpone cheese on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy.
Add the lemon curd, Limoncello, and lemon juice to the mascarpone, and mix until well combined. Transfer to another mixing bowl and set it aside.
Step 3 – Whip the Cream: Using a clean bowl and your electric mixer, whip the cream and sugar together until you get stiff peaks.
Step 4 – Make the Filling: Add about one-third of the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture and fold gently with a spatula.
Continue to fold the cream into the mascarpone until everything is combined.
Step 5 – Build Tiramisu: Dip one Ladyfinger at a time into the cooled Limoncello syrup for about 2 seconds, and place into rows in a 9″x13″ baking dish. Squeeze the ladyfingers together for a tight fit.
Scoop half of the mascarpone and cream mixture over the ladyfingers and spread into an even layer with a spatula.
Repeat with another layer of dipped ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture, then a final layer of ladyfingers.
Step 6 – Refrigerate: Cover the Limoncello Tiramisu with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight or for 8-12 hours.
Step 7 – Finish & Serve: Whip additional heavy cream and sugar to stiff peaks and spread over the final layer of ladyfingers.
Garnish with lemon zest, lemon curls, and/or fresh mint leaves as desired. Serve and enjoy!
More Italian Dessert Recipes
Looking for more Italian-inspired desserts to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Tiramisu – With A Twist!
- Lemon and Fig Olive Oil Cakes with Mascarpone & Vanilla-Fig Jam
- Castagnaccio Recipe (A Traditional Tuscan Chestnut Flour Cake)
Printable Limoncello Tiramisu Recipe Card
To save ink, any demonstration photos on the recipe card do not print.
Limoncello Tiramisu
Ingredients
For the Limoncello Syrup
- 1¼ cups water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup Limoncello
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 lemon zested
For the Tiramisu
- 48 Ladyfingers
- 24 oz 700g Mascarpone cheese
- 15 oz 425g lemon curd
- ⅓ cup Limoncello
- 4 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream double cream
- ⅓ cup sugar
For the Topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream double cream
- 2-3 Tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place the water and sugar into a small saucepan and stir to combine. Place the pan on medium-high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the sugar water into a medium-sized bowl and whisk in the Limoncello and lemon to combine. Set the bowl aside to cool to room temperature.
- Using an electric handheld or standing mixer, whip the mascarpone cheese on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy. Add the lemon curd, Limoncello, and lemon juice to the mascarpone, and mix until well combined. Transfer to another mixing bowl and set it aside.
- Using a clean bowl and your electric mixer, whip the cream and sugar together until you get stiff peaks.
- Add about one-third of the whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture and fold in gently with a spatula. Continue to fold the cream into the mascarpone until everything is combined.
- Dip one Ladyfinger at a time into the cooled Limoncello syrup for about 2 seconds, and place into rows in a 9"x13" baking dish. Squeeze the ladyfingers together for a tight fit. Scoop half of the mascarpone and cream mixture over the ladyfingers and spread into an even layer with a spatula.
Repeat with another layer of dipped Ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture, then a final layer of ladyfingers. - Cover the Limoncello Tiramisu with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight, or for 8-12 hours.
- To make the topping, whip the heavy cream and sugar to stiff peaks and spread over the final layer of ladyfingers. Garnish with lemon zest, lemon curls, and/or fresh mint leaves as desired. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:
- Appetizer: Classic Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze
- Soup: Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup with Cannellini Beans
- Salad: Crunchy Apple Celery Salad with Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette
- Main Dish: Roasted Italian Sausages with Tomatoes and White Beans
- Side Dish: Polenta 3 Ways – Creamy, Grilled, and Fried
- Beverage: Pomegranate Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.