Limoncello Tiramisu

Refreshingly tart with a silky smooth and sweet mascarpone filling, Limoncello Tiramisu has to be one of the most delicious summertime desserts. With layers of light and airy ladyfingers, and a thick, slightly sweet filling, balanced with the puckering taste of fresh lemons, this dessert is completely irresistible!

Traditionally, tiramisu uses coffee or espresso for flavouring. I love it dearly, however, John.e is not a fan of coffee. (I know; I don’t get it either!) The idea to switch out the coffee and replace it with lemon was the result of my craving for tiramisu but not wanting to eat the entire thing myself. Italian purists might not like me too much after this, but I swear, this is such a refreshing take on a classic. You’ve got to try this! Besides, my Limoncello Tiramisu uses limoncello, which couldn’t possibly get any more Italian!

IT NEEDS MORE LEMON!

You might have noticed that I talk about John.e quite often.  Well, that’s because I do!  He’s the whole reason this blog started in the first place.  When we started sharing a home together, I began to explore the world of vegetarian cooking, and he very patiently taught me all about meat alternatives such as tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, etc.  But almost every single time I’d place a meal or a dessert in front of him, he would taste it, smack his lips a few times, and say, “It needs lemon!”

I’m not exaggerating the truth at all! Take my Lemon Coconut Macaroons, for instance. He thought they needed more lemon. To this day, I’m not sure if he was joking or not! They were perfectly lemony for my taste. Then there was that time that I made Lemon and Lime Cookie Crisps. He said, “It needs lemon!” and I lost my cool. “Are you (insert adjectives of your choice here) kidding me? There’s (more adjectives) lemon and lime in this cookie!! There’s no (again, more adjectives – well, actually, just the one adjective) way to please you!” It went something like that. I can’t remember.

Until now, the only recipe that I can remember him not asking for more lemon was my Lemon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. So, if you’re a lemon lover, like my dear John.e, you’ll love, love, love this tiramisu!  It’s perfectly lemony with just the right amount of sweetness to offset that puckering, eye-squinting, cheek-sucking sensation which some of us suffer from due to excess amounts of lemon flavour.  Not John.e though; he loves his lemon!  So this dessert is for him!  And you, Dear Reader, if lemon is your thing!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

For the Filling:

• Mascarpone – You will need one container of cheese. I love the Tre Stelle brand, because, unlike other brands, there are never any concerns about moisture separation.
• Cream Cheese – When baking with cream cheese it is always best to use brick style rather than whipped or cream cheese in a tub.  The brick style is firmer and more condensed.  Cream cheese adds texture and flavour to baked items.
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar.  It is used in frostings quite often.  In this recipe, it will add sweetness to the cream filling.
• Lemon Juice and Zest – Wash and dry the lemons well before zesting. Always zest before juicing, because the other way around is nearly impossible!
• Lemon Extract
• Vanilla Extract
• Cream – Do not use half and half or a lighter cream. You must use 35% whipping cream or a full-fat, heavy cream at 38%.

Assembly Ingredients:

• Ladyfingers – These are dry, egg-based, sweet sponge cake biscuits roughly shaped like large fingers. Some people call them sponge fingers.
• Limoncello
• Lemons

HOW TO MAKE LIMONCELLO TIRAMISU

Beat together the cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar until light and creamy. Add in the lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.  Beat until combined. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks are formed. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese and mascarpone mixture.

To assemble, dip lady fingers into the limoncello – quickly in and out – do not soak!  Set the dipped ladyfingers into a single layer in the bottom of your trifle bowl or serving dish.  At any time you may cut the ladyfingers to fit into spaces while layering. A serrated knife works very well to cut ladyfingers without breaking them. Use a light back-and-forth sawing motion for best results.

Top the first layer of ladyfingers with a cup of the mascarpone mixture. Smooth it out to a flat layer. Next, dip one ladyfinger at a time into the limoncello and place it against the side of your trifle bowl, pushing the bottom end gently into the layer of mascarpone to help the ladyfinger stand. Work your way around the bowl until you have covered the perimeter with ladyfingers.

Push a layer of ladyfingers onto the still-exposed mascarpone layer at the bottom of the bowl. Top that with one-third of the remaining mascarpone mixture. Add another layer of ladyfingers and top that with another third of the mascarpone. Transfer the remaining mascarpone to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe six large dollops onto the top of the tiramisu. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  Before serving top with fresh lemon zest, crushed ladyfingers, and sliced fresh lemons.

WHAT IS MASCARPONE CHEESE?

Mascarpone is a very smooth, spreadable cheese made with fresh cream. The flavour is milky and slightly sweet, and it has a richness to it. The texture is almost buttery, but that’s because of the high butterfat content. In comparison to heavy cream, for example, mascarpone can have up to 75% fat content, while heavy cream falls somewhere between 35 and 38%

Mascarpone can be quite costly, but it does go on sale quite often. It is not something you would want to eat every day, so on occasion, it’s nice to splurge a little and treat yourself.

Mascarpone can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes. Either way, it will always make sure the recipe is rich and creamy! In terms of savoury recipes, you can add mascarpone to pasta sauce or use it in place of cream in nearly any dish. It can also be used to thicken soups! My favourite way to use it is with fresh berries and fruit.

HEAVY CREAM VS WHIPPING CREAM

Confession time – I use them both interchangeably, depending on what is available at the store, or whatever is on sale! Both of these can be quite costly. If memory serves me correctly, a 250mL carton, or one cup, here in Canada, will run just short of $5! There is a difference between the two, but not enough to concern yourself with when it comes to Strawberry Shortcake Tiramisu.

Just in case you’re interested, the most basic difference is the amount of fat contained in both. Whipping cream has 35% fat. It can be whipped into peaks and it’s also rich enough that it won’t curdle when heated in soups and sauces. It’s nearly identical to heavy cream so if a recipe calls for heavy cream and you can only find whipping cream, feel free to use that instead. In contrast, heavy cream, which is sometimes called heavy whipping cream, contains about 38% fat. Either of those would work well in this recipe. I used 35% whipping cream.

WHAT ARE LADYFINGERS?

Ladyfingers, which are sometimes called sponge fingers (or in Italian, savoiardi, or by their French name, boudoirs) are a dry, egg-based, sweet biscuit roughly shaped like large fingers. They are a principal ingredient in many dessert recipes, such as trifles and charlottes, and are also used as fruit or chocolate gateau linings, and for the sponge element of tiramisu. Most typically, like in the case of this Limoncello Tiramisu, they are soaked in a sugar syrup or liqueur, or in coffee or espresso for tiramisu.

STORING:

This dessert will last for about 3-4 days in the fridge. Keep it covered well and refrigerated at all times. Once you take it out of the fridge, remove what you want and get it back in there. Trust me, it will prolong the freshness. Whether you use a 9×13 pan or a platter, the same logic applies.

There are so many strawberry shortcake recipes here at Lord Byon’s Kitchen, so I invite you to take a look around for inspiration. To make things easier, I will include this link right here. Click on it to see all of the strawberry shortcake recipes on one page. Now, who’s ready for dessert?