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Limoncello Tiramisu

Assembled limoncello tiramisu in a white dish.

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5 from 2 reviews

Limoncello Tiramisu (Tiramisù al Limoncello in Italian) is an amazing lemony twist on a classic tiramisu. Made with ladyfingers, soaked in a citrus-scented limoncello syrup, and layers of mascarpone cream, this lemon dessert is just divine!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 30 ladyfingers (315 g)

For tiramisu cream:

  • 1/3 cup (75 g) egg yolks (see note #1)
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons (43 g) water
  • 11 oz. (315 g) mascarpone cheese, cold
  • 1 cup + 4 teaspoons (250 g) whipping cream, cold

For limoncello syrup:

  • 1 cup (235 ml) water
  • 5 tablespoons (75 ml) limoncello
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup (60 g) granulated sugar

For decoration:

  • lemon zest

Instructions

  1. To make limoncello syrup, bring to boil water with sugar in a small saucepan and simmer at low heat for 1 -2 minutes. Add limoncello liqueur and lemon juice out of the heat, let the syrup cool, and refrigerate. The syrup must be cold from the fridge for ladyfingers to absorb the right amount of liquid.

  2. To make tiramisu cream, whip whipping cream with an electric mixer until firm peaks in a separate bowl (use a stand mixer if available). Start on low speed and increase speed while whisking. Refrigerate whipped cream. Extra tip: Whipping cream, a bowl, and the whisk of a mixer must be cold. Place the bowl and a whisk in the freezer for a few minutes before you start.

  3. Then pasteurize egg yolks. Place egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and lightly beat them with an electric mixer. Place water and sugar in a saucepan and heat it over medium heat for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves. The syrup must reach the right temperature of 250°F or 121°C (use a cooking thermometer).

  4. Once the syrup is ready, turn on the electric mixer and pour sugar syrup onto the yolks whisking yolks constantly at high speed. Whip the preparation for 5-6 minutes until thick and whitish. The bowl will cool down while the egg mixture expands. Extra tip: If the base of the bowl isn't completely cold, bring it to the fridge for 2-3 minutes. Add chilled mascarpone from the refrigerator to the egg and sugar mixture and whip at very low speed until creamy and homogenous. Then gently fold the whipped cream in the mascarpone preparation with slow movements from the bottom up using a large rubber spatula or a wooden spoon. Refrigerate the cream until ready to use.

  5. To assemble the tiramisu, pour the cooled syrup into a shallow plate. Dip one cookie at a time for 1 second, then turn it over and repeat the same with the other side. Extra tip: Don't soak cookies longer than 1 second per side; oversoaked cookies will result in a soggy dessert. Arrange half of the cookies in the first layer, trying to arrange them in one direction and following the shape of a serving dish. Cut ladyfingers if necessary to fill gaps.

  6. Take the tiramisu cream out of the fridge and distribute half of the mascarpone mixture over the cookies. Use a spoon, a rubber spatula, or a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip. Bring the cream to the fridge while assembling the second layer of sponge fingers. Add a new layer of moistened ladyfingers to cover the entire surface of the dish. To finish the dessert, use the remaining cream from the fridge. Spread it with a spoon or spatula, or decorate the top of the tiramisu with a pastry bag and Ateco plain pastry tip 809.

  7. Cover the dish with a lid, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours, better overnight. Before serving, use a zester grater to sprinkle the top of the dessert with the grated lemon zest. Next, cut portions of tiramisù with a knife, clean it between the cuts, and serve with the help of a metal serving spatula.

Notes

  1. 75 g egg yolks approximately equal to 5 raw fresh egg yolks from medium size chicken eggs
  2. Don't over-soak ladyfingers. A quick dip of one cookie at a time on each side is enough.
  3. Ensure the egg yolk and sugar mixture cool down until adding mascarpone cheese.
  4. Use very cold whipping cream and whip it up, starting slowly and over 10 minutes.  
  5. Don't overmix the tiramisu cream. When folding whipped cream, mix to combine.
  6. Let the tiramisu chill for at least 4-6 hours or overnight before serving. But if you prefer to consume it immediately to feel the crunchiness of ladyfingers, choose this way.
  7. Make tiramisu in advance - up to two days ahead of time. 

Nutrition

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