Lemon Tiramisu

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By: Jill Mills Posted: Jun 27, 2024

This Lemon Tiramisu is a citrusy, creamy, and delicious take on a classic Italian dessert. Lemon curd and Mascarpone filling are layered with lemon-soaked ladyfingers.

The Best Lemon Tiramisu Recipe

I love this creative spin on classic tiramisu using fresh lemon. The ladyfingers are soaked with homemade lemon syrup and topped with luscious lemon curd and creamy mascarpone. It’s a bright dessert that screams spring and summer! If you are not a fan of coffee or espresso, this lemon tiramisu is going to wow you.

Why You’ll Love This Lemon Tiramisu

• Easy to make. Despite the many components, this a very easy no-bake dessert to prepare.
• Great for gatherings. Make this lemon tiramisu to really impress a crowd at the next party you attend.
• Balanced flavors. The acidity of the lemon pairs beautifully with the creamy mascarpone and the light ladyfingers.

Recipe Ingredients

Below, you will find all of the components needed for each layer of the lemon tiramisu. Items such as limoncello, mascarpone, and ladyfingers aren’t on a typical grocery list, but they are not super expensive or rare.

For the lemon curd:

• Whole eggs and yolks: Any homemade curd or custard is made with a combination of eggs and yolks for richness and structure.
• Salt: A little bit of salt will enhance the other flavors used in the curd.
• Sugar: I use white granulated sugar to sweeten the lemon curd. 
• Lemon: A combination of lemon juice and lemon zest provides the most prominent lemon flavor in this dessert.
• Butter: Butter is another important ingredient for any curd. I add it at the end of the cooking process to give it a rich texture. Use unsalted butter so the finished product doesn’t have a salty taste.

lemon syrup ingredients:

• Water: This will be the base of your lemon simple syrup to help dissolve the sugar. 
• Sugar: As the white sugar dissolves, it will then help you get the right level of sweetness and consistency in the syrup.
• Lemon: Fresh lemon juice and peel are essential for authentic flavor. I steep the peel in the syrup mixture to draw out the oils.
• Limoncello liqueur: I like to add limoncello as a replacement for espresso. It adds a great depth of flavor to the ladyfingers.

For layering the tiramisu:

• Heavy cream: This is an important ingredient in making the tiramisu’s lemon mascarpone whipped cream layer.
• Mascarpone: If you are familiar with this Italian dessert, then you know that mascarpone cheese is a classic component. It’s creamy and tangy, perfectly complementing the other ingredients. 
• Ladyfingers: Of course, the ladyfingers are important as well. They will soak up the homemade lemon syrup the same way they would an espresso.
• Garnishes: Top the finished dessert with lemon slices and mint leaves for pops of color. It’s optional, but it makes the lemon tiramisu look beautiful. 

How to Make Lemon Tiramisu

Lemon curd

• Add the ingredients to a saucepan. In a medium saucepan, add whole eggs/yolks, salt, sugar, and lemon juice/zest. Then whisk the ingredients together and turn the stove to medium heat.
• Simmer. As the lemon curd begins to simmer, stir it frequently. After it simmers for another minute or two, it will thicken. Remove the pot from the heat.
• Strain. Run the curd through a fine mesh strainer it into a bowl until there are no more clumps. Use a rubber spatula to press it through. Throw away any solids left behind. 

• Add the butter. Stir the butter into the warm curd and allow it to melt. If the lemon curd cools enough where the butter doesn’t melt fully, place it in the microwave in 30-second intervals until the butter is melted.
• Cool. Let the lemon curd cool for a few minutes at room temperature.
• Cover and refrigerate. Wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, ensuring it touches the top of the curd, and place it in the refrigerator. 

To make the Lemon syrup

• Heat water, sugar, and lemon. Add all of the ingredients except the limoncello to a saucepan.
• Simmer. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Allow it to cool slightly.
• Add limoncello. Pour the limoncello into the syrup and stir it in. Set it aside to cool completely.

Lemon filling

• Whip the cream. Using an electric hand or stand mixer, whip the cream in a large mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl.

• Combine curd and mascarpone. Add half of the lemon curd and all of the mascarpone. Mix at low speed with the electric mixer until combined.
• Fold in the cream. Add the mascarpone mixture to the whipped cream, and then gently fold the ingredients together.

Assembly

• Dip the ladyfingers in syrup. Dip half of the ladyfinger cookies into the lemon syrup and layer them on the bottom of a 9×9 dish.
• Add half the filling. Spread half of the lemon filling over the top of the dipped cookies.

• Spread some curd. Add a small amount of lemon curd to spread evenly over the filling.
• Dip the remaining ladyfingers. Dip the remaining ladyfingers into the syrup, and layer them on top of the filling and curd.

• Add the remaining filling. Spread the rest of the filling on the top of the second layer of cookies.
• Add the remaining curd. Top the filling with the remaining lemon curd.
• Cover and chill. Wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap, ensuring it touches the curd’s top. Then refrigerate the tiramisu for at least 8 hours or overnight. Enjoy!

Proper Storage

You can store any leftover tiramisu covered in plastic wrap as a way to prevent a film from forming on the lemon curd. This will allow the dessert to last in the refrigerator for up to four days. 

More Lemon Recipes to Try

• Lemon Brownies
• Lemon Pudding Cake
• Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
• Frosted Lemon Cookies
• Italian Lemon Cake Recipe

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Lemon Tiramisu

This Lemon Tiramisu is a citrusy, creamy, and delicious take on a classic Italian dessert. Lemon curd and Mascarpone filling are layered with lemon-soaked ladyfingers.

Servings: 9 Servings

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Cooling Time: 8 hours hrs

Total: 8 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

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Lemon Curd Ingredients:

• ▢ 4 whole large eggs room temperature
• ▢ 4 egg yolks room temperature
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• ▢ 2 medium-size lemons zested
• ▢ 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice seeds removed.
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter unsalted.

Lemon Syrup Ingredients:

• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 lemon peeled keep it whole if possible, then juiced.
• ▢ 1/4 cup Limoncello Liqueur

Lemon Filling Ingredients:

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups cream or heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 16 ounces Mascarpone cheese room temperature

Assembly:

• ▢ 2 boxes of Lady Finger Cookies
• ▢ Whipped cream and slices of lemon and mint for garnish optional

Instructions

Lemon Curd:

• In a medium saucepan, add the eggs, egg yolks, salt, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Then whisk to combine.
• Over medium heat, whisk constantly as you allow the lemon curd to come to a simmer.
• Continue to simmer for an additional minute or so to thicken.
• Once thickened, spoon the curd into a wire mesh strainer over a heatproof bowl and use a spatula to press the curd through, pausing to tap and scrape the bottom. Make sure to occasionally scoop out the solids from the strainer and discard. Continue this process until you’ve strained all the curd.
• Once everything is strained, add ½ of butter and stir to melt. If the curd has cooled a bit, you can pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, pausing to stir, until the butter is melted.
• Allow to cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap making sure the wrap is fully touching the surface of the curd and cool in the refrigerator.

Make the lemon syrup:

• While the curd chills, take a small saucepan and add the water (1/2 cup), sugar (1/4 cup), lemon juice and lemon peel.
• Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Add the limoncello. Set it aside.

Make the filling:

• In a mixing bowl, add the cream and using a handheld or stand mixer, whip on medium/high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon the mixture into a large bowl and set aside.
• Wipe out the mixing bowl, then add ½ of the cooled lemon curd and all the mascarpone cheese. On medium/low speed whisk to just combine. If you overmix the mascarpone will become grainy.
• Add mascarpone mixture to the whipping cream and gently fold the two together until just combined. If you stir too hard, it will deflate the whipped cream and your dessert won’t stand as tall.

Put it all together:

• Use a glass or ceramic 9×9 inch dish and take one ladyfinger cookie, dip it quickly into the lemon syrup and then lay it in the dish. (Do this quickly as the ladyfingers are quick to absorb and turn to mush if you take too long.)
• Continue lining the bottom of the dish until the entire bottom is covered.
• Add ½ of the filling to dish and spread evenly over the cookies.
• Take just enough curd to spread a thin layer evenly over the filling.
• Continue the second layer with more dipped cookies side by side.
• Add the remaining filling and spread evenly over the top.
• Add the remaining curd and spread evenly over the top.
• Cover with plastic wrap ensuring it’s touching the curd and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Overnight is even better.

Last Step:

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Nutrition

Calories: 678kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 287mg | Sodium: 189mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 1845IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 1mg

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