Limoncello Italian Cake

A good friend told me how she tried a delicious limoncello cake given to her by a friend in NY. I was only able to locate a frozen cake which tastes very light and refreshing.  So I decided to make one.😁

The cake is a honey lemon sponge cake. The cream is made with mascarpone, cream cheese, and lemon curd.  Limoncello liqueur is added to sugar syrup and brushed on cake. The flowers is chantyflex cream with lemon curd. Adding lemon curd to chantyflex cream tastes so much better!

Family loves the cake even my daughter who told me she doesn't like lemon cake loves it. 😋😋😋

Piping the mascarpone cream to layers of cakes

Cooling cake

Steam bath method with pans inside pan on a rack and hot water












There are multiple steps for this cake.

1. Lemon Curd: recipe from ➡️ numstheword. Not sure what happened and I only used the yolks. Turns out delicious. Might want to halve the recipe since only small amount needed. Curd last 2 weeks in refrigerator.

5 large yolks
3 lemon zest
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 1/2 stick butter =12 tbsp

In a sauce pan add in yolks, zest, juice, sugar, salt and whisk until smooth. Place on stove and cook for 15 minutes medium heat until thicken. Whisking the whole time to prevent burning.

After 15 mintues remove from heat. Add in 1-2 tbsp butter at a time with each time whisk until smooth.  Repeat until all butter mixed in.

Strain the curd with a fine mesh strainer to remove zest. Leave to cool, cover and refrigerate. Chill for 3 hours or overnight.

2. Honey Lemon Sponge: adapted from Barry A. since my eggs are jumbo, I need to weigh them out.

5 large yolks (82g)
75 g sugar
50 g lemon juice
78 g milk
95 g canola oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 lemon zest about 1.5 tsp
160 g cake flour

Merginue
5 large egg white (162 g)
75 g sugar
1/4 tsp cream tarter or 1 tsp lemon juice

2-7 inch pans lined with parchment paper on bottom. No grease on side. (Can use 8x3 inch round and divide cake into 2-3 layers after baking, however, you might need more cream to frost)

Preheat oven 150C (305F). Prepare a large pan and rack for steam bath. Boil hot water to pour in pan. See picture ⬆️.

Instructions:

1. Whisk yolks, sugar and milk together.  Then add in oil, honey, vanilla, and then lemon juice. (Must do in this order since milk curdle with lemon juice. You can replace milk with water if you want. Lemon juice with milk makes a white cake! Can strain mixture if lumpy.)

2. Whisk in flour until smooth batter. Set aside.

3. In an oil free bowl, whip eggwhite to frothy. Add in cream tarter and continue to whip until foamy. Slowly add in sugar. Whip until stiff peak.

4. Fold merginue into yolk batter with 1/3 merginue each time. Gently fold to prevent deflating merginue.

5. Divide batter into 2- 7 inch pans. Place pans on top of prepared pan and rack. Pour hot water into large pan almost reaching rack.

6. Bake at 150C (305F) preheated oven for 55-60 minutes.

7. After baking, take pans out and drop on counter 2 times. Then flip over to cool for 10 minutes before removing cake out of pan.  Peel of parchment paper and let cakes cool on rack.

8. Wrap cooled cakes with food wrap until ready to use. (I didn't have time so frost the next day is fine)

Mascarpone Cream

8 oz mascarpone cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup powder sugar
1 tbsp limoncello (or some lemon juice)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp lemon curd
2 drops of yellow (optional)

1 cup heavy whipping cream + 2tbsp sugar

Instructions:

1. In stand mixer using paddle to mix cream cheese, sugar, zest, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy.

2. Add in mascarpone cheese.  Mix just until combined. Add in lemon curd and yellow color. Mix until fluffy.

3. In a separate bowl whip heavy whipping cream with sugar until stiff.

4. Fold whipped cream with mascarpone cream.

5. Fill in piping bag for filling. Fill another bag for border. Place the filled piping bags in refrigerator for about 20 minutes for it to set.

Limocello Sugar Syrup

1/4 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp limoncello (can replace with some lemon juice)

Bring water and sugar to boil until sugar dissolves. Cool and add in limoncello.

Assemble Cake

1. Slice cakes into 4 even pieces. Brush with limoncello syrup.

2. Fill the cake with mascarpone cream. Place another layer of cake on top. Brush with syrup.  Continue with rest of cakes.

3. After fillings then frost whole cake and add borders.

4. Grate white chocolate on top of cake or make chantyflex cream for flowers.

5. Chill cake in refrigerator for 2-4 hours or overnight before serving. Before serving, leave cake at room temperature for about 30 minutes for best texture.

Chantyflex Cream by➡️ GG Cakcraft

100 g chantyflex cream
1-2 tbsp lemon curd
1 drop yellow color (or lemon paste)

Whip all ingredients until well combined.  Place into piping bag with tip and pipe desire flowers.