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The best Lemon Tiramisu recipe has ladyfingers dipped in a lemon syrup and layered with a whipped mascarpone and homemade lemon curd. It's fresh, beautiful, and the perfect make ahead, no-bake dessert!
Lemon Tiramisu that'll steal the show.
I mean, can you tell me a more beautiful no-bake dessert for Spring or Summer? This Lemon Tiramisu recipe vibrant, beautiful, and the punch of lemon from the lemon curd is divine (and also very easy to make from scratch + tastes so much better!). This is a fun twist on my beloved Classic Tiramisu recipe and I can't wait for you all to try it! You can make it with or without the limoncello liqueur.
Don't miss all of my no-bake desserts like No-Bake Cheesecake, Banana Pudding, and a Chocolate Milkshake!
How to make Lemon Tiramisu:
Prepare Lemon Curd: Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a heat-proof bowl and cook over a pot of simmering water, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a gravy consistency (7-10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in butter.
Make Lemon Syrup: combine lemon juice, water, and sugar in a saucepan then bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat (add limoncello if desired). This syrup will be used to dip the lady-fingers.
Whip Mascarpone Filling: Combine mascarpone with 1 Tablespoon lemon zest then mix in the whipping cream with an electric mixer just until stiff peaks (don't over-mix).
Assemble: Dip each lady finger quickly in lemon syrup and line the bottom of an 8×8 inch or similar size pan. Top with half of the whipped mascarpone. Top with cooled lemon curd. Repeat with another layer of dipped lady fingers and remaining whipped mascarpone. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Optional: Garnish with grated white chocolate on top.
So many more Lemon recipes to love:
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Cake
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Lemon Cream Pie
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Homemade Lemonade
- Lemon Mousse
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Lemon Tiramisu
Equipment
Ingredients
Lemon Curd*:
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar, (134g)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest, (6g), about 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, (80mL), fresh squeezed (or you could use limoncello)
- pinch salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, (85g), room temperature, chopped
Lemon Syrup:
- ¾ cup lemon juice, (180mL), fresh squeezed, from about 2-3 lemons
- 1 cup water, (240mL)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, (100g)
- 1/4 cup limoncello, (60mL), (optional*)
Whipped Mascarpone:
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese, (226g), room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest, (6g)
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, (360mL)
Assembly:
- 1 package Lady Fingers, , (7 oz package, about 24 lady fingers, Savoiardi brand)*
- white chocolate, , grated on top, as garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Zest and juice lemons and set aside.
- Lemon Curd: Add 2 inches of water to the bottom of a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a heat-proof mixing bowl, add 4 egg yolks, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon zest, ⅓ cup lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and whisk well to combine. Place bowl over pot of water, reduce heat to medium low and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens to a gravy consistency, about 7-10 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and stir in 6 tablespoons butter.
- Cool Lemon Curd: Pour mixture into a new bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface (to prevent it from forming a skin). Refrigerate whie you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Lemon Syrup: In a saucepan, add ¾ cup lemon juice, 1 cup water, and ½ cup sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely to room temperature (or refrigerate to cool down faster). Stir in ¼ cup limoncello (if using).
- Whipped Mascarpone: Combine mascarpone with 1 Tablespoon lemon zest then mix in the whipping cream with an electric mixer just until medium/stiff peaks (don't over-mix).
- Assemble: Submerge each lady finger quickly in lemon syrup and then place in the bottom of an 8×8 or similar size pan, until bottom of pan is lined. Top with half of the whipped mascarpone. Stir lemon curd well then spoon over the top, into an even layer. Repeat with another layer of dipped lady fingers. Smooth (or decoratively pipe) remaining whipped mascarpone on top. Optional: garnish with grated white chocolate and/or lemon zest or lemon slices.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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10 🌟 out of 5. Easy, delicious and I have to always double the recipe. The lemon curd is perfect with the mascarpone cheese. 😆
I made this for dessert last night to try it out before Easter! It was delicious and will be added to the menu!
I made this for our Life group at church and it was delicious! Use your recipes all the time. I don’t review as much as I should. Your site is a go to place for recipes for me.
I’ve been waiting for this recipe since Lauren announced she was creating it on Instagram. I made it for my son’s birthday and it was a huge hit. Making it again for Easter.
Wow, this was amazing. Honestly, I think I like it even more than traditional tiramisu. I doubled the recipe for our Easter get-together and everyone couldn’t stop talking about it. Definitely my new favorite!
I enjoyed the lemon flavor but felt it to be too one note. Maybe I am just missing like a deeper flavor profile? It is still very good.
I did have one issue. My bottom layer of lady fingers turned out to be mushy. I would theorize that maybe I soaked them too long, but the upper layer of ladyfingers’ texture was great!
When making the lemon curd, I placed the plastic wrap on the surface of the curd. I placed it in the fridge until I was ready to assemble (maybe 30 minutes tops?). I took it out of the fridge and there was a layer on the plastic wrap. This layer seemed to be fully set and like a pudding texture and the rest was still liquid. I trusted the recipe to just go ahead and assemble the tiramisu. It may have been that liquidy curd that went to the bottom layer of ladyfingers.
I really want to give this recipe another go, do I need to wait for the curd to set completely?
Additionally, the mascarpone layer does have no flavor to it, I assume the smooth cream was just to counteract all the lemon.
Totally get it—and you’re right on both counts. The ladyfingers probably soaked too long, and the curd needed more time to fully set before layering (that liquidy part likely sank down). For the mascarpone, yep—it’s meant to mellow out the lemon, but you can totally add a splash of vanilla or a little sugar if you want more flavor)
-Stacy
Amazing, to me this is better than the original tiramisu, I doubled it for an Easter gathering and everyone loved it!!! My new favorite recipe.
Amazing dessert! Thanks so much! The whole family loved the lightness and richness, and the bright lemon flavour. I used frozen lemonade concentrate instead of limoncello; it worked well. I will definitely be treating more friends to this tasty treat and will share your site with them. Happy Easter!
This the first and last time I will make this recipe. I’ve made lemon curd before and I have made marscapone whipped before also. I’m pretty sure the lemon zest curdled the whipped cream, aside from that the whipped topping mixture was bland I expected more flavor than whipped heavy cream. I added a tablespoon of sugar and it was lost. The amount of lemon syrup in the recipe has so much remaining. The amount of lemons needed foe this recipe is unreal. I have 50 years experience as a home baker, the hours put in and the expense of the ingredients for such a poor product, I expected better. Needless to say I’m quite disappointed. Do better.
I’m really sorry it didn’t turn out how you hoped
-Stacy
Can this be frozen?
No, it will change the texture and make it weird!
-Stacy
Made this for my work mates as a good bye gift- they raved about how good it was. Yummy, so light, DELICIOUS! were just a few of the descriptors. I plan to make again. As a disclosure- I used Meyer lemons from my tree and a Meyer lemon curd recipe from a different source.
Has anyone done this in a 9×13 and how to adjust amounts?
Double the recipe for a 9×13 :-). Enjoy!
WOW so good
GREAT RECIPE!!! I made it for a friend who had moved her elderly parents and needed help with meals. Mama and Dad are from Italy and loved it!