The lemon delight cake is a fresh and refined dessert, characterized by a soft sponge cake base soaked in a limoncello syrup and filled with a velvety lemon cream, also flavored with the famous Campanian liqueur.
This cake was created in 1978 by the creativity of master pastry chef Carmine Marzuillo, who initially designed it in a single-portion format.
The proposed version here is a whole cake, covered with a delicate limoncello-flavored whipped cream: an ideal choice to celebrate a birthday or elegantly conclude a summer lunch or dinner.
Its taste is a true explosion of freshness, able to conquer anyone who loves the citrus and vibrant notes of lemon, the undisputed protagonist of the preparation.
The softness of the sponge cake, made without yeast, combines with the deliciousness of the filling, creating a perfect balance between texture and flavor.
Everything is enhanced by a light and fragrant coating, which recalls the color and scent of lemon, making this dessert not only delicious to the palate but also elegant and sunny in presentation.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
- Portions: 12
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 503.20 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 51.40 (g) of which sugars 36.22 (g)
- Proteins 7.84 (g)
- Fat 28.46 (g) of which saturated 2.10 (g)of which unsaturated 2.48 (g)
- Fibers 0.46 (g)
- Sodium 37.10 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 125 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- to taste lemon zest (grated and untreated)
- 1 packet vanillin
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp limoncello
- 5 egg yolks
- to taste lemon zest (untreated)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- to taste lemon zest (untreated)
- 1/4 cup limoncello
- 1 2/3 cups heavy cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/3 tbsp limoncello
- to taste food coloring (yellow gel)
Tools
- 1 Measuring cup for liquids
- Bowls
- 1 Sieve for flour
- Electric whisk
- 1 Spatula silicone
- 1 Grater for citrus fruits
- 1 Cake pan 22cm diam.
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Hand whisk
- 1 Piping bag
- 1 Plain nozzle medium
- Decorative nozzles
- 1 Knife cake slicer
Steps
To prepare the lemon delight cake, start by making the sponge cake according to the recipe you will find by clicking here
For the lemon cream, heat the milk with the cream and the untreated lemon peel cut into large strips.
Meanwhile in a bowl, mix the egg yolks with sugar and limoncello.
Then add the flour and cornstarch. Gradually incorporate while adding the heated milk and cream.
Transfer to a small pot.
Move to the stove and thicken while constantly stirring until it boils.
Remove the peel and transfer the cream to a large pan covering with film.
The lemon diplomatic cream is now ready.
Once at room temperature, if not used immediately, store in the fridge.
To prepare the limoncello syrup, put sugar with water and strips of untreated lemon peel on the stove.
Stir occasionally while bringing to a boil.
When you have taken the pot off the stove, remove the peel and add the limoncello, stir.
Let the syrup cool down, then if not used immediately, store in a jar and keep in the fridge.
The limoncello syrup is now ready.
Once the main components of the dessert are ready, slice the cake a little above the halfway point.
From the lower part which will be our base, remove some of the crumb leaving the edges intact to create a container, which will hold the cream.
Moisten the base with half of the syrup and fill with the cream, previously worked with a hand whisk or even a fork, to make it more velvety.
If desired, place this in a piping bag with a medium-sized smooth round nozzle.
Cover the entire surface.
Close with the other sponge cake disc from which, if preferred, the top crust can be removed.
Soak evenly with the remaining syrup and place in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, well closed in an airtight cake container.
Approaching the time to remove the dessert from the fridge, prepare the limoncello and whipped cream coating.
Work with electric whisks fresh cream and powdered sugar.
Then add the limoncello and stir with a spoon.
It is possible to color the cream with yellow food coloring, taking care to dissolve small amounts of gel first in a small amount of cream and then gently incorporating the whole to the rest of the cream.
Cover the cake with it, decorating.
In the same way, more intense yellow decorations can be created to give the cake more vibrancy.
Decorate the center with candied lemon peel.
The lemon delight cake is now ready.
Storage
Store in the fridge well closed in an airtight cake container, for about 2 days.
Store in the fridge well closed in an airtight cake container, for about 2 days.
