Limoncello Cake

Since I made Limocello this year for the holidays, I also decided to make a limocello cake for my friends who absolutely love Lemon Cake.   This is a bit different than a traditional lemon cake with cream cheese frosting.  However, if you love desserts with lemon flavor, you should really like this one.

Cake Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 white moist cake mix
• 1 (3 oz.) box of lemon cook & serve pudding (not instant)
• 3 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 1/3 cup water

Lemon Curd Ingredients:

• 8 egg yokes (reserve the whites of 3)
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (7 or 8 lemons)
• lemon zest of 1 to 2 of the lemons
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons of lemon extract
• 1 stick of butter chopped into small pieces

Mascarpone Frosting Ingredients:

• 3 (8 oz.) containers of Mascarpone
• lemon curd recipe (made ahead of time)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon limoncello
• 1 tablespoon of lemon extract

Directions:

1. CAKE – Preheat over to 350, spray 10″ spring form pan, lay parchment paper on the bottom and tighten pan so that it stays, trim parchment paper around the edges and spray over the parchment paper as well.  Lightly dust with flour and set aside.  Mix cake mix and pudding, 3 egg whites, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 1/3 cup water.  Use mixer to mix ingredients and then place in spring form pan.  Place spring form pan on cooking try in case anything leaks.  Cook 30 to 40 minutes, or until you test the middle with a toothpick.  Once the cake is cooled, place in the freezer until you are ready to add the frosting.
2. LEMON CURD – You need to make the Lemon Curd ahead because it needs to be refrigerated before you use it to mix with the Mascarpone.  Zest 1 to 2 lemons and set aside.  Juice all the lemons in a bowl and set aside.  In a double broiler mix the sugar, egg yolks and 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice and the lemon zest.  Simmer and whisk constantly until the mixture because thick (approximately 10 minutes).  Place in a bowl and refrigerate.
3. MASCARPONE MOUSSE FROSTING – Let Mascarpone sit until at room temperature.  In a mixer, mix Mascarpone until smooth and then add sugar and lemon extract.  Once sugar has dissolved, add the lemon curd mixture and continue to mix so the lemon curd does not separate from the Mascarpone.  Then add the limocello and lemon extract.  NOTE:  If you would like to tone down the lemon flavor, you can use 2 teaspoons of the limocello instead of 1 teaspoon of limocello and 1 of lemon extract.
4. Refrigerate the mousse/frosting for at least 30 minutes before frosting the cake.
5. Pull the cake out of the freezer and remove from spring form pan.  Then take a bread or cake knife and cut the cake in half to make 2 layers.
6. Place first layer on a cake platter and frost, then add the second layer and frost the rest of the cake.  The mousse frosting is not as stiff as normal frosting, so you must refrigerate at least an hour before serving if not more.

Garnish with candied lemon slices or lemon peels.  You can also garnish with raspberries.

See my Limocello recipe.