Description
Limoncello Mascarpone Cake is an elegant Italian dessert featuring fluffy lemon sponge layers soaked in Limoncello syrup and filled with a creamy mascarpone frosting. Bright, refreshing, and beautifully balanced — it’s the ultimate treat for lemon lovers.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the Limoncello Syrup:
- 1/4 cup Limoncello
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- For the Mascarpone Frosting:
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese, chilled
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Mix in oil, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.
- Gradually fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cakes cool, make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine Limoncello, sugar, and water. Heat over medium until sugar dissolves. Remove and cool.
- For the frosting, beat mascarpone and powdered sugar until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip cream and vanilla to stiff peaks. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture along with lemon zest.
- Brush each cake layer with Limoncello syrup. Spread frosting over one layer, top with the second, and frost the entire cake.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with lemon slices or zest if desired.
Notes
- Make sure mascarpone and cream are cold for the frosting to whip properly.
- You can replace Limoncello with lemon juice for an alcohol-free version.
- Cake can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge.
- Decorate with candied lemon peel or fresh berries for extra flair.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 125mg
- Fat: 27g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 110mg