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Side view of three plates with portions of lemon tiramisu on a tile counter, with a spoon, lemon slices, mint leaves and ginger on the side
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Lemon Tiramisu

This refreshing citrusy take on Tiramisu is made with layer of ladyfingers dipped in a lemon soaking syrup, creamy mascarpone and homemade lemon curd.
Course Dessert
Cuisine European, Fusion, International, Italian
Keyword Ginger, Lemon, Lemon curd, Lemon Tiramisu, Mascarpone, No bake, Tiramisu
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Refrigeration time 8 hours
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 9 to 12 servings

Ingredients

For the Lemon Curd:

  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 TBSP lemon zest
  • 2/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 stick of salted butter

For the Lemon Ginger Syrup:

  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup finely chopped ginger 1 large hand of ginger

For the Mascarpone Mixture:

  • 16 oz mascarpone cheese
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 TBSP lemon zest
  • 1 TBSP vanilla extract

To assemble:

  • 24 Lady Fingers crisp ones like Savoiardi brand, not cakey

Optional garnish ideas:

  • Extra lemon zest
  • Candied lemon on lemon slices
  • Mint leaves

Instructions

Make the lemon curd:

  • In a small sauce pan on medium low heat, add in the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Bring to a slight simmer, whisking constantly for 8-10 minutes until the curd thickens. Cooking directly on the heat can scramble your eggs, so be extremely vigilant about whisking. You’re looking for it to be similar to a thick pudding. Remove from heat, and stir in sliced butter.
    Egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a glass bowl
  • Transfer your lemon curd to a heatproof bowl, and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd. This prevents a skin from forming over the top. Place the curd in the refrigerator, and allow it to cool completely.
    A glass bowl full of lemon curd with a hand showing a spoon dipped into the bowl

Make the lemon-ginger soaking syrup:

  • In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, and chopped ginger. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat, and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. The liquid should reduce slightly into a syrup. Remove the pan from heat, and stir in lemon juice. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow flavors to infuse together. After 15 minutes, run the syrup through a fine sieve and into a shallow bowl, and allow to cool to room temperature.

Make the Mascarpone Cream Mixture:

  • Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla on low speed for approximately 30 seconds to combine. Increasing to medium speed, beat for 2-4 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.
    Mascarpone cheese and cream in a mixing bowl
  • Watch this closely, and stop as soon as the mixture can hold its shape. This will help prevent the mascarpone from curdling/breaking. Make sure both the heavy cream and mascarpone are very cold before attempting to make the whipped cream.
    A hand holding a mixing paddle showing the texture of whipped mascarpone cream

To assemble the Lemon Tiramisu:

  • Once the ginger lemon syrup has cooled completely to room temperature, quickly roll lady fingers in this mix and line the bottom of an 8x8 pan with the soaked ladyfingers. Work with one lady finger at a time until the bottom is covered by a single layer.
    A baking mold filled with soaked ladyfingers and some whipped mascarpone cream on top
  • Cover the bottom layer of lady fingers with half the mascarpone mixture, and spread into an even layer.
  • Give the cold lemon curd a quick stir, and then spread evenly over top of the mascarpone mixture. Using a butter knife, gently swirl the curd slightly into the mascarpone. This will prevent the next layer of lady fingers from sliding around.
    A lemon curd tiramisu being made on a kitchen counter
  • Add another layer of soaked lady fingers on top of the curd, followed by an evenly spread layer of the remaining mascarpone mixture.
  • Cover the lemon tiramisu, and refrigerate for at least 8-12 hours.
  • When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator, and sprinkle lemon zest on top for garnish. You can also add additional garnishes (lemon slices, candied lemon, mint, etc).
    Overhead shot of a square blue baking mold filled with lemon tiramisu, garnished with lemon zest, lemon slices and mint leaves
  • Serve and enjoy!
    Side view of a portion of lemon ginger tiramisu on a plate with a spoon showing a bite of the dessert

Notes

  • If your lemon curd will not thicken properly, there are a couple of things you can do: 1) Add an additional egg yolk to the mixture. Make sure you take some of the hot curd mixture from the pot and mix it in with the additional egg yolk before adding it in. This will prevent the yolk from cooking too quickly, resulting in scrambled eggs. or 
    2) You can also make a slurry with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix it together until it’s fully incorporated and add it into the curd mixture while it’s still on the heat. While you don’t want your curd to boil, watch for a couple of slow bubbles to appear. Once you see those, your mixture is hot enough to activate the cornstarch, and you can remove it from the heat.
  • Make sure to that your heavy cream and mascarpone are cold before preparing the mascarpone whipped cream. For best results also use heavy whipping cream that has at least 35% fat content.
  • Do not overwhip the mascarpone cream to prevent it from breaking. You can tell your mascarpone broke if it has a grainy look. Mascarpone cream should be silky smooth, so if there’s any graininess, you’ve broken the mascarpone.