Best Limoncello Recipes

LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Zest the lemons, and place zest into a large glass bottle or jar. Pour in vodka. Cover loosely and let infuse for one week at room temperature.
• After one week, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Do not stir. Boil for 15 minutes. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
• Stir vodka mixture into syrup. Strain into glass bottles, and seal each bottle with a cork. Let mixture age for 2 weeks at room temperature.
• Place bottled liqueur into the freezer. When icy cold, serve in chilled vodka glasses or shot glasses.

LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
• Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

ITALIAN LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Combine alcohol and lemon zest in a 1-gallon jug with a tight-fitting lid. Place in a cool, dark place to rest for 1 month. Swirl contents of the jug every few days.
• Combine water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat; stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Set simple syrup aside to cool completely, 15 to 30 minutes.
• While simple syrup is cooling, place a sieve over a large bowl and line with coffee filters. Strain alcohol mixture through coffee filters to remove all sediment. Replace the filters as needed until all the mixture has been filtered. Filter one more time to ensure all sediment has been removed. Discard coffee filters and zest.
• Add enough simple syrup to the alcohol mixture to reach the desired alcohol-by-volume percentage; refer to an alcohol content calculator.
• Divide limoncello among 6 wine bottles. Seal with corks. Allow to rest in a cool, dark place for 1 month, swirling every few days. Strain one more time to remove any leftover sediment if desired.
• Place 1 bottle of limoncello in the freezer and serve icy-cold. Store remaining bottles at room temperature.

LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Pare the zest from all the lemons, taking care not to include any white pith. Put the zest in a large clean jar and pour over the vodka. Cover with a tightly fitting lid and leave for a week, shaking the jar each day.
• Put the sugar in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the vodka and peels and leave for a further week, shaking the jar regularly.
• Strain into decorative bottles, adding a few strips of lemon zest to each bottle.

CREAMY LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Combine lemon zest and vodka in an airtight container. Cover and place in a cool, dark space, shaking the container to redistribute the lemon zest once a day for 5 days.
• Pour milk and sugar into a large pot and bringing to a low boil, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow milk mixture to cool to room temperature. Slowly strain vodka mixture into the milk using a sieve. Discard the lemon zest. Pour limoncello into a capped bottle and place in the freezer to chill for 1 hour. Serve cold.

LIMONCELLO RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray a 9 x13 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a medium bowl and mix until moistened. Press the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and 1/4 inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes and set aside to cool.
• For the filling, place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the ricotta and beat for another minute, scraping down the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the limoncello, vanilla, and lemon zest and beat for one minute. With the mixer on medium-low, add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix until the batter is smooth. Pour over the crust.
• Place the baking pan in a roasting pan large enough to hold the baking pan completely flat. Place the pan in the oven and carefully pour enough of the hottest tap water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until almost set in the center. (It will still be a little jiggly when you shake the pan gently.) Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven in the water bath for 15 minutes to prevent the cheesecake from cracking. Take the baking pan out of the water bath and place on a rack to cool completely. Wrap the entire pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with extra grated lemon zest, cut in 12 pieces, and serve cold.

TRADITIONAL ITALIAN LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Zest lemons, making sure to get the outermost part of the skin and avoid the white pith.
• Place lemon zest in a glass bowl and cover with alcohol. Cover and let infuse at room temperature until yellowish in color, about 7 days.
• Bring water and sugar to the boil in a saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove syrup from heat and let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Pour alcohol into the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer; discard lemon zest. Stir well.
• Pour limoncello into thick, freezer-safe glass bottles. Store in the freezer for at least 2 weeks before serving.

QUICK AND EASY SUMMER LIMONCELLO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray an 8-inch square cake pan with cooking spray.
• Whisk sour cream, white sugar, canola oil, eggs, 3 tablespoons limoncello, and lemon zest together in a large bowl.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl. Add flour mixture to sour cream mixture; stir with a wooden spoon until batter is just combined. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 33 to 35 minutes. Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons limoncello liqueur together in a bowl until glaze is thin and smooth. Spread glaze over the top of the cake. Cool cake completely before slicing.

FRUIT SALAD WITH LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• For the lemon yogurt topping, whisk together the yogurt, lemon curd, honey, and vanilla and set aside at room temperature.
• For the fruit salad, carefully toss together the strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sugar, and limoncello. Allow them to stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes to let the berries macerate with the sugar and liqueur. Gently fold the banana into the mixture.
• Serve bowls of fruit with a dollop of lemon yogurt on top. Top each with a sprig of fresh mint.

LIMONCELLO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Add lemon cake mix, lemon pudding mix, eggs, oil, lemon juice, Limoncello, rind and pecans to large bowl.
• Mix for at least 3 minutes.
• Pour into buttered and floured bundt pan.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes.
• Remove from oven.
• Make glaze: Melt butter and add sugar.
• Bring to full boil until sugar is melted.
• Remove from heat and add Limoncello.
• Poke holes all over cake using a skewer or fork.
• Pour glaze over hot cake slowly.
• Cool in pan.

LIMONCELLO TIRAMISU (TIRAMISU AL LIMONCELLO)

Steps:

• Pour just enough water in the double-boiler pan so the water level is right below the bottom of the mixing bowl when it is sitting in the pan. Separate the eggs, putting yolks into the large bowl of the double boiler and the whites into another stainless-steel bowl for whipping by hand or with an electric mixer.
• Remove the zest of two or more of the lemons, using a fine grater, to get 2 tablespoons of zest. Squeeze out and strain the juice of these and the other lemons to get 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice.
• To make the base for the tiramisù, heat the water in the double boiler to a steady simmer. Off the heat, beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1/2 cup of the limoncello until well blended. Set the bowl over the simmering water, and whisk constantly, frequently scraping the whisk around the sides and bottom of the bowl, as the egg mixture expands and heats into a frothy sponge, 5 minutes or longer. When the sponge has thickened enough to form a ribbon when it drops on the surface, take the bowl off the double-boiler pan and let it cool.
• Meanwhile, pour the remaining cup of limoncello, all of the lemon juice, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and cook for 5 minutes, evaporating the alcohol. Let the syrup cool completely.
• In another large bowl, stir the mascarpone with a wooden spoon to soften it, then drop in the grated lemon zest and beat until light and creamy. Whip the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, by hand or by machine, until it holds moderately firm peaks.
• When the cooked limoncello sponge (or zabaglione) is cooled, scrape about a third of it over the mascarpone, and fold it in with a large rubber spatula. Fold in the rest of the zabaglione in two or three additions. Now fold in the whipped egg whites in several additions, until the limoncello-mascarpone cream is light and evenly blended.
• Pour some of the cooled syrup, no deeper than 1/4 inch, into the shallow-rimmed pan to moisten the ladyfingers (savoiardi). One at a time, roll a ladyfinger in the syrup and place it in the casserole or baking dish. Wet each cookie briefly-if it soaks up too much syrup, it will fall apart. Arrange the moistened ladyfingers in neat, tight rows, filling the bottom of the pan completely. You should be able to fit about twenty ladyfingers in a single layer.
• Scoop half of the limoncello-mascarpone cream onto the ladyfingers, and smooth it to fill the pan and cover them. Dip and arrange a second layer of ladyfingers in the pan, and cover it completely with the remainder of the cream.
• Smooth the cream with the spatula, and seal the tiramisù airtight in plastic wrap. Before serving, refrigerate for 6 hours (or up to 2 days), or put it in the freezer for 2 hours. To serve, cut portions of tiramisù in any size you like, and life each out of the pan and onto dessert plates.

LIMONCELLO CHEESECAKE SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.
• Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the limoncello, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, and pulse just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the baking pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold).
• Transfer the cake to a rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into squares and serve.
• *Limoncello liqueur can be found at most liquor stores and in the liquor department of some specialty markets. If limoncello liqueur is unavailable at stores near you, use the following recipe to make your own limoncello liqueur.
• Limoncello:
• Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
• Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.
• Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
• Makes: 7 cups
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Inactive Prep Time: 4 days and 4 hours

MIXED BERRIES WITH LIMONCELLO

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Serve in individual serving dishes.

LIMONCELLO TIRAMISù

Steps:

• Pour just enough water in the double-boiler pan so the water level is right below the bottom of the mixing bowl when it is sitting in the pan. Separate the eggs, putting yolks into the large bowl of the double boiler and the whites into another stainless-steel bowl for whipping by hand or with an electric mixer.
• Remove the zest of two or more of the lemons, using a fine grater, to get 2 tablespoons of zest. Squeeze out and strain the juice of these and the other lemons to get 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice.
• To make the base for the tiramisù, heat the water in the double boiler to a steady simmer. Off the heat, beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar and ± cup of the limoncello until well blended.
• Set the bowl over the simmering water, and whisk constantly, frequently scraping the whisk around the sides and bottom of the bowl, as the egg mixture expands and heats into a frothy sponge, 5 minutes or longer. When the sponge has thickened enough to form a ribbon when it drops on the surface, take the bowl off the double-boiler pan and let it cool.
• Meanwhile, pour the remaining cup of limoncello, all of the lemon juice, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and cook for 5 minutes, evaporating the alcohol. Let the syrup cool completely.
• In another large bowl, stir the mascarpone with a wooden spoon to soften it, then drop in the grated lemon zest and beat until light and creamy. Whip the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, by hand or by machine, until it holds moderately firm peaks. When the cooked limoncello sponge (or zabaglione) is cooled, scrape about a third of it over the mascarpone, and fold it in with a large rubber spatula. Fold in the rest of the zabaglione in two or three additions. Now fold in the whipped egg whites in several additions, until the limoncello-mascarpone cream is light and evenly blended.
• Pour some of the cooled syrup, no deeper than 1/4 inch, into the shallow-rimmed pan to moisten the ladyfingers (savoiardi). One at a time, roll a ladyfinger in the syrup and place it in the casserole or baking dish. Wet each cookie briefly-if it soaks up too much syrup, it will fall apart. Arrange the moistened ladyfingers in neat, tight rows, filling the bottom of the pan completely. You should be able to fit about twenty ladyfingers in a single layer.
• Scoop half of the limoncello-mascarpone cream onto the ladyfingers, and smooth it to fill the pan and cover them. Dip and arrange a second layer of ladyfingers in the pan, and cover it completely with the remainder of the cream. Smooth the cream with the spatula, and seal the tiramisù airtight in plastic wrap. Before serving, refrigerate for 6 hours (or up to 2 days), or put it in the freezer for 2 hours. To serve, cut portions of tiramisù in any size you like, and lift each out of the pan onto dessert plates.

LIMONCELLO & RASPBERRY SEMIFREDDO

Steps:

• Line the base of a 1kg loaf tin (19cm x 12cm x 9cm deep) with baking parchment. For the semifreddo, mash the raspberries and half the sugar in a bowl with a fork. Whisk the cream, the rest of the sugar and the limoncello to soft peaks. Beat the crème fraîche briefly so it is in soft peaks like the cream. Gently fold the cream mixture and crème fraîche together.
• Pour the mashed raspberries into the cream and give a few stirs only - just enough to swirl it through the creamy mix. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and smooth the top.
• For the coulis, mash the raspberries, sugar and limoncello with a fork, then push through a sieve.
• Open-freeze (see 'Try' below) the semifreddo then cover with cling film and foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Pour the sieved coulis into a rigid container and freeze for up to 1 month.
• To serve, thaw the coulis in the fridge overnight. Thaw the semifreddo in the fridge for 1 hr. Remove it from the tin and peel off the lining paper. Drizzle with a little of the coulis and scatter some raspberries over the top. Serve in slices with the rest of the coulis.

LEMONY LIMONCELLO TIRAMISU

Steps:

• Stir mascarpone cheese; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and milk in top of a double boiler until mixture is thickened (ribbon stage) and a thermometer reads 160°. Remove from heat; cool completely. Whisk in mascarpone cheese until almost smooth. Whip heavy cream and vanilla until soft peaks form., Combine lemon juice and limoncello. Briefly dip 24 ladyfingers into lemon mixture and place in the bottom of an 11x7-in. baking dish. Top with half the mascarpone mixture, half the lemon curd and half the whipped cream. Repeat layers. Refrigerate, covered, 6 hours or overnight. To serve, garnish with candied lemon slices as desired.

LIMONCELLO CREME CAKE

Steps:

• 1. LEMON CURD: (Make Ahead) Roll room temperature lemons to loosen the juice inside. Then zest 7-8 lemons using a fine grater. Cut lemons and use a strainer to strain seeds from juice as you squeeze into a bowl.
• 2. Separate the 8 egg yolks and reserve 3 whites for the cake.
• 3. In the top of a double boiler, mix egg yolks, sugar, the 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, and the lemon zest from all of the lemons.
• 4. Bring the double boiler to simmer and keep it there. Simmer and whisk constantly. Both the temperature and the whisking are necessary to prevent curdling. Simmer and whisk 10 minutes in this fashion until it becomes a thick pudding-like consistency.
• 5. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon extract. Add butter.
• 6. Whisk until it dissolves completely.
• 7. For a smooth lemon curd, strain the curd to remove the zest. You can leave it, though. I leave it in because I like the slight chewiness one gets from the zest.
• 8. Once the curd is strained, it's nice and smooth like pudding.
• 9. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Place bowl in the refrigerator to cool completely. This will be used to make the mascarpone mousse. (My curd makes around 2 cups, and whatever the recipe makes, I use it ALL in the mousse.)
• 10. CAKE: (Can bake the cake a day ahead.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Spray cooking spray onto the pan. Place parchment paper in the bottom, and then spray paper too. Dust slightly with some dry cake mix.
• 11. Mix pudding mix and cake mix. Then add 3 egg whites, 2 tablespoons of oil, and 1 1/3 cup of water until the cake mix is moist. Mix 2 minutes (according to package directions).
• 12. Pour into springform pan. Place this into a larger roasting pan in case of leaking.
• 13. Place into the oven for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• 14. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before removing springform sides.
• 15. After removing springform sides, place the cake in the freezer for cooling. If baking the night before, I place it into the refrigerator and then place it into the freezer for about 2 hours the morning before I assemble the cake.
• 16. LEMON MASCARPONE MOUSSE: (Should also be made several hours before assembling to help the mousse set up before assembling.) Whip mascarpone until smooth. Continue to beat while adding sugar and lemon extract.
• 17. Check to see that sugar is dissolved. Then continue to beat while adding lemon curd. (If you stop beating while adding these ingredients, the acid of the lemon could curdle the mascarpone.)
• 18. Add limoncello while beating. When it's smooth, chill in the refrigerator. (I do not remove all of the zest caught in the beaters or wire whip. There will still be some in the mousse.)
• 19. LIMONCELLO SOAKING LIQUID: Combine water, sugar, and lemon zest in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring consistently until sugar is completely dissolved. Bring the heat up to medium-high and bring the syrup to a boil.
• 20. Remove the pan from heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Strain the liquid to remove lemon zest.
• 21. Stir in the limoncello and the lemon extract. Keep the syrup covered until ready to assemble the cake.
• 22. TO ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Remove cooled cake from the freezer. Using a bread knife, carefully split layer into two layers, cutting all of the way through. Remove top layer, carefully, to wax paper with the cut side up. Carefully, loosen the bottom of the springform pan from the bottom layer by sliding knife or spatula between parchment paper and pan bottom. Then slide cake onto a cake plate with the cut side up.
• 23. Using a pastry brush or a spoon, put limoncello soaking liquid on each layer. (This is why I use the springform pan and cut the layers instead of using two or three round cake pans. The cut layers really allow the liquid to absorb into the cake.)
• 24. Using half of the mascarpone mousse on the layer of cake on the cake plate, smooth it out, and then place it into the freezer until well set. If you rush this, the mousse will squeeze out when the other layer is placed upon it. Return other layers to the freezer also.
• 25. Carefully, place the top layer onto the frosted bottom layer.
• 26. Spread mousse along the top of the cake. You can frost the sides of the cake if you want, but I do not always do that.
• 27. Grate white chocolate on top of the mascarpone mousse. Chill cake for several hours. It takes a while for the mousse to firm up and it's even better the day after it's assembled.
• 28. GARNISHES: When slicing, you may garnish with fresh mint and a lemon slice. Or, it looks really great garnished with a raspberry and some raspberry sauce.
• 29. NOTE: This can be made alcohol free by omitting the limoncello in the mousse, by increasing the sugar in the soaking liquid, and using lemon juice instead of limoncello.

MIXED BERRIES WITH MASCARPONE-LIMONCELLO CREAM

Steps:

• Combine whipping cream, mascarpone, 3 tablespoons sugar, and limoncello in large bowl. Beat until soft peaks form.
• Combine all berries, raspberry preserves, lemon peel, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in another large bowl; toss gently. Divide berry mixture among 8 coupes. Top with mascarpone cream.

NIGELLA'S BLACKBERRY TRIFLE WITH CREAMY LIMONCELLO MASCARPONE

Steps:

• Split the lady fingers and make little sandwiches of them using more than half of the jam, then press them into a 2-quart size glass bowl.
• Crumble the amaretti cookies and scatter most of them evenly over the lady fingers, reserving a bit for the topping, and then pour a generous 1/2 cup limoncello over them.
• In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons limoncello with the remaining currant jam. Add the blackberries, stirring gently to coat.
• Spoon the blackberries over the crumbled cookies.
• Whisk together the remaining limoncello with the sugar and mascarpone until light and fluffy. Spread gently and evenly over the blackberries in the bowl.
• In a small bowl, toss together the remaining amaretti crumbs with the toasted slivered almonds, then sprinkle over the surface of the trifle.
• Spoon into dessert glasses to serve.

LIMONCELLO AND ALMOND BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using a hand-held mixer, beat together the egg whites and salt in a medium bowl on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the granulated sugar and continue to beat until very soft peaks form, another 2 minutes. Add the almond flour, slivered almonds, limoncello and lemon zest and use a rubber spatula to stir and fold until just combined. Scoop heaping 1 tablespoon mounds onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake, rotating the trays halfway through, until lightly brown on the edges, about 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes on the tray. Dust with the confectioners' sugar and serve with coffee.