This limoncello mascarpone cake has a soft and tender crumb and is topped with creamy mascarpone cream and lemon curd.
This cake is made with limoncello in the cake batter, and is made with melted butter, vegetable oil, and sour cream which creates the most tender and delicious cake ever!
This cake starts with a moist limoncello-infused base, which gives it a subtle, tangy sweetness.
On top of this flavorful foundation sits a layer of smooth mascarpone cream, adding richness and a velvety mouthfeel to each bite.
The finishing touch is a swirl of bright, tangy lemon curd, which not only enhances the cake's lemony taste but also creates an eye-catching pattern on the surface.
This cake is light and fresh and is perfect for summer and spring and is perfect to use up some ripe lemons you have in hand.
For more lemon desserts, check out our lemon shortbread cookies, lemon bars with graham cracker crust, and lemon pound cake.
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Why this recipe works
- Texture- the texture of this cake is soft and moist with a tender crumb that melts in your mouth with the light and silky mascarpone cream and lemon curd.
- Flavor- this cake is full of lemon and limoncello flavor and more lemon flavor from the lemon curd on top. It is perfect for a summery dessert or when you have a lot of lemons to use up!
- Ease- this easy cake comes together in one bowl and uses simple ingredients including melted butter (there is no need to let the butter come to room temperature).
- Mascarpone frosting- this cake is topped with the lightest and most delicious and delicate mascarpone frosting which is made with a few simple ingredients.
- Lemon curd topping- the mascarpone frosting it then topped with lemon curd and swirled onto the cake for a beautiful and delicious lemon flavor.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this lemon mascarpone cake recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this cake.
Eggs- you will need 3 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon will give you the best result. We don't recommend using store-bought lemon juice. This will make the flavor pop!
Lemon zest- you will need 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. We recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Limoncello- you can use your favorite brand of limoncello for this or use a homemade one!
Vegetable oil– I used vegetable oil for this recipe. Canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Flour– I used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Baking powder– to allow the cake to rise. Ensure that your baking powder isn't expired and is active.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Sour cream- use either sour cream or Greek yogurt. Both will work great. Use full-fat sour cream.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor. You can use regular vanilla extract or vanilla bean extract.
Buttermilk– gives the cake extra moisture. You can make your own buttermilk if you don’t have one on hand. Simply mix a cup of milk with a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the frosting
Mascarpone cheese- is the most important ingredient, make sure that you put your mascarpone cheese at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before starting to make the recipe.
Heavy cream- make sure that your heavy cream is cold. Cold heavy cream whips better and quicker.
Powder sugar- you will need powdered sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powdered sugar, you can make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
For the lemon curd
Make the exact recipe of lemon curd from my lemon curd cake recipe. If you have leftover lemon curd, make lemon curd cookies!
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a 9x9 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
Into a large mixing bowl, add granulated sugar and lemon zest and mix it with a whisk until well combined for about 2 minutes. This helps to release oils from the lemon zest and get a strong flavor.
Add the vanilla extract, kosher salt, vegetable oil, sour cream, melted butter, lemon juice, and limoncello, buttermilk, and mix until well combined.
Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Make the mascarpone cream
Into a big mixing bowl, add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar and mix with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. (don't overbeat the mixture so you don't create butter)
Add the mascarpone cheese (which is at room temperature) and mix it lightly into the whipped cream using a spatula until a creamy mixture forms.
Do not overmix this mixture! Stop just when the mixture is creamy and smooth. If you overmix this, the mixture will curdle and lose its creaminess.
Top the cooled cake with the mascarpone cream and make swirls using an offset spatula.
Make dollops of lemon curd on top of the mascarpone cream and swirl it with a spatula. Slice and enjoy! *Use my lemon curd recipe from my lemon curd cake.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Use fresh lemon juice. The key to a great lemon cake is the use of fresh, tart lemon juice. Avoid using bottled or concentrated lemon juice, as it can lack the depth of flavor you're looking for.
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. Opt for plump, juicy lemons and pure vanilla extract for maximum flavor. Invest in a good-quality poppy seeds to ensure a satisfying crunch in every bite.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has unmixed parts of the mixture.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be firmer and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
Faq's
Limoncello mascarpone cake is an easy cake that is made with limoncello, soaked in limoncello, and topped with mascarpone cream and lemon curd.
Yes. Limoncello cake contains limoncello which contains alcohol. This cake contains very little alcohol, so if you want more alcohol in this cake, you can top the warm cake with more limoncello.
Yes! You can double or even triple this recipe. If you double this recipe, I recommend using a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Storing
This cake will last up to 4 days stored in the fridge. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil to prevent it from drying out.
Freezing
You can freeze this cake in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 2 months. You can freeze the whole cake or slice it into slices and then freeze it.
If you are freezing individual slices of the cake, I would recommend storing them in a ziplock bag and then transferring them to an airtight freezer-friendly container.
Thaw the cake in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours or until its thawed.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Cake mix- I love making all of my desserts from scratch, but if you would like, you can make this cake with a boxed lemon cake mix. You will need a 15.25 oz package of boxed lemon cake mix.
Dairy-free- make this cake dairy free by swapping the butter with vegan butter. Also, use vegan cream cheese or vegan mascarpone and vegan heavy cream for the frosting.
Variations
Frosting- you can use your favorite frosting for this cake like cream cheese frosting, lemon buttercream frosting, vanilla frosting, mascarpone whipped cream, etc!
White chocolate- add mini white chocolate chips to the cake batter for a delicious white chocolate flavor and melty pockets of white chocolate.
Lemon zest- add even more lemon zest for a stronger lemon flavor and aroma.
Lemon flavor- for an even extra lemon flavor, add ½ teaspoon of lemon paste or lemon extract!
Serving Tips
Without lemon curd- if you are not a fan of lemon curd, simply skip the lemon curd and top the mascarpone cream with extra lemon zest.
Simple- if you don’t want to make mascarpone cream and want to keep this cake simple, top it with powdered sugar or with a simple lemon glaze.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- 9 by 9 inch pan
- Saucepan to make the lemon curd.
- Offset spatula
- Rubber spatula
More lemon recipes
Lemon poke cake- This lemon poke cake is made with a moist and tender lemon cake, lemon condensed milk filling, and lemon mascarpone whipped cream.
Lemon crinkle cookies- These lemon crinkle cookies are chewy and soft and are filled with lemon zest and lemon juice for a delicious citrus flavor.
Lemon curd cake- This lemon curd cake is made with two layers of moist lemon cake, filled with lemon curd, and frosted with lemon buttercream frosting.
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If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Limoncello Mascarpone Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups Granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon Lemon zest
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3.1 oz Butter melted and cooled, unsalted
- 3 Eggs
- 3 tablespoon Lemon juice
- ½ cup Limoncello
- ⅓ cup Buttermilk
- ⅓ cup Sour cream
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
For the mascarpone cream
- 8 oz Mascarpone cheese
- 1 ⅓ cups Heavy cream
- 1 cup Powder sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoon lemon curd
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prepare a 9x9 inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add granulated sugar and lemon zest and mix it with a whisk until well combined for about 2 minutes. This helps to release oils from the lemon zest and get a strong flavor.
- Add the vanilla extract, kosher salt, sour cream, vegetable oil, melted butter, lemon juice, and limoncello, buttermilk, and mix until well combined.
- Add the eggs and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Make the mascarpone cream
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar and mix with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. (don't overbeat the mixture so you don't create butter)
- Add the mascarpone cheese (which is at room temperature) and mix it lightly into the whipped cream using a spatula until a creamy mixture forms.
- Do not overmix this mixture! Stop just when the mixture is creamy and smooth. If you overmix this, the mixture will curdle and lose its creaminess.
- Top the cooled cake with the mascarpone cream and make swirls using an offset spatula.
- Make dollops of lemon curd on top of the mascarpone cream and swirl it with a spatula. Slice and enjoy! *Use my lemon curd recipe from my lemon curd cake.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Use fresh lemon juice. The key to a great lemon cake is the use of fresh, tart lemon juice. Avoid using bottled or concentrated lemon juice, as it can lack the depth of flavor you're looking for.
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. Opt for plump, juicy lemons and pure vanilla extract for maximum flavor. Invest in good-quality poppy seeds to ensure a satisfying crunch in every bite.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
- Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl frequently to ensure that you have a homogeneous mixture that has unmixed parts of the mixture.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be firmer and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.
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