A few weeks ago, I have shared the recipe of Delizie al Limone (Lemon Delights), a typical Italian dessert from Naples and the Sorrentine peninsula, in the region of Campania. They are a beautiful and delicious dessert, but they are very time consuming to make. I had some of the Lemon glaze left in my fridge, so I thought I should whip up something just as scrumptious but faster to make. That’s how this trifle in a jar came about. And I served it in little jars because… well, it looks so cute!! Instead of making a sponge cake, I used savoiardi cookies (ladyfingers – the same ones that are used in Tiramisu) and I dipped them in the remaining Limoncello syrup for extra lemon flavour. This dessert is soft, creamy, sweet and tangy all at the same time, just like Delizie al Limone, but it is a bit faster to make! So, you have no excuses… you must give it a try!!! Buon appetito!

Lemon Delight in a Jar

Lemon Delight in a Jar - Italian lemon and Limoncello trifle served in a jar.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 4 to 6

Author Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

Lemon Cream

40 gms – 2 egg yolks
40 gms – 1 ½ oz. sugar
1 or 2 lemons
40 gms – 1 ½ oz. butter

Lemon Crema Pasticcera

180 gms – ¾ cup milk
80 gms + 30 gms – 3 oz. + 1 oz. cream
80 gms – 4 egg yolks
60 gms – 1/3 cup granulated sugar
15 gms – 5 tsp cornstarch
1 pinch salt
1 lemon
1/3 vanilla pod

Limoncello Syrup

30 gms – 1 oz.water
30 gms – 1 oz. granulated sugar
50 gms – 1 ¾ oz. Limoncello
½ lemon

Glaze

Lemon Cream
Lemon Crema Pasticcera
60 gms – 1/3 cup milk
125 gms– ½ cup cream whipped and lightly sweetned
30 gms – 1 oz. Limoncello

Assembling

Limoncello Syrup + water
Lemon Glaze
Savoiardi cookies/ladyfingers

Instructions

Lemon Cream

Grate the peel of the lemon and then juice it. Put the grated peel in a bowl with the lemon juice and keep it to infuse for 20 minutes.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and then add 40 gms – 1 ½ oz. of the lemon juice and grated peel. Keep mixing.
Put this mixture on a slow flame and cook it, while continuously stirring, until it reaches 80°C – 176°F. Then remove from the fire and put the pot in a double boiler filled with cold water. Blend it with a stick mixer until smooth. Let it cool down to 50°C – 122°F, then add the chopped butter and keep blending until smooth.
Cover it with cling wrap (make sure that the cling wrap touches the surface of the cream so a skin doesn’t form) and refrigerate it until completely cold.

Lemon Crema Pasticcera

In a pot put the milk, cream, lemon peel, and scraped vanilla bean and bring to a boil. Then put the fire off, let it infuse for 1 hour and then filter it.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar, cornstach and salt until pale. Then slowly add the filtered milk.
Cook this mixture until it reaches 82°C – 180°F, then cover the cream with cling wrap (make sure that the cling wrap touches the surface of the cream so a skin doesn’t form) and refrigerate it until completely cold.

Limoncello Syrup

Dissolve the sugar in the water and add the lemon peel. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Put the fire off and let it get back to room temperature. Then filter it and add the Limoncello.

Assembling

Mix together the Lemon Cream and the Lemon Crema Pasticcera (make sure they are both cold). Add 30 gms – 1 oz. of Limoncello, 155 gms – 2/3 cup of sweetened whipped cream and 60 gms – 1/3 cup of milk to make the thick glaze. Mix well.
Measure your Limoncello syrup and add ½ its volume in water. Mix well.
Take the jars and put a dollop of Lemon glaze at the bottom. Get a savoiardo cookie and dip it in the Limoncello and water syrup, then layer it in the jar. Cover it with some Lemon glaze. Do as many layers as you can fit in the jar.
Close the jars and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
When ready to serve, decorate with some whipped cream and lemon zests.