I was looking for a good Italian dessert when I came across a recipe for an Italian Lemon Cream Cake. After testing the original recipe which didn’t work out well, I created my own version with my favorite lemon cream cheese filling and a sprinkling of lemoncello. The final version is moist and delicious, and because it’s light, is a good dessert to end almost any Italian meal.

This yummy cake can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until serving time.

12 Servings

Cake:
16 1/4 ounces white cake mix
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemoncello liqueur

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 sliced lemon, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Spray an 8" springform pan with non-stick spray and line it with parchment.
3. Cake: Mix the cake ingredients until smooth; pour into the prepared springform pan.
4. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool thoroughly. .
5. Filling: whisk together the 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch.
6. Whisk in the water, lemon juice, and egg yolks.
7. Microwave on high power, stirring every minute, until clear and thick, 3-5 minutes. .
8. Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth. .
9. Cool while preparing meringue. .
10. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
11. Fold into the cooled lemon mixture. .
12. Assembly: Split the cooled cake into 2 layers.
13. Place the bottom layer on a serving platter. .
14. Drizzle half of the lemoncello evenly over the cut side of the layer. .
15. Drizzle the remaining lemoncello over the cut side of the top layer. .
16. Spread the lemon filling over the bottom layer and top with the top cake layer. .
17. Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. .
18. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the whipped cream. .
19. Pipe decoratively on the top of the cake and garnish with lemon slices. Refrigerate.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 559 Calories from Fat 301
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 54% Protein 3% Carb. 41%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 33 g
Saturated Fat 14 g
Cholesterol 155 mg
Sodium 321 mg
Total Carbohydrate 57 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 34 g
Protein 5 g

Vitamin A 18% Vitamin C 10% Calcium 0% Iron 3%