Delizia al Limone
Delizia al limone is an individual dome-shaped sponge cake filled and coated in fragrant lemon cream. It is a celebrated twentieth-century classic from the Amalfi Coast.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Calories
- 420 kcal
Equipment
- •Half-sphere silicone mould
- •Electric hand mixer
- •Saucepan
- •Fine mesh sieve
- •Piping bag
- •Wire cooling rack
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- fat
- 20 g
- carbs
- 52 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 7 g
- calories
- 420 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 170C and lightly grease six half-sphere silicone mould cavities.
- 2
Whisk the egg whites with 50g of sugar until stiff peaks form.
- 3
Whisk the egg yolks with 50g of sugar and lemon zest until pale and thick.
- 4
Gently fold the beaten whites and sifted flour into the yolks in alternating batches.
- 5
Divide the batter evenly into the mould cavities and bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden.
- 6
Warm the milk with broad strips of lemon peel in a saucepan, then remove the peel.
- 7
Whisk egg yolks, 80g of sugar, cornflour, and lemon juice, then stir into the hot milk over low heat until thick.
- 8
Cool the lemon cream completely, then fold in half of the softly whipped double cream.
- 9
Simmer water, remaining 40g of sugar, and half the limoncello for two minutes to make a light syrup.
- 10
Hollow the flat base of each baked sponge dome slightly and pipe in the chilled lemon cream.
- 11
Brush the sponge cakes thoroughly with the warm limoncello syrup and set them onto a rack.
- 12
Loosen the remaining lemon cream with limoncello and cream, spoon smoothly over the domes, and chill.
Chef's tips
Use untreated organic lemons, preferably from Sorrento or Amalfi, for the cleanest floral aroma. Chill the pastry cream completely before folding it into the whipped cream to prevent splitting.
Ingredient substitutions
- limoncello liqueur → lemon syrup with a drop of pure lemon extract for an alcohol-free finish
- half-sphere silicone mould → muffin tin lined with baking parchment, producing flat-topped rounds
Storage
Keep the finished domes covered in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Reheating
This delicate chilled pastry should never be reheated.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overbaking the sponge cakes, which leaves them dry and unable to absorb the soaking syrup.
- •Pouring warm coating cream over the assembled domes, which melts the structure and runs off.
- •Using waxed supermarket lemons that impart bitterness instead of clean citrus perfume.
Serving suggestions
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