Decadent Lemon Desserts
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Decadent Lemon Desserts – Got Too Many Lemons?

Homemade Limoncello!

If you just made Limoncello, you may now have a bunch of naked lemons you need to use.  Or maybe you have a really prolific lemon tree, and there are only so many pitchers of lemonade you can drink.  Having found myself in both situations over the past year, I have read, researched, and developed recipes, both sweet and savory, to use up my abundance of lemons.

When you have a lot of lemons, decadent lemon desserts are a fantastic way to use your fruit.  With some easy, go-to lemon dessert recipes to reach for whenever you find yourself with fruit in abundance,  your friends and family won’t groan when they see your harvest.

These recipes are luscious and creamy. These desserts are infused with plenty of butter and eggs which smooth out the tart edges of the lemons and add depth and flavor.

Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd, is that decadent lemony spread the Brits love to smear on their crumpets and scones with afternoon tea.  But really, most of us here in the US don’t know what to do with lemon curd.  Curds are somewhat like a jam.  They are generally made with citrus fruit, and the most common is lemon.  The main difference between curds and jams is the addition of eggs and often butter.

Adding eggs and butter gives the curd a smoother, more creamy texture.  However, this also shortens the life of the curd.    You can safely keep the curd in your refrigerator for a week or so.  You can freeze lemon curd for up to a year without any real change in quality. 

Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd isn’t a dessert on its own.  You should think of curd as a base, a starter a shortcut sometimes, to an even better dessert.  When you combine it with your favorite breads, cakes, and pastries, you can make a dessert that will be remembered for a long time. 

  • Lemon curd makes an excellent filling for cakes and pastries. 
  • You can use lemon curd on your waffles or pancakes for a different taste than the usual maple syrup.
  • For the ultimate in decadent lemon desserts, fold whipped cream into your lemon curd and use it for the filling in your cream puffs!

Lemon Pound Cake

Need a go-to dessert that everyone will enjoy?   Pound cake is simple to make, and lemons take the cake to the next level.  Pound cake has been a staple in kitchens for literally hundreds of years.  You can even find a recipe for pound cake in the first US cookbook, American Cookery, published in 1796.  That is if you can find the cookbook.

Pound cake got its name from its ingredients:  a pound of eggs, a pound of sugar, a pound of butter and a pound of flour.  However, you don’t need to make a cake that large to have a great pound cake.

Lemon Pound Cake Made Using a Rosette Bundt Pan

In France, the pound cake is called “quatre-quarts,” which means four quarters.  Simply put, you use the four (4) main ingredients in equal parts.  And it is the weight of the components that matter. 

Remember, baking is not as forgiving as other types of cooking.  You need to be more precise for the chemical reactions we are looking for, such as a cake rising.  One cup of flour does not weigh the same as one cup of sugar.

There are many different flavorings you can add to your pound cake to make it different, but I like lemon.  Serve a slice of lemon pound cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, and your lemon dessert just got way more decadent!

Lemon Bars

Dessert bars are an American classic.  This “bar cookie” is part cake and part cookie.  A bar is softer than a cookie but firm enough that you can pick it up and eat it with your fingers.  You could do that with cake, but it’s not that easy. 

Usually, the “bar” has a firm bottom, ranging from graham cracker and chocolate cookie crusts to my favorite shortbread crust.  The bases are then topped with all sorts of goodies.   There are peanut butter bars, chocolate coconut bars, cheesecake bars, pecan pie bars, M&M cookie bars, and on and on. 

Meyer Lemon Bars

But we are talking about decadent lemon desserts here, and one of my favorite bars is lemon bars with a shortbread crust.  The sweet, tart lemon topping melts into the buttery shortbread and makes for an unparalleled taste sensation!

Want to know the best part about lemon bars?  These luscious little bars look decadent and sophisticated, but they are effortless to make.  Maximum kudos for minimum effort!

Need to Use Up Your Lemons? 

Now that you’re thinking of lemons, I bet you have even more decadent desserts in your recipe box.  But I’m sure you’ll agree these three recipes are a great start. 

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