Mimosa Tiramisù

The golden mimosa blossom holds great significance in Italy. It symbolizes spring and is tied to the Festa dellla Donna (International Women’s Day) and Festa della Mamma (Mother’s Day), two special occasions that honor women. The classic Italian Mimosa Cake was created to serve on these holidays. It consists of a round sponge cake filled with pastry cream. Cubes of cake cover its surface so that it resembles a stem of mimosa flowers. Here we have adapted the traditional recipe to make a refreshing mimosa tiramisù, spiked with lemon zest and limoncello.

While this dessert has three components, it is easy to master. The base is a simple spongecake. The filling is a classic pastry cream custard lightened with whipped cream. Limoncello sugar syrup flavors and moistens the cake. You can make the components ahead to assemble later. You can even make the dessert ahead too and keep it refrigerated for a couple of days before serving. This dessert would look stunning in a footed glass bowl, ready to serve to the special women in your life.

Course: Dessert

Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the sugar syrup

¾ cup water
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup limoncello

For the sponge cake

4 whole eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
pinch of salt
grated zest of half a lemon
¾ cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

For the lemon cream filling

1 cup whole milk
grated zest of half a lemon
2 egg yolks
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
¾ cup heavy cream
powdered sugar, as needed for garnish

Instructions

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
To make the sugar syrup, combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the mixture reduces by half its volume, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the limoncello. Cool completely before using.
For the sponge cake, combine the eggs, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Whip on high speed until the mixture expands to three times its volume, for 3 to 4 minutes. Gently fold in the lemon zest and then the flour.
Scape the batter into the prepared baking sheet. Use a spatula to spread the batter out evenly. Bake until light golden brown, for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, flip the sponge cake over onto a sheet of parchment paper. Then peel off the paper on the bottom. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into thin strips then into small cubes.
For the lemon cream filling, place the milk and lemon zest in a small saucepan over low heat. Place the egg yolks and sugar into a medium size bowl. Beat them together with a wire whisk until the mixture is lightened and lemony in color. Whisk in a small amount of the heated milk. Add the remaining milk then return the mixture to the saucepan.
Cook the milk and egg mixture over medium heat whisking constantly until it thickens, for 4 to 6 minutes. Scrape the cooked custard into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so that it touches the surface of the custard. Let cool then refrigerate.
Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold half of it into the cooled lemon custard. Then fold the remaining whipped cream into the lightened mixture. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
To assemble the mimosa tiramisù, select 4 or 6 individual serving bowls or glasses. Place several cubes of sponge cake in the bottom of each bowl. Brush the sponge cake generously with the sugar syrup. Cover with a layer of lemon cream filling. Repeat with another layer of spongecake and lemon cream ending with a layer of cubed sponge cake. Serve immediately dusted with powdered sugar. Or cover it lightly and keep the desserts refrigerated until ready to serve. They will keep for 2 to 3 days.