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13 Comments This limoncello trifle is a deliciously fresh and festive dessert made with raspberries, limoncello, mascarpone, and ladyfingers. The recipe is originally inspired by Jamie Oliver and secretly feels a lot like a limoncello tiramisu. It’s perfect for Christmas, Easter, birthdays, or dinner parties with friends, because you can make it ahead of time and serve it straight from the fridge. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Besides the fact that this limoncello trifle is super tasty, it’s also quick and easy to make, ready in about 30 minutes. It’s perfect for the holidays (Christmas or Easter) and can easily be prepared ahead of time!
Recipe Ingredients
A classic English trifle consists of multiple layers of cake, cream, fruit, and often custard. In this limoncello version we use:
- ladyfingers (or sponge cake)
- orange juice + limoncello
- fresh lemon-mascarpone cream
- raspberries – also great with blueberries, strawberries, mango, or other soft fruits
- whipped cream and dark chocolate for topping
Thanks to the limoncello it gets a bright citrus flavor that pairs deliciously with red fruits like raspberries or strawberries, depending on the season. Frozen fruit also works, but it tends to be wetter. Make sure to thaw it properly and drain of any excess liquid.
How to Make Limoncello Trifle
In the original Jamie Oliver recipe, juice from 3 oranges + limoncello is poured into the dish, but that makes the ladyfingers quite wet. If you don’t like that texture, simply dip the ladyfingers briefly into the mixture instead of pouring it in. The flavor stays the same, but the texture is better.
After that, assembling this limoncello tiramisu-style trifle is really straightforward. Start with the ladyfingers (or cake), then build the trifle in layers. It’s also fun to serve it in individual glasses instead of one big dish. Mini limoncello trifles are great for a dessert buffet, for example.
Flavor Variations
Last year I had some leftover panettone after making this panettone recipe with hazelnuts and chocolate, and it turned out to be a genius pairing with the limoncello trifle. Just replace the ladyfingers with cubed panettone, drizzle lightly with the orange juice-limoncello mix, and follow the recipe as written.
Want even more citrus flavor? It’s also delicious with lemon curd. I like spreading a little lemon curd over the cake/panettone/ladyfingers before assembling the rest. You can even fold some into the whipped cream for extra brightness! Have never tried making your own lemon curd? With this easy lemon curd recipe you can’t go wrong!
FAQ Limoncello Trifle
There sure is. Replace the limoncello for a mix of orange juice and lemon juice and add a bit of honey to sweeten it up.
Yes you can. In fact it will be even better if you do. Make it at most one day ahead and keep in the fridge until serving.
Yes you can. I would remove the fresh fruit if you do and make sure to cover it well to prevent ice crystals from forming. It is however best to eat fresh but if you do have leftovers you can freeze.
Yes. It will be delicious with fresh strawberries, black berries, mango or another soft fruit.
You can. You could for instance replace a part of the mascarpone for thick yogurt. However, that does contain more moisture so I would advise to drain the yogurt before hand (you can do that using a cheese cloth for instance)
You can. Try a delicious homemade panettone, use a lemon loaf instead of the ladyfingers or use whatever other cake you love.
Limoncello Trifle with Raspberries
Ingredients
- 2 oranges juiced
- 3 tbsp limoncello
- 1 package package of lady fingers
- 300 gr mascarpone
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- juice of half a lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 vanillapod
- 150 gr raspberries
- dark chocolate for grating
How to make the limoncello trifle
- Put the juice of the two oranges together with the limoncello into a flat bowl and taste. If it has too strong an alcohol taste you can adjust it with adding more juice. Dip each of the ladyfingers into the mixture and lay them into a serving dish with a flat bottom. Continue until you have a layer of ladyfingers.
- In a separate bowl mix the mascarpone with the icing sugar, lemon juice, vanillaseeds, zest and about 1-2 tbsp of the dipping mixture you used. Stir until everything is combined well.
- Spread the mixture over the lady fingers, smoothing it as much as possible. Put all the raspberries on top of the mixture and finish with a generous grating of the chocolate. Keep chilled until ready to use!
Notes
- Kid-friendly? Swap limoncello for orange + lemon juice + honey.
- Make ahead? Yes, 1 day in advance for best flavor.
- Freeze? Yes, but remove fresh fruit. Best fresh.
- Fruit swaps? Use strawberries, blackberries, mango, etc.
- Lighter version? Replace mascarpone with drained thick yogurt.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
Hi there! I am sure u saw him prepare this in one of his Shows. Do you remember which of his books/TV Programme this is from?
O that’s a very good question. I made it so long ago I can’t recall! Sorry!
I fund this recipe by accident and made it as part of a summer barbecue and everyone really enjoyed it! The only thing I would mention is you don’t specify a size of casserole dish and as I was assembling it I thought I’d have more topping than cookie in my 1.4 L (1.5 Qt) dish so I placed the cookies on their side for extra height and that worked quite well. I also didn’t dunk them very long because I was afraid they’d fall apart so after assembling I slowly poured some of the remaining juice over them making sure the bottom of the dish never became wet and that seemed to work well. By the way, everyone raved about the dessert and thought it was restaurant quality!
Thanks so much Michael. Glad it worked out so well!
Hi Simone! How much time does this take to set? I dont want the fingers to get soggy at the same time I dont want to prepare this last minute.
I know he added milk with the mascarpone. Not mentioned in the ingredients and in the method. Please explain.
I don’t know what you mean. This is my version and I chose to use lemon juice and not milk.
Any substitute for the limoncello wine for non-alcohol receipe?
Sure. You can replace it with lemon juice ..;)
Could you translate the limoncello tiramisu in German please! Thanke You Sandra
Google translate might help you.
Thank you! I made this many, many time. It’s so delicious!
And perfect for summer I would say.. 😉