Italian Lemon Cream with Maraschino Cherries

A bowl of lemon cream dessert topped with maraschino cherries and crumbled amaretti biscuits. A spoonful of the cream sits on top.

5 from 2 votes

Italian Lemon Cream with Maraschino Cherries

My Italian Lemon Cream with Maraschino Cherries are a zingy, creamy delight. A life-affirming combination of cream and citrus that wakes up every taste bud. They're quick and incredibly easy to make at home.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Refrigeration/setting8

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: bowls

Calories: 652kcal

Author: Lee

Ingredients

3 small lemons (or two larger lemons)
¾ cup sugar
300 g Mascarpone
150 ml thick cream (double/whipping)
16 Maraschino cherries (for garnish)
4 Amaretti biscuits (for garnish)

Instructions

Zest and juice the lemons then combine in a saucepan with the sugar. Heat until just bubbling and all the sugar dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a separate saucepan, heat the mascarpone and cream together, stirring until well combined. Let it come to a bubble then remove from the heat.
Whisk together the cream and the lemon mixture until well combined.
Pour the lemon cream through a fine sieve into a jug. Discard the zest.
Pour the lemon cream equally into 4 small bowls. Cover the bowls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours for the cream to set.
Once set, garnish the bowls with a few cherries and syrup and then crumble over some of the amaretti biscuit just before serving.

Notes

Instead of cherries, you can use chilled stewed fruit like raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, apple, peaches, apricots etc.
Fresh fruit works well too, try raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries
Instead of a crumbly amaretti, use biscotti or even a crunchy Dutch cinnamon biscuit.
You could also substitute the biscuit for crunchy nots or seeds.

Storage

You can make the desserts in advance and keep refrigerated until needed. They'll stay good in the fridge for up to a week. They're not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition