Remember the time when lemon prices touched the sky and we couldn’t do anything about it? The refreshing properties of lemon make it an ideal choice for summer. However, not just for making lemonade. The citrusy flavour of this fruit can be easily incorporated into main meals and desserts too. It might come as a surprise to some of you but lemons can actually enhance the taste of your sweetmeats. The tanginess of this fruit adds a distinct after-taste to desserts, which balances out the sweetness really well. Be it a pound cake or a truffle, custard or a soufflé, lemon works well with most desserts. If nothing else, it complements the sweet dish that you’re having.
Lemons are great for plenty of reasons, one of which is their taste. A cool and refreshing summer drink like a lemonade or mojito brings out the best of lemon’s sour flavour. Loaded with Vitamin C and fibre, there isn’t any reason why lemons shouldn’t feature on the summer menu in different forms and shapes, desserts being one of them. Bringing respite in the sweltering heat, lemons can be dunked into a cake or a pie and enjoyed during the season. Here are a few lemon-based dessert recipes that you can try at home.
1. Lemon Cheesecake
Layered with Graham cracker crumbs on the base, the cheesecake is filled with a creamy layer on top. A delicious lemon curd is prepared and slathered on top of the crunchy tart. Full of sour cream, lemon zest and lemon juice, the cheesecake is a heavenly treat to the taste buds. The cake can be finished with a piping of fresh whipped cream, that adds to the smooth and creamy texture of the cake.
2. Lemon Crème Brulee
Crème brulee, for the unversed, is a dessert from the French cuisine that is made with a thick custard base and some caramelised sugar on top. Also known as burnt cream, the top of the dessert is a light brown colour because of caramelised sugar. In this recipe, the tart flavour of lemon is added to the custard with some lemon extract. Crumbly on top and creamy on the inside, this lemon crème brulee is garnished with freshly-cut strawberries.
3. Lemon Whipped Cream Torte
Although torte is a kind of German cake, it is different in terms of texture and taste. Often, flour is used very little and bread crumbs are used to hold the torte together. The torte comes packed with whipped cream, jams, fruits and more. This lemon torte has a refreshing lemon filling in between the delicate layers of the cake. The cake is similar to a sponge cake and is very moist in texture and taste. Topped with grated lemon zest, the cake is filled with the citrusy flavour of lemon too.
4. Coconut Lemon Bars
A sweet and sour dessert that is easy to eat and make, lemon bars are a delightful sweet meat. The lemon-flavoured thick bars are sliced into smaller cubes and set in the refrigerator. The yellow-coloured bars have an addition of coconut milk in them and dusted off with desiccated coconut in the end. The tangy lemon bars are a little larger than bite-sized desserts but a quick way to satiate the sweet tooth.
