Lemon Dessert Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to make lemon desserts more lemony? ›

Combine lemon zest with oil or butter

Making a lemon cake or shortbread cookies? Rub the lemon into the sugar, then add your cooking fat, like butter or oil. The tangy zest will infuse the whole batter, elevating the tart flavor of your dessert. For a shortcut, you can use lemon-infused olive oil.

7) For concentrated lemon flavor, use lemon oil.

A little bit of lemon oil goes a long way. Recipes typically call for it in drops or up to 1/2 teaspoon because of its potent flavor. It's made from the oil of real lemon rind — there's no other type of oil added — so it's an excellent substitute for zest.

Similarly, flavorants such as sucrose and citric acid that activate gustatory receptors may enhance flavors such as citrus that are typically considered olfactory. Here, we ask how lemon extract, sucrose, and citric acid, presented separately and together, affect sweet, sour, and citrus flavors.

Cutting too much lemon for a recipe can result in a dish that is excessively sour or acidic. This can overpower the other flavors and make the dish unbalanced. It is important to use the right amount of lemon to ensure the desired taste and to avoid ruining the dish.

Lemon flavor: Let's all say it together: LEMON JUICE DOESN'T ADD LEMON FLAVOR (when added to the cake). Instead, try adding more zest, lemon extract, or a lemon soak.

The great thing about lemon peel, also known as the zest, is that it adds intense lemon flavor to a recipe without all the acid that is found in the juice. I use grated lemon zest in scrambled eggs and creamy pasta dishes and combine it with chopped herbs as a finishing touch for braised meats.

#1 Milk and Dairy Products

By squeezing lemon juice into hot milk. This is because lemon's acidity can curdle milk and dairy products. The acid in lemon can destabilise the proteins in dairy, resulting in a lumpy texture. If you did not intend to make paneer, this phenomenon could be rather unpleasant.

Lemon: Pairs especially well with almond, apricot, basil, berries, black pepper, cardamom, cherry, citrus, coconut, hazelnut, ginger, mint, nectarine, peach, plum, prickly pear, rosemary, thyme, tropical fruit, and vanilla. For spirits, it mixes best with rum, vodka, and nut and orange liqueurs.

The last bit of advice with cooking with lemon is true for both zest and juice. Don't add it too early to a dish — when it's still cooking and very hot. When introduced to too much heat for too long, lemon can easily turn bitter and even discolor other ingredients being cooked with it.

If you purposely or accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder without making any changes to your recipe, you'll definitely end up with a bitter taste. Remember, baking soda is an alkaline, or base, ingredient that naturally has a bitter taste. Baking powder is a multi-ingredient leavener.

Is lemon extract or lemon juice better for cake? ›

I love the way the fresh zest brightens up the cake. I also like to add lemon extract to this cake for extra lemon flavor – I found that making this cake with extract (instead of juice) was the easiest way to impart maximum lemon flavor.

Lemon juice is high in the amino acid tyramine. If you are sensitive to tyramine, drinking lemon juice can trigger migraine headaches. Lemons can worsen heartburn symptoms in people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In high amounts, lemon juice can also irritate your stomach and cause nausea.

Don't forget the peel! Citrus rinds are full of fragrant, flavorful oils that can impart huge flavor to both savory and sweet recipes. When zesting citrus rind, a zester or other small rasp grater works best. Be sure to only grate the colorful surface, avoiding the white pith layer, which is bitter.

Lemon trees need to be watered deeply and regularly, especially during hot, dry weather. Be sure to water the soil, not the leaves. Lemon trees need to be fertilised every 6 to 8 weeks during the growing season. Use a fertiliser specifically for citrus trees.

The pulp from sour fruits contains more hydrogen ions, giving it a lower pH and a tangy taste that is recognized by acid-sensitive cells in our taste buds. Conversely, pulp from sweeter varieties contains fewer hydrogen ions and tastes less acidic.