Easy Limoncello Custard Muffins

These Limoncello Cream Filled Muffins are lemony and fluffy with a creamy lemon custard filling. Limoncello is a liquor from southern Italy which adds a lemony flavor to the muffins while also helping make them fluffy. These muffins are perfect served with coffee for a dessert or as a snack in the afternoon.

To make these limoncello muffins, you begin by making the lemon custard by boiling the milk with the lemon zest on the stove. Then, the egg yolks are whipped with the sugar before adding the cornstarch and milk mixture. Then, the mixture gets cooked on the stove until thickened. Next, the muffin batter is mixed in a single bowl before being baked in muffin liners. Once cooled, they are cut in half so that you can pipe the lemon custard in the middle. Dusted with icing sugar, these limoncello muffins are lemony, fluffy, and divine.

What are Limoncello Cream Filled Muffins?

These limoncello muffins are lemony muffins that have limoncello infused into their batter. They also include a lemon custard as a filling rather than having a frosting on top like traditional cupcakes.

Limoncello is a type of liquor from southern Italy that is popular all over the country today. It is made with lemon zest for a vibrant lemon flavor. This makes it perfect for infusing into desserts like these muffins.

As limoncello is commonly served chilled as an after-dinner beverage, you could serve it with these limoncello muffins for dessert. However, feel free to have the muffins with more traditional coffee or tea as well.

Pro Tips

• When you zest the lemon, make sure you only grate the yellow part as the white part will impart bitterness into these muffins.
• To make these limoncello muffins plant-based, feel free to replace the milk with plant-based milk such as almond milk or soy milk.
• To test that the muffins are baked, you can insert them with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, you will know the muffins are baked.
• For extra limoncello flavor in the muffins, you can mix some limoncello with some powdered sugar, and brush it on top of the muffins while they are still warm from the oven.
• If the custard seems lumpy, press it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the lumps.
• When you are making the custard, whisk the milk mixture into the egg mixture gradually to ensure that the eggs don’t curdle.

What to Serve with Limoncello Muffins?

All these limoncello muffins need is a dusting of icing sugar and they will be ready to serve with your favorite hot beverage. You can also serve them with a small glass of limoncello if desired for an amplified limoncello flavor. These would also be wonderful as part of a spread with other desserts such as shortbread cookies or coffee cake.

How Do You Remove Lumps from Custard?

If your custard gets lumpy as you are cooking it or you think you may have curdled the egg yolks, there is a way to correct it. Simply pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the lumps from the custard. This takes a little time but the results will be worth it.

Where to Buy Limoncello?

You should be able to find limoncello wherever you typically buy alcohol. However, if you can’t find it or prefer an alcohol-free dessert, feel free to replace it with plain lemon juice instead.

Can I Make These Limoncello Muffins as a Cake?

Yes, you definitely could! Just make sure you adjust the baking time as a cake will take longer to bake than muffins.

Can I Add Something Else to The Batter?

You can add poppy seeds or blueberries to the batter, as they pair well with the citrusy flavor of lemon and limoncello, adding texture and a complementary taste.

More Lemony Recipes You Have to Try This Winter!

No-Bake Limoncello Tiramisu

Italian Lemon Limoncello Cake

Limoncello Cream Cake

Strawberry Limoncello Tiramisu

How to Store Limoncello Muffins

These limoncello muffins should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container where they will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days. If you would like to freeze the muffins, you should freeze them without the custard filling and plan to fill them after you thaw them.

How to Make Limoncello Muffins

For the custard, bring the milk and lemon zest to a boil on the stove and remove from the heat.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Whisk in the cornstarch followed by the milk until combined.

Put the milk mixture in a saucepan and cook it over low heat until it is thickened. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool.

For the muffins, beat the eggs with the sugar.

Beat in the vegetable oil, limoncello, milk, flour, and baking powder until combined.

Place muffin liners in a muffin tin and fill the halfway with the batter. Bake the muffins in a 180°C (360°F) oven for 15 minutes.

To assemble the muffins, cut them in half, fill them with the custard, and place the tops on top to sandwich the filling.

Serve dusted with icing sugar.