3-Ingredient Lemon Cream Cups

As much as I would prefer to just talk about this lusciously lemony dessert, I first must tell you that my dear, sweet 93-year-old father passed away last week.  It's been a rough time here as we've watched him rally so often and surprise us over and over with his ability to bounce back from the brink and grace us once again with that winky smile of his.  We always knew that one of these comebacks would be his last and so it was.  He will be greatly missed by all who knew him; the man who never complained, although he had every reason to do so, and always, always had a smile and a hug for anyone lucky enough to step into his orbit.

Dad and all 15 of his great grandchildren

There are many things for which my Dad will be remembered, but in particular, his love of dessert was legendary; his sweet tooth was unrivaled.  My Mom used to say (producing an exaggerated eye roll from Dad every time) that you could put sugar on a brick and he'd eat it.  I would add that if that brick was in any way lemony, that might actually ring true.  Dad loved lemon.  If that can possibly be a genetic trait, then I have definitely inherited it.

I suppose it all began with Nana's (his Mom's) lemon meringue pie. She whipped that meringue by hand and created an ethereal cloud of sweetness that we're hard pressed to duplicate to this day.  It was my Dad's favorite dessert, but in truth, whatever lemony confection he was eating at the moment was always declared his favorite.

One morning recently, wanting to bring him something that might kickstart his waning appetite, and with very little time to spare, I grabbed some lemon curd and stirred in some mascarpone, which of course was ever so delicious.  To lighten it up a bit, I folded in some whipped cream.  Well, now.  Extensive "tasting" led me to conclude that this was indeed something quite remarkable and I must tell you that Dad completely agreed as he scraped the bowl clean.  

I later realized that my spur-of-the-moment lemon creme vaguely resembles another lemon cream in the archives that is equally scrumptious, albeit a bit more laborious.  This version requires no baking and can be consumption-ready in minutes.  For the most part, I think that's a good thing.  If willpower is not your strong suit, I'm not so sure.  Either way, if, like us, you're one of those who could eat a lemony brick, then you're gonna want to make this.  Here's the recipe...

3-Ingredient Lemon Cream Cups

Click here for a printable recipe

This is extremely easy to throw together at the last minute for an impromptu dessert.  And feel free to add more lemon curd if you want it more lemon-y.  And if you'd like to make your own lemon curd, here's my recipe.

Serves 4

1 cup lemon curd, store-bought or homemade
1 cup mascarpone cheese (room temp)
1 cup whipped cream (1/2 cup cream whipped with 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar)
Whipped cream for serving, optional (sort of)

In a medium bowl, stir together the lemon curd and mascarpone.  In a separate bowl,  whip the cream and sugar until light, airy and fairly stiff.

Fold the cream into the curd mixture until well combined and then spoon into 4 little bowls or dessert cups.  

You can serve it immediately, but it's nice to refrigerate until it has set up a bit, 1-2 hours.  If desired, whip a little extra cream to serve on top.