Limoncello Yogurt Cream

"The desserts," a friend of mine said yesterday, "were over the top."

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I wasn't sure at first if this was a good thing. I mean, we aimed to please and impress, not confound. But as dessert buffets go, I've got to believe that we assembled a pretty terrific one for last Saturday's fundraiser: amazing Tiramisu, dense chocolate torte with blackberry cream and glaze, luscious cheesecake with raspberry sauce, and lovely lemon pound cake with a tangy-sweet Limoncello yogurt cream. We had several requests for the recipe for that last offering, which had at least one appreciative dinner savoring the very last dollop.

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My son, Alex, was taster extraordinaire last week for me, as we finessed the recipe. It's so easy I'm a little tempted to keep it to myself. But it'd be selfish not to share. While it was perfect over the pound cake, it would be equally fabulous ladled over a slice of delicate white cake and adorned with fresh berries -- raspberries are a natural match for lemon, but we'll try blueberries this summer for sure. (Hard to beat the ubiquitous combination of cobalt and lemon-yellow found on hand-painted pottery from Capri and the Amalfi coast.)

Limoncello Yogurt Cream

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk plain, unsweetened yogurt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar, sifted

6 tablespoons Limoncello

Beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Add the yogurt and beat again. Sift in the sugar, and beat once more. Stir in the Limoncello. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Mixture will thicken, but retain the consistency of a sauce rather than a whipped cream. Serve over sliced cake with fresh fruit.

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Photo by designatednaphour.