Lovely lemon dessert recipes | Jamie Oliver

When life gives you lemons… don’t limit yourself to lemonade: there are loads of delicious, zesty desserts to enjoy!

There’s a reason lemons are so popular in desserts — when that citrusy zing is balanced with sweetness, the flavour is off the chart. Our lovely lemon desserts celebrate the wonderful citrus fruit in all its different forms. If you’re looking for the ultimate teatime indulgence or delicious dessert, we’ve got you covered with classics such as lemon tart and lemon drizzle cake, baked cheesecake, refreshing sorbet, biscuit recipes and more.

After a simple, non-fuss zingy dessert? This baked lemon cheesecake recipe is just the ticket. With a simple biscuit base, a rich, cream cheese filling and sweet raspberries swirled through, it’s straightforward to make but looks really impressive. Serve at a dinner party and watch it disappear!

You’ll love the combination of the sharp lemon curd filling sandwiched between a tower of sweet, pillowy crêpes. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche for a special treat. And whether you’re a crêpe lover or a cake lover, it doesn’t matter — you get the best of both worlds with this one!

Theo Randall’s Meyer lemon cake is what citrus dreams are made of. Meyer lemons have just the right amount of sweet and tart flavour, and they really are the star of the show in this cake. With the simplest lemon icing drizzled over the top, this cake is so easy to make that you’ll bake it time and time again.

Celebrating the beautiful Amalfi lemon, this special cake is a thing of joy. With delicate mascarpone cream, and the most incredible lemon syrup drizzled over, it’s a citrusy beauty. Honey and extra virgin olive oil also join the party, to really up the Mediterranean feel.

Another dessert celebrating the Amalfi lemon. The flavours in this lemon tart recipe are zingy and fresh, but also comforting. The tart takes inspiration from a baked cheesecake, so treat yourself to a little slice with black coffee at breakfast for full Italian vibes. Also delicious served with ice cream and seasonal berries. 

MORE: How to make lemon meringue pie

Making sorbet at home is one of the simplest ways to enjoy glorious lemons. Using only two ingredients, this recipe is so easy, refreshing and delicious and once you’ve made it, you’ll never go back to shop-bought — with a more pronounced lemon flavour, a balanced sweetness and no additives or preservatives, what’s not to love?

Rosemary adds a lovely fragrant note to these pretty little cakes. With a gorgeous lemon and rosemary syrup drizzled over the top and a few rosemary leaves for decoration, these cakes are the ultimate teatime treat. They also make a perfect party bake.

With layers of lovely lemon curd and rich vanilla buttercream, this cake is the ultimate indulgence, perfect for big celebrations. The bold citrus and yuzu juice in the lemon curd give the cake a rich depth of flavour, and decorated with lovely little meringue drops, it looks so pretty — a cake to wow!

The combination of thyme, lemon and pistachio make this nougat a total flavour party. If you’re feeling creative, flex the recipe with other fruits, nuts and herbs. This lovely little sweet treat can be stored for up to one week in an airtight container.  

This gluten-free and dairy-free lemon drizzle cake recipe is beautifully sticky, sweet and fresh. With lovely light lemon and orange icing spooned over the top, everyone will love – and can enjoy – this gorgeous cake. Even better, you can adapt the recipe to make cupcakes by spooning the mixture into muffin trays. 

These melt-in-the-mouth gluten-free biscuits are so good. Naturally gluten-free millet flakes are a great way to add some texture to your gluten-free biccies, and desiccated coconut combines beautifully with the citrus flavours. The biscuits will harden as they cool, and are best served warm from the oven.

These lovely little lemon biscuits are so tasty and easy to bake, and will make the perfect gift. If you fancy jazzing them up at Christmas, try replacing lemon with orange and adding a pinch of cinnamon to the demerara sugar — a lovely festive treat! Enjoy with a cuppa at teatime — the flavours work especially well with a mug of Earl Grey.

Jamie created this knockout cake to celebrate the birth of HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. Perfect for a birthday celebration or summer party and filled with decadent lemon curd and vanilla icing, it’s a cake fit for royalty. If you’d prefer a slightly more low-key teatime treat, see the Tips section of the recipe for how to make the batter into cupcakes. 

This special cake, based on Jamie’s nan’s recipe, brings back special memories for him. The lemon and orange icing seeps beautifully into the sponge, adding further flavour, and the top layer becomes a sherbet-like delight once firmed up. With a sprinkling of citrus zest over the top, the cake keeps nice and moist for some time if smothered well with icing. It’s a cake worth taking a little tea break for!

Riffing on the classic Italian dessert tiramisú, this limoncello-spiked version is out-of-this-world. With layers of sponge fingers, a filling of zesty and creamy mascarpone, and candied lemon peel sprinkled on top, this dessert is full of lovely surprises — get ready to become a fan! 

This lemon pudding is so satisfying and hassle-free to make. Bake in a clear dish for maximum effect — it really shows off the layers, with lemon curdy custard at the top and a spongy, meringue-like top. When it comes to comforting desserts, it doesn’t get much better than this!

MORE: How to make lemon curd

For more delightfully lemony recipes, check out our recipes