Lemon Lush

From Scratch Lemon Lush Dessert
from https://curlygirlkitchen.com/

Lemon lush dessert, with layers of pecan shortbread crust, lemon cream cheese filling, homemade lemon pudding and fresh whipped cream, all made from scratch. Each element of this cool, creamy and fluffy lemon dessert is homemade, with no boxed lemon pudding mix and no Cool Whip!

Shortbread Crust
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup unsalted pecans, very finely chopped
2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
5 1/2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, sliced or cubed

Cream Cheese Filling
12 oz (1 1/2 blocks) full fat cream cheese, softened for 2 hours
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon Pudding
3/4 cup granulated sugar
fresh zest of 2 small lemons
3 tbsp corn starch (use up to 4 tbsp for a more firm "set" to the pudding)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 3-4 small lemons)
3 egg yolks (save the whites for another use)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 drops "lemon yellow" gel food coloring, optional

Whipped Cream
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Bake and cool the crust.
Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. With non-stick baking spray, lightly spray just the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch baking pan.

Baker's Note: I used an 8-inch pan. If you use a 9-inch pan, your layers will be a little thinner.

In a bowl, combine the flour, chopped pecans, sugar and salt. Add the butter, and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in until moist and crumbly. Or, use a food processor to pulse the mixture until the butter is evenly distributed and the mixture is moist and crumbly.

Press the crumbs evenly against the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool completely before adding the layers of filling.

Add the lemon cream cheese filling.
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla for several minutes until smooth and creamy.

Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the baked and cooled crust. Refrigerate until the lemon pudding is ready.

Make the lemon pudding.
Measure the sugar into a bowl, then zest the lemons over the sugar. Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar.

Cut the lemons and juice them into a glass measuring cup to get 1/2 cup of juice.

In a medium sized saucepan, whisk together the lemon sugar with the corn starch. Whisk in the lemon juice until smooth, then whisk in the egg yolks.

Add the milk and the cream (and the yellow food coloring, if using), and whisk until combined.

Place the saucepan over medium to medium low heat. Use a silicone spatula to stir the mixture constantly, while gently cooking the pudding. Cook until the pudding starts to thicken enough to coat the spatula, and is just beginning to bubble, but do not let the pudding start boiling hard. This should take about 15 minutes of cooking for the pudding to thicken. Remove from the heat.

Set a mesh strainer over a bowl, and press the pudding through the strainer to remove the zest.

Place a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl, with the plastic resting right against the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool at room temperature for one hour, until warm, but no longer steaming hot.

Spread the pudding over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate the lemon lush, uncovered, for at least 3 hours, until the pudding is well chilled.

Top with whipped cream
With an electric mixer, whip the cold heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy, stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the lemon pudding layer.

Use a sharp knife to cut the lemon lush into 9 squares. The first piece is the hardest to get out cleanly, but once the first piece is out, it's easier to slide a spatula under the cut squares to lift them out. You can also just scoop it out with a spoon into bowls.

Keep the leftover dessert refrigerated for up to 2 days.

9 servings