This is a quick baking basics post to give you a basic recipe for making your own lemon curd. Lemon curd is basically a rich, thick lemon spread that is made with eggs, sugar and loads of lemon juice! Lemon curd is great for adding to bakes and I also know people who like to spread it on top of a slice of toast for breakfast!
Triple Lemon Cupcakes 
No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
For what can you use homemade Lemon Curd?
As I said before, you can make some lemon curd to enjoy on a slice of toast in the morning or spread it over some homemade pancakes or waffles for a fresh, zingy topping.
I usually make lemon curd to add to my baking. For example, you can use lemon curd instead of a buttercream or ganache to sandwich cakes together. Or, you can add a few tablespoons to your cake mixture to give it a rich lemony flavour. Why not try adding some homemade lemon curd to these Triple Lemon Cupcakes?
Or you could use your lemon curd to add to this super quick and easy No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake with a Gingernut Base. A great way to pack bags of flavour into the mascarpone filling that goes so well with a ginger biscuit base! That recipe is a firm family favourite!
How do you make Lemon Curd?
Making lemon curd is easy, but it does require a little patience. The key is to thicken the mixture slowly over a low heat. If the mixture becomes to hot, the eggs will scramble and the lemon curd will not be edible, haha!
Check that your bain-marie (technical term for a heatproof bowl set over a simmering pan of water) is set up correctly and that your bowl isn´t in direct contact with the water. Make sure the water only reaches a simmer and doesn´t start boiling, otherwise the mixture above might become too hot.
Make sure the eggs you use are at room temperature, as this will make sure they don´t experience too much of a “temperature shock” when added to the melted butter. My final tip is to pour the eggs into the mix through a sieve, as this will help make sure that the “stringy bits” of the egg is broken up properly and they can be incorporated nicely into the rest of the ingredients!
More Baking Basics
Want to expand your baking knowledge and repertoire and improve your baking skills? Then check out some of the other baking basics on this blog!
#1 How To Make Shortcrust Pastry
#2 How To Master Chocolate (Melting, Tempering, Decorating)
#4 How To Make a Sourdough Starter
#5 How To Make Buttercream (Normal, Dairy-free, Vegan)
#6 How To Make Hot Water Crust Pastry
#7 How To Make Crème Chantilly | Chantilly (Sweetened) Cream
#8 How To Make Crème Pâtissière | French Pastry Cream
Homemade Lemon Curd | Baking Basics #9
Recipe
Ingredients (makes about 550g):
- 125g butter (unsalted)
- 225g caster sugar
- 3 medium lemons, juice and zest
- 3 large eggs, beaten (at room temperature)
Method:
- Put the butter, sugar, lemon juice and zest into a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl isn´t touching the water) and wait for the ingredients to melt, stirring occasionally using a wooden spoon.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and pour the eggs through a sieve (to get rid of any “stringy” bits) into the mix. Stir well until the eggs are fully incorporated.
- Set the bowl back over the simmering water and gently heat the mixture until thickened, stirring constantly. The mixture should turn an opaque colour and become thick enough for you to draw a finger through some of the mixture on the wooden spoon and make a clear path.
Don´t be tempted to turn up the heat and rush this stage, as you don´t want the eggs to scramble! - Transfer the lemon curd into a clean bowl or glass jar and leave to cool. Once cooled completely, cover tightly and chill. The lemon curd can be kept in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
