Homemade Lemon Curd – No Fail Recipe

Easy Homemade No Fail Lemon Curd Recipe

This no fail lemon curd recipe will give you the confidence you need to make fruit curd like never before. My step by step pictures, tips and trouble shooting will help you master the perfect lemon curd in just one attempt. This sweet, thick, tangy, creamy and velvet like lemon curd is luscious and luxurious with any desserts or everyday treat from cake fillings to breakfast toast.

The Peer Fear

The most popular cake filling for me as a cake decorator is usually fruit filling. I think fruit curd is usually the most dreaded by most novice cake decorators. I was too! And that’s not because it’s hard to make lemon curd – nah! It’s just because of peer fear.

I’ve sat besides mom adding those little cubes of butter as a kid for as long as I can remember and that was not hard. Right? But the first time I had an order for lemon curd cake filling – I was nervous! Why?

Well, cake decorating was new to me so when other cake decorators were concerned and worried about Lemon Curd I did too! I inherited all the fears from my peer cake decorators in the group.

So when I made lemon curd for the first time – I was mentally prepared for a disaster! But it was easy peasy. After all I had done it before!!

Moral of the story – learn from  your own experiences – don’t give in to peer fear.

What is a Fruit Curd

To me a fruit curd is like a dessert on it’s own. I can eat it out of a jar with a spoon. It taste delicious on it’s own! BUT;You can use it for many things from cake fillings, pie fillings, on breakfast toast, donuts, bagels. I love it as a filling in my lemon macaron with lemon buttercream too!
I eat it plain with crackers too!

Fruit Filling vs Fruit Curd

Having said that; one must make sure they have all the necessary information there is to know about making things right.

A fruit filling is usually the easiest to make. It mostly involves a fruit, some sweetener and a starch which come beautifully together into a thick gorgeous fruit filling that looks and taste beautifully when done right. Just like I shared with you in my Blueberry Filling or Strawberry Filling.

Fruit curd on the other hand requires a bit more tact because it involves a citrus fruit like lemon, lime or orange, a few egg yolks and an emulsification with butter. Unlike a filling you can’t just put it all in a pan and cook it off. You need to exercise a bit more caution.  Again it’s not difficult it’s just requires caution.

The Full Proof Method 

I usually just make a collage with progress pictures but since I know the fears of making lemon curd are really hard to over come I’ve got lots of progress pictures for you that will help. I’ve got lots of tips and trouble shooting below as well so read it all before you start. I promise you will enjoy making lemon curd from now on.

Let’s talk ingredients

• Lemons – Use the measure of lemon juice not the number of lemons when making this recipe. So if a recipe says 3/4 cup juice (3 to 4 lemons) usually the number of lemons is a guide – the actual measure you want to use is 3/4 cup. This can make a big difference.
• Caster Sugar – Caster sugar is usually a fine grain sugar. Use a fine grain sugar that will dissolve easily in the eggs. If you don’t find caster sugar just pulse the regular sugar in a food processor and that will help.
• Egg yolks – The color of yolks will determine the end color of your lemon curd. So if you use light yolks you will have a pale yellow lemon curd. A bright golden yellow or orange is much preferred. I’m using free range eggs that have a nice color but not as golden yellow or orange as i’d like them to be.
• Artificial colors – I never use any artificial coloring in my lemon curd. But some commercial kitchens do add artificial color to their lemon curd so do not presume that the store bought is better. There is no comparing homemade to store bought.

Double Boiler or Sauce Pan and Bowl

The common equipment used to make curds  or melt chocolate are calleddouble boiler or Baine Maire – Which basically means two pots – that sit comfortably within each other as below. You can do this at home – just find a sauce panand a mixing bowl that sit comfortably so the bottom is just tad bigger than the top.

Save this NO Fail Lemon Curd Recipe for later on Pinterest

Recipe – Easy Homemade Lemon Curd – NO Fail Recipe

Tools:

• Sauce Pan or
• Double Boiler
• Whisk
• Wooden Spoon
• Spatula

Ingredients

• Egg Yolks – 3 nos
• Whole Egg – 1 no
• Corn Starch – 1 tbsp
• Lemon zest – 1 tbsp
• Lemon Juice – 3/4 cup (approx. 3 to 4 lemons)
• Cup Sugar – 170 grams  (3/4 cup)
• Cold unsalted Butter cubed – 113 grams – 1/2 stick

Method:

• Measure all ingredients before you start.
• Cut the butter into cubes – keep chilled.
• Place lemons in the microwave for 10 seconds before you cut and squeeze this will make it easy.
• Warm the lemon juice for about 30 secs.

Double Boiler or  a sauce pan and bowl (read more above)

• Add an inch of water to the sauce pan with a heat proof bowl on top  – water should not touch the top bowl.
• In the top bowl – add yolks, egg, salt, cornstarch and sugar.
• Whisk until light and fluffy – sugar almost melts.

• Pour the warm lemon juice and zest slowly into the whipped egg mixture.
• Continue to stir on low. The mixture should cook with just the steam from the water in the sauce pan below.
• About 10 to 12 minutes – you will notice the foam that was cause by whipping the egg mixture will slowly disappear.
• The mixture will start to thicken

• Continue to stir until it coats the back of your wooden spoon.
• Remove from heat and slowly add cubes of butter one at a time. Make sure each piece is well incorporated.
• The mixture will thicken further as it cools.

• Once all the butter has been incorporated, strain it through a mesh or a strainer to remove the zest. This will also give you a smooth creamy curd.

• Pour the finished curd into a  mason jar.
• You lemon curd is now ready.

Tips and Trouble Shooting

• Juice the lemons easily – a great way to exact as much juice from lemons is to microwave the lemons for a few seconds (10 seconds)
• Warm the lemon juice – warming the lemon juice helps it incorporate into the egg yolks well.
• Egg Yolks / Whole eggs – I find that all egg yolks has a higher risk of curdling but the one whole egg does help stabilize it.
• Whip Eggs and Sugar until light and fluffy – If you whip the eggs with sugar until the sugar is almost dissolved it prevents the egg from curdling.
• Do not let the curd boil – cooking on low will prevent the curd from curdling. If the curd boils it will give you a lemon flavored scrambled eggs. So no matter how boring – cook on low heat for 10 to 15 mins.
• If you find the curd steaming up – take it off the heat for a few seconds this will help stabilize it.
• How to know if you curd is done – You can use a thermometer and check until the curd reaches 170 F but I find the best test is taste. Once the curd is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon, taste it it should not have any taste of egg or cornstarch. If necessary cook for 30 secs more.
• Add butter slowly – this will help bring the temperature of the curd down slowly without curdling.

Storage

• Curd is best stored in a mason or glass jar in the fridge. The presence of eggs in lemon curd makes it a perishable filling so any item that has homemade lemon curd such as cakes and pie need to be placed in the fridge.
• Avoid keep fruit curd or citrus fillings in metal containers as the lemon can react with the metal.
• Egg yolks can react with metal such as aluminium and cause it to become green color.

[bctt tweet=”Learn to make the PERFECT Lemon (FRUIT) CURD – NO FAIL RECIPE” username=”veenaazmanov”]

Recipe Card – Homemade Lemon Curd – NO Fail Recipe

These do make the best GIFTS too!!