Table|Spoon Baking Co.

Lemon Curd

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Most people who know me, know that I LOVE lemon. I love lemon in my water, I love lemon candies, lemon pound cake, lemon yogurt, lemon ice cream, lemon in my beer and iced tea….you get the idea. But my all-time favorite way to enjoy lemon is lemon curd. Lemon curd is tart, sweet, smooth, so versatile, and ridiculously easy to make.

Lemon curd can be used as a filling in cakes, sandwiched between cookies, and swirled into Greek yogurt; you can also just eat it by the spoonful!

Start by zesting and juicing your lemons. Be careful when you are zesting to only get the yellow part of the lemon, and not go too far down to the white part (the pith). The pith is bitter and will change the flavor of the curd. Cream together the zest, sugar, and butter. This will help release more flavor from the zest and work it into the sugar. We want as much lemon flavor as we can get!

Once you have the zest, butter, and sugar together you can add the eggs one at a time. Followed by the juice and the salt. The mixture will probably look lumpy and curdled. That is totally normal so don’t worry! Pour everything into a pot and cook it over med-low heat. You’ll want to whisk the entire time it is cooking – otherwise, you might end up with weird scrambled eggs. As it cooks it will start to thicken and the color will change a bit. Instead of being kind of cloudy looking, it will change to shinier and more translucent. Continue to whisk and cook the lemon curd until it is thickening and reaches 170 degrees.

Remove your lemon curd from the heat and pour it into a bowl or glass container. Allow cooling in the fridge before you use it.

Tips + Use Suggestions:

  • Store in your fridge in an airtight container. (I prefer a large mason jar.)
  • Pour lemon curd into a fully baked tart shell, and allow to set up in your fridge. Top it with fresh fruit and whipped cream for a beautiful tart!
  • Use curd to flavor your vanilla frosting.
  • Fill cupcakes, or between cake layers.
  • Spread on cookies, or slices of pound cake.
  • Mix with yogurt.
  • Eat with a spoon straight from the jar while standing in front of the fridge at 2 in the morning.
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Lemon Curd

  • Author: Table|Spoon Baking
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 Minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3 cups 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 – 5 Lemons
  • 1 1/2 cups Sugar
  • 1/4 pound Butter – room temp
  • 4 Eggs
  • 3/4 cup Lemon Juice
  • Zest of 4 Lemons
  • 1/8 teaspoon Salt

Instructions

  1. Zest and juice the lemons.
  2. Cream together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest.
  3. Add the eggs, one at a time.
  4. Add the lemon juice and salt. The mixture will look chunky or curdeled – don’t worry, that is normal.
  5. Pour mixture into a medium sized pot.
  6. Cook over med-low heat while whisking constantly.
  7. The lemon curd will thicken and become less cloudy looking.
  8. Keep cooking and whisking until the curd reaches about 170 degrees.
  9. Remove from the heat and cool before using. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Keywords: Lemon, Curd, Lemon Curd, Citrus, Dessert, Lemon Dessert, Easy Dessert