Easy Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe - My Frugal Adventures (2024)
By Charlene11 Comments
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Oh goodness do I love lemon curd. And don’t let the “curd” turn you off- isn’t that a terrible word? This is silky and smooth and velvety lemon goodness in a bowl.
It is absolutely heavenly and so delicious spread on bread, muffins, scones, as filling in cupcakes, pour on top of ice cream, layer it with cake and strawberries and whipped cream… or just eat it by the spoonful. If you make blueberry muffins – give this a whirl spread on top. Delish!
Little pops of fresh, zesty lemon in each bite. Hello summer!
For my little girl’s 5th birthday last weekend, we had a sunshine birthday party and I decided to make lemonade cupcakes.
I wanted them extra fresh and fun and lemony so I decided to make a lemon curd to put inside the cupcakes. It was wonderful!
So here is the yummy recipe for lemon curd- can you believe you can actually make this in the microwave? Yup! So easy!
A few little notes- if you can possibly use fresh lemon juice (not the bottle kind) I got a much brighter flavor. I used (4) medium lemons to get 1 cup of juice for this recipe. If you can use organic lemons for the zest that is the best bet otherwise scrub the heck out of your lemons or you can use this homemade produce spray.
I was initially confused by the instruction to “coat the back of a metal spoon” and the first time I made this I kept cooking and cooking and cooking and after 10 minutes realized I had probably overcooked it. 🙂 It should take about 2-5 minutes to cook your curd. The curd will be runny- you are just looking for a slightly thicker consistency like an egg white. If you do overcook- don’t worry. Just strain it very well and it should still be OK.
Once you remove from the micro, don’t worry if it is runny. It should thicken up as you let it cool.
And last but not least, I do suggest using a strainer to strain your curd. You will get a super silky lemon curd without any lemon zest or granules of sugar. I made this once without straining and once with and the difference was remarkable.
I really hope you like this recipe! I will be posting the lemonade cupcakes for you very soon and I also have an idea for an end of teacher teacher gift or a little hostess gift using this lemon curd recipe. I’ll post it all very soon!
This recipe made enough for that 16oz mason jar plus several generous scoops for the cook ;).
Your final product should have the consistency of pudding.
Please come back and let me know what you think of this one! And here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:
Easy peasy homemade blackberry jam
Lemon Chesecake Bites (I think this lemon curd recipe would work perfectly)
Perfect Homemade Lemonade Recipe
This fabulous lemon curd recipe is courtesy of All Recipes.
It's likely your measurements were off and you either added too much lemon juice or not enough egg. You may not have heated the lemon curd to the proper temperature. Using a thermometer is a great way to ensure that you are cooking the egg to the point of thickening – 170 degrees F.
The flavor also mellows a bit as it refrigerates. It's quite sour at this point but it gets creamier as it refrigerates. You can refrigerate the lemon curd for 1-2 weeks, OR freeze it for a few months.
Overcooking will cause proteins to bond too tightly, squeezing water out from between them and giving them a rubbery, lumpy texture. If you over-heat the lemon curd, the egg proteins can coagulate and you will see little bits of cooked egg.
To make a thicker curd, you can also add another egg yolk to the recipe, or a teaspoon of cornflour mixed into a tablespoon of water and cook until thickened.
Instructions: Lemon Curd: In a stainless steel bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly to prevent it from curdling, until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream) and coats the back of a wooden spoon (165 degrees F) (74 degrees C).
Usually the temperature of milk determines how well your curd will set. Too cold or too hot temperature can make the curd setting process tougher. Firstly boil your milk properly and switch off the flame. Once the boiled milk cools down to 20 per cent, then the milk is ready to be set.
When this acid comes into contact with certain metals, notably copper or aluminum, a chemical reaction occurs. This reaction causes the metal to oxidize and release ions, and when these ions mix with the lemon curd, it results in a greenish tint to the mixture.
Shelf Life: Prepared lemon curd can be frozen for up to 1 year without quality changes when thawed. To thaw, place container in a refrigerator at 40°F or lower for 24 hours before intended use. After thawing, consume within 4 weeks.
In a covered, airtight container for up to one week. It doesn't really freeze well. Lemon curd does contain eggs and dairy (butter), so I'd be ok leaving it out for the day if I plan on serving it, but anything overnight definitely would need to be refrigerated.
Does lemon curd taste eggy? Although lemon curd uses egg yolks and/or egg whites, the final product shouldn't taste eggy. If it does, it may mean that you've overcooked your eggs. In saying that, traditional lemon curd does have a distinct after taste which doesn't sit well with some.
To prevent the curd from acquiring a metallic taste, make absolutely sure that all utensils coming into contact with it--bowls, whisk, saucepan, and strainer--are made of non-reactive stainless steel or glass. Since the tart pan has a removable bottom, it is more easily maneuvered when set on a cookie sheet.
There are so many ways to eat lemon curd. You can use it to fill cakes, cupcakes, and crepes, or spread it on toast, muffins, crumpets, make lemon bars, lemon tart, etc.
If the milk is a little hot, the curd will not be thick, is a bit runny with some whey in it. With cold milk, it will not set properly. Right Temperature: The milk must be just warm. Check by dipping your little finger in it.
Eggs are an important component of lemon curd, but yolks are valued more than egg whites when it comes to making lemon curd. Lemon curd has traces of yellow in it naturally, but its striking golden colour comes from the yolks.
Zestful Kitchen tells us "the most common reason why your tart cracked is because the oven was too hot." It's easy to be tempted by the lure of the myth that jacking up the oven temp will lead to a faster bake. But recipes have been painstakingly developed to help you achieve the best possible result.
Fill cooled curd into freezer container(s), leaving ½-inch headspace, and freeze immediately. Shelf Life: Prepared lemon curd can be frozen for up to 1 year without quality changes when thawed.
But with this pro tip, you will be able to set curd faster. “Keep the curd bowl in a flour container and you will be able to set it faster,” MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria said. According to Chef Sharma, using whole-fat milk, or standard pasteurised milk helps retain less water and thickens the curd faster.
Place plastic wrap directly on top of the curd and let set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Lemon curd can also be frozen for several month.
Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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