This delightful homemade lemon curd is a sweet, tart, smooth, and creamy lemon custard, perfect for serving with scones or as a filling for cakes and tarts. It's easy to make, and needs only four ingredients!
¾cup(150grams)granulated sugar, plus extra to taste
½cup(114grams)unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes, see Recipe Notes
Instructions
Using a microplane grater and a citrus juicer, zest and juice the lemons. You should have about ¾ to 1 cup of juice and about one tablespoon of zest.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan over Medium-Low heat. Add the butter and heat slowly until the butter melts.
Add the lemon juice and zest to the egg yolk mixture. Cook until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes. Try not to let the mixture boil.
Remove the pan from the heat, put the lid on it, and let it cool to room temperature. The curd will thicken further as it cools, so that's a good time to check its consistency. If it seems to be too thin, see the Recipe Notes on how to fix runny lemon curd.
Storage instructions: Lemon curd can be stored in an airtight container, like a canning jar, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
This recipe makes about 1 cup of lemon curd.
Recipe Notes
When you separate the eggs, try and remove as much of the white as possible (a little won't hurt, though). If you see bits of egg in the curd after it has thickened, strain it with a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl after it comes off the heat. Allow to cool, covered, until it reaches room temperature before transferring to a container.Make sure to use unsalted butter - salt really has no place here. If you use cold butter, it will thickens the curd quicker.If your lemon curd is too thin after chilling, you may not have cooked it enough. To fix runny lemon curd, rewarm it over low heat, stirring constantly, then try one of these two add-ins:
Method #1: Stir in an egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water to the warmed curd, and cook, stirring regularly, until the curd has thickened and leaves a trail on the back of a spoon.
Method #2: Mix in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water in 1 tablespoon increments to the warmed curd. Stir for a few minutes to see if the curd has thickened enough before adding in more slurry.