This lemon curd is a thick, glossy lemon filling cooked from 4 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, 1 cup of sugar, ½ cup of fresh lemon juice and 6 tablespoons of butter. It takes about 22 minutes and makes about 1 ½ cups, enough to fill a 3 layer 8 inch cake or 24 cupcakes.
The whole trick is gentle heat. Stir it over low to medium-low heat for 8 to 12 minutes until it coats a spoon, strain it, and only then stir in the cold butter. Rush the heat and you get sweet scrambled eggs. Go slowly and it turns smooth and spreadable, ready for a lemon curd cake, a tart or a spoon.
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You need 3 to 4 lemons for ½ cup of juice. Zest them first. A whole lemon is far easier to grate than a squeezed half. The zest is optional, but most of the lemon smell lives in the peel, so I always add the full tablespoon. It gets strained out later. Bottled juice tastes flat here; skip it.
Cut the butter into small cubes and keep it cold until the end.
The pan matters more than people expect. Use a heavy stainless steel or enameled saucepan. Lemon juice reacts with aluminum and unlined copper, and the curd comes out metallic and greyish. A thin pan scorches the eggs on the bottom. Have a silicone spatula, a fine mesh strainer and a clean bowl ready before the heat goes on, because once the curd starts to thicken you cannot walk away.
Whole Eggs Plus Yolks, or Yolks Only?
I have made this curd with yolks only. It comes out richer and deeper yellow, but it tastes heavy, and it is too dense for delicate layers like a lemon curd mille-feuille.
The mix here, 4 yolks and 2 whole eggs, keeps the richness while the whites lighten it. It holds between cake layers and still pipes into cupcakes.
How to Make Lemon Curd on the Stove
Whisk the Eggs and Sugar in the Pan
Put the yolks, whole eggs and sugar straight into the cold saucepan and whisk right away for about a minute, until smooth and slightly thicker. Never let yolks sit on sugar. The sugar pulls water out of them and leaves hard orange specks that never melt. Whisking now also starts dissolving the sugar, so the curd will not feel gritty.
Add the Juice, Zest and Salt
Pour in the lemon juice slowly while whisking, then the zest and a pinch of salt. Mix it all well before the pan goes on the stove.
Stir Over Low Heat Until It Coats a Spoon
Set the pan over low to medium-low heat and stir constantly with the spatula, scraping the bottom and the corners, where the eggs cook first. For the first few minutes it looks thin and a bit foamy. Then the foam disappears, the color turns opaque and deeper yellow, and you feel it pull against the spatula.
It is done after 8 to 12 minutes, when it coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clean line. On a thermometer that is about 170°F (77°C). If you see bubbles at the edge, take the pan off the heat at once. Lemon curd should never boil.
Strain, Then Stir In the Butter
Pour the curd straight through the fine mesh strainer into the clean bowl and push it through with the spatula. The strainer catches the zest and any bits of cooked egg.
Drop in the cold butter cubes and stir gently until they melt. The warm curd melts them slowly into a smooth, glossy cream. That is why the butter goes in off the stove. In very hot curd it separates into greasy streaks.
Press plastic wrap onto the surface so no skin forms, let it cool, then refrigerate. Warm curd looks loose. Judge it only once it is cold, after a few hours or overnight.
Runny, Lumpy or Metallic Lemon Curd: What Happened
- Still runny after chilling: it came off the heat too early. Pour it back into the pan, stir over low heat until it coats a spoon, then strain it again.
- Little lumps of egg: the heat was too high or the corners were not scraped. Straining removes a few. If there are many, blend the warm curd with an immersion blender, then strain.
- Greasy or separated: the butter went into curd that was too hot. Let it cool for a few minutes and whisk hard, or blend it, and it comes back together.
- Gritty: the sugar did not dissolve. Whisk the eggs and sugar longer before adding the juice next time.
- Metallic taste or grey color: an aluminum pan or bowl reacted with the lemon. Use stainless steel, glass or enamel.
Lemon Curd Filling for Cake
Use the curd cold. Chilled curd spreads thick and stays put. Warm curd soaks into the sponge and lets the layers slide.
Pipe a ring of stiff buttercream around the edge of each cake layer, about ½ inch high, to make a dam. Lemon buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream both hold well. Spread about ¾ cup of curd inside the ring, add the next layer, and repeat. One batch fills a 3 layer 8 inch cake this way. Chill the stacked cake for 30 minutes before you frost the outside, so nothing shifts.
For cupcakes, cut a small cone from the center of each one and spoon in about 1 tablespoon of curd, which is how one batch fills 24, as in my lemon curd cupcakes. The same curd goes between the layers of my lemon raspberry cake, where the tart berries cut the butter.
Pies, Tarts and Other Desserts With Lemon Curd
One batch gives a thin layer in a 9 inch tart. For a full 9 inch tart shell or pie, double the recipe. Pour the curd into a fully baked, cooled shell while it is still warm and loose, smooth the top, and chill until set, at least 4 hours. A layer of berries or whipped cream on top is all it needs.
Beyond cakes and pies, I bake it into lemon curd cookies, spoon it over a pavlova with fruit, and spread it on warm sour cream scones. Folded into whipped cream, it makes a quick lemon mousse. The same method makes lime curd and orange curd.
How Long Homemade Lemon Curd Keeps
Keep it in a clean, sealed jar in the fridge for up to 10 days, and dip in with a clean spoon. To freeze, spoon it into an airtight container with a little headspace and freeze for about 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and stir.
Quick Lemon Curd Answers
Is lemon curd the same as lemon pie filling?
No. Lemon curd is thickened with eggs and enriched with butter, so it is richer and silkier. Most lemon pie fillings are thickened with cornstarch. For a lighter, creamier filling, try my lemon cream cheese cake filling.
How much lemon curd do I need to fill a cake?
About ¾ cup between each pair of 8 inch layers, inside a buttercream dam. One batch of about 1 ½ cups fills a 3 layer cake.
Why does my lemon curd taste eggy?
It cooked too hot or too long, or the bits of cooked egg were not strained out. Keep the heat low, take it off at about 170°F (77°C), and always strain.
Lemon Curd Recipe
This lemon curd recipe makes a thick, glossy lemon curd filling from 4 egg yolks, 2 whole eggs, granulated sugar, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and butter. It takes about 22 minutes and makes about 1 ½ cups, enough to fill a 3 layer 8 inch cake or 24 cupcakes. The curd is stirred over low heat until it coats a spoon, then strained and finished with cold butter off the heat, which keeps it smooth and silky instead of eggy. Use it as lemon curd filling for cake, in tarts and pies, lemon curd cookies and pavlova, or spread on warm scones and toast. The same method works for lime curd and orange curd. It keeps 10 days in the fridge and about 3 months frozen.
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 whole large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional but highly recommended)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
PREPARE YOUR TOOLS: Have a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, fine mesh strainer, whisk, and silicone spatula ready before starting.
WHISK THE EGGS AND SUGAR: In the saucepan, combine the egg yolks, whole eggs, and granulated sugar. Whisk until fully blended and slightly thickened.
ADD LEMON JUICE, ZEST, AND SALT: Slowly whisk in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt, ensuring the mixture is completely combined.
COOK LOW AND SLOW: Set the saucepan over low to medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a silicone spatula, scraping the bottom and sides to prevent curdling. Continue stirring for 8 to 12 minutes, until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
STRAIN FOR SILKY SMOOTHNESS: Remove the curd from heat immediately and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits and zest.
STIR IN THE BUTTER: Add the butter cubes to the warm curd. Stir until the butter is fully melted and incorporated, creating a smooth, velvety texture.
COOL AND STORE: Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool completely before refrigerating.
Notes
Zest the lemons before juicing them; 3 to 4 lemons give ½ cup of juice. Use a stainless steel or enameled saucepan, because aluminum reacts with lemon juice and makes the curd taste metallic. Whisk the eggs and sugar as soon as they meet, or the yolks form hard specks. The curd is done when it coats the back of a spoon and a finger line stays clean, about 170°F (77°C); never let it boil. If it is runny after chilling, return it to low heat and strain again; if it has small lumps, strain or blend it. It thickens a lot as it chills. For a cake filling, use cold curd inside a piped buttercream dam, about ¾ cup per 8 inch layer. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 10 days, or freeze for about 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
This is fantastic!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Jacqui. Lemon curd is one of those things that feels like a small victory when it turns out just right. Thanks for taking the time to say something! 🍋