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!
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
- Zest of 3 lemons
- Start by melting your butter- I like to let it cool just a little before adding it to the eggs.
- Next add one cup of sugar and 3 eggs to a microwave safe bowl.
- Whisk well until nice and smooth.
- Zest 3 lemons and add the zest to your sugar mixture along with the lemon juice.
- Whisk to blend.
- Add the melted butter (hopefully it has cooled for a few minutes) and stir to incorporate.
- Next add the mixture to the microwave in 1 minute intervals.
- Remove after one minute and stir.
- Repeat this process until the curd is slightly thick- just enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
- Pour the contents of the bowl through a strainer to remove the lemon zest.
- Place in a mason jar and let cool for about an hour and then refrigerate.
- The curd will thicken as it cools- I keep it in the fridge for several hours to overnight and it is ready to go the next day.
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So there is the recipe and it couldn’t be easier!
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.
Can you tell me approximately how much one recipe makes? 1 cup, 2 cups, etc? Also, how long does it last in the refrigerator?
Try it with Meyer lemons too – so yummy! I have only done it on the stove top, but I will have to try this! 🙂
Reena- here was my note in the post:
This recipe made enough for that 16oz mason jar plus several generous scoops for the cook ;).
It should be fine for a few weeks in the fridge.
Would love to have the lemonade cupcake recipe. 🙂
I tested this recipe out and featured you on my blog this week– thank you for such a yummy recipe!
http://blog.confessionsofanewoldhomeowner.com/2014/08/pinterest-tested-approved-week-3.html
Do you strain with a colander or do you have to use cheesecloth?
Jen- I did not use cheesecloth. I did not use a colander either. I used a mesh strainer- the same thing you would use to sift flour. It looks like this:
http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&field-keywords=strainer&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Astrainer&tag=myfrugadve-20&url=search-alias%3Daps&linkId=ZFG3BVLQ5RRPGBO2
I think a colander would let too much through and cheesecloth would not left enough through so the strainer was perfect 🙂
Sounds and looks delicious!
04/21/17
I made this today to put on my cheese cake, it is delicious and will be my go to recipe. I love all things lemon.
So happy to hear that Mary! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Do you have the nutrional info and serving size for this recipe? I love this…. I add a little to plain Greek yogurt. Tastes great!