Homemade lemon curd is so delicious that you'll soon find yourself wanted to include it in baking and desserts. These three recipes are quick and easy.
Do try to use homemade lemon curd for these recipes, as it tastes much fresher and tangier than shop-bought curd.
These recipes are great for using up lemon curd, which has a comparatively short storage life, but tastes so good that you’ll soon find yourself making the lemon curd specially!
Individual Lemon Curd Tarts - Equipment
- Shallow bun tin (available from cook shops)
- Large mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- Round pastry cutter, approx 3.5 inches across
Making Individual Lemon Tarts – Recipe
For the pastry:
- ½ cup (100g or 4oz) plain or all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup (50g or 2 oz) caster sugar
- ¼ cup (50g or 2 oz) butter (preferable at room temperature)
- 2 egg yolks
For the filling:
- Lemon curd
- Pre-heat the oven to 190C/375F.
- Sieve the flour into a bowl, and add the salt and sugar.
- Stir, then add the butter and egg yolks.
- Using your hands, gradually work the ingredients together until bound into a soft dough.
- Wrap the dough in clingfilm or foil and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Place on a floured surface and roll out to about ¼ inch thick.
- Cut out circles using the pastry cutter, and use them to line the bun tin.
- Bake in the oven for 7 – 10 minutes until lightly browned.
- Allow to cool, then fill with spoonfuls of lemon curd. These are great for picnics or packed lunches.
- 2 x 18cm (7 inch) sandwich tins (shallow cake tins)
- Large mixing bowl
- Greaseproof paper for lining
- Cooling rack
Lemon Curd Cake – Recipe
- ½ cup (100g or 4oz) plain or all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ cup (175g or 6 oz) caster sugar
- ¾ cup (175g or 6 oz) butter or margarine, preferably at room temperature
- ¾ cup (175g or 6 oz) self raising (or all purpose flour plus 2 tsps baking powder)
- 3 eggs, beaten
- Grated rind of one lemon
- Lemon curd to fill
- Pre-heat the oven to 190C/375F.
- Start by preparing the tins. Grease them, and then line the bases with circles of greaseproof paper (if you are using spring clip tins, then they don’t need to be base-lined – the lining is only so that you can get the cake out of the tin after baking)
- Now beat the butter and sugar in the bowl together until the mixture looks pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the flour and lemon rind, and beat well until combined.
- Divide the batter equally between the tins, and smooth the tops off so that the cakes will rise evenly.
- Bake for about 20 minutes. When done, the tops of the cakes will be light brown, and if you touch them carefully with a fingertip they should resist slightly instead of giving under the pressure.
- Turn onto the cooling rack and allow to cool.
- Sandwich together with 3 – 4 tablespoons of lemon curd (don’t use too much, or it will ooze out over the sides!)
Simple Lemon Soufflé - Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Electric or mechanical egg whisk (you can use a handwhisk, but prepare to get very tired arms!)
- 4 Ramekins
Simple Lemon Soufflé Recipe (serves 4)
- 6 egg whites
- ½ cup (100g or 4 oz caster sugar
- 8 tbsp lemon curd
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Grease the ramekins and set aside
- Put the egg whites in a bowl, and whisk until stiff. There should be no liquid remaining in the bottom of the bowl, and when you remove the whisk it should leave a stiff peak behind it.
- Gradually add the caster sugar, whisking with each addition, until the sugar is all absorbed and the mixture is stiff and glossy.
- Using a metal spoon (which has less surface area than a wooden one, so will break up the mixture less), fold in the lemon curd. Try to keep as much volume as possible.
- Spoon into the ramekins, put in the oven for about 10 minutes until well risen and golden.
- Serve as soon as possible, as once taken from the oven they will start to deflate.
- Serve with cream and some fresh strawberries.
Copyright Sara Walker. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Sara Walker - I graduated from the University of Liverpool with a BA in English and French, and spent many years working as a software trainer and then ...
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