Homemade Lemon Curd

I mainly use lemon curd as a filling in my layered cakes, but it's a delicious spread to have on toast too (and even more delicious when it's homemade). Super tangy, sour and sweet and works with other citrus flavours too! Plus, you can use either whole eggs or egg yolks which is perfect for those making my buttercream too and always have lefotver yolks to use!

This recipe can also be found in my book Georgia's Cakes, alongside beautiful step-by-step photos of the process.

Either continue scrolling for the step by step recipe or watch my full YouTube tutorial here!

I have white blobs in the curd after heating it up, what are they?
If the egg hasn't mixed in properly before heating, small pieces of egg can cook in small chunks. Not to worry thought! Once you pass the curd through the sieve it will catch all of the lumps and you can throw them away
Can I use a whisk instead of a spatula when making the curd?
A whisk can help break up the eggs better, however the curd tends to get bubbles on the surface if you continue using a whisk throughout the whole heating process, so best to swap for a spatula half way through
How do I know when the curd is cooked enough before taking off the heat?
"Holding itself" means that when you drop some lemon curd onto the surface, it stays on the surface rather than sinks in. That's when you know the curd is ready

I have white blobs in the curd after heating it up, what are they?
If the egg hasn't mixed in properly before heating, small pieces of egg can cook in small chunks. Not to worry thought! Once you pass the curd through the sieve it will catch all of the lumps and you can throw them away
Can I use a whisk instead of a spatula when making the curd?
A whisk can help break up the eggs better, however the curd tends to get bubbles on the surface if you continue using a whisk throughout the whole heating process, so best to swap for a spatula half way through
How do I know when the curd is cooked enough before taking off the heat?
"Holding itself" means that when you drop some lemon curd onto the surface, it stays on the surface rather than sinks in. That's when you know the curd is ready

To sterilise a jar, either place the jar in the oven for 20 minutes, or boil the kettle and pour boiling water into the jar for 10 minutes and dry before using
This method works with any citrus flavour, try the same recipe with orange juice for orange curd, lime juice for lime curd, even passionfruit juice works too!
If using yolks, the curd will be thicker and darker in colour than if using just whole eggs

To sterilise a jar, either place the jar in the oven for 20 minutes, or boil the kettle and pour boiling water into the jar for 10 minutes and dry before using
This method works with any citrus flavour, try the same recipe with orange juice for orange curd, lime juice for lime curd, even passionfruit juice works too!
If using yolks, the curd will be thicker and darker in colour than if using just whole eggs

To sterilise a jar, either place the jar in the oven for 20 minutes, or boil the kettle and pour boiling water into the jar for 10 minutes and dry before using
This method works with any citrus flavour, try the same recipe with orange juice for orange curd, lime juice for lime curd, even passionfruit juice works too!
If using yolks, the curd will be thicker and darker in colour than if using just whole eggs

Fill a saucepan halfway with water and place on a low heat until simmering
In a heatproof bowl, mix together the lemon juice, zest and sugar with a spatula
Place the bowl over the saucepan and continue stirring
In a separate bowl, break up the eggs using a fork
Continue stirring the juice and sugar until you can feel that the sugar has dissolved
Pour the eggs into the bowl and mix until the eggs are fully combined
Continue stirring for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has thickened up, enough to “hold itself”
Take the bowl from the saucepan and pass the curd through a sieve into a clean bowl
Whilst the curd is still hot, add in the butter and mix with a clean spatula until the butter has melted
Cover the bowl with clingfilm and press the clingfilm down so it’s touching the curd in the bowl, or, fill up a jar with the curd and seal the lid tight
Leave to cool completely before using
Lemon curd can be stored up to 2 weeks in the fridge in a jar or airtight container

Fill a saucepan halfway with water and place on a low heat until simmering
In a heatproof bowl, mix together the lemon juice, zest and sugar with a spatula
Place the bowl over the saucepan and continue stirring
In a separate bowl, break up the eggs using a fork
Continue stirring the juice and sugar until you can feel that the sugar has dissolved
Pour the eggs into the bowl and mix until the eggs are fully combined
Continue stirring for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has thickened up, enough to “hold itself”
Take the bowl from the saucepan and pass the curd through a sieve into a clean bowl
Whilst the curd is still hot, add in the butter and mix with a clean spatula until the butter has melted
Cover the bowl with clingfilm and press the clingfilm down so it’s touching the curd in the bowl, or, fill up a jar with the curd and seal the lid tight
Leave to cool completely before using
Lemon curd can be stored up to 2 weeks in the fridge in a jar or airtight container

I have white blobs in the curd after heating it up, what are they?
If the egg hasn't mixed in properly before heating, small pieces of egg can cook in small chunks. Not to worry thought! Once you pass the curd through the sieve it will catch all of the lumps and you can throw them away
Can I use a whisk instead of a spatula when making the curd?
A whisk can help break up the eggs better, however the curd tends to get bubbles on the surface if you continue using a whisk throughout the whole heating process, so best to swap for a spatula half way through
How do I know when the curd is cooked enough before taking off the heat?
"Holding itself" means that when you drop some lemon curd onto the surface, it stays on the surface rather than sinks in. That's when you know the curd is ready