If you like lemon, you are going to LOVE this easy and delicious homemade Lemon Curd Recipe! It has a wonderful silky smooth consistency and flavor with just the PERFECT amount of lemony tartness.
This lemon curd recipe is our favorite lemon filling for cakes and cupcakes, and it is a snap to make!
Lemon curd pairs wonderfully with white cakes, yellow cakes, and coconut cakes, but my FAVORITE is with our homemade Lemon Cake!
I just love lemon desserts, and everything about this filling is pure heaven.
This lemon curd filling has a delightful silky smooth consistency, and you’ll love how easily this light and flavorful filling comes together!
When using this lemon filling for cupcakes, try injecting the lemon curd into the unfrosted cupcakes with a disposable piping bag!
I usually use a tip 12 for this. Just insert the piping tip into the top of the cupcake and give it a little squeeze.
Instant lemony flavor boost! Top off your cupcakes with a swirl of Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (linked below) for an incredible dessert.
Enjoy the recipe!
Lemon Curd Filling
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (30g) cornstarch
- 1 cup (236g) water
- 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons (18g) butter
- 1 Tablespooon grated lemon zest
- 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Combine sugar, cornstarch and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil (3-4 minutes). Boil, stirring, for 1 minute more.. Remove the pan from the heat. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into a small bowl with egg yolks and stir quickly until combined. Continue stirring, while pouring the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Return pan to medium heat and cook, stirring, until the curd is thickened and lemon colored (1-2 min). Remove from heat and stir in the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest.-- Let the lemon curd cool, then press plastic wrap onto the surface, this will prevent a skin from forming on the top. Refrigerate.
- * This will fill a two layer 8 or 9 inch cake with some leftover. The recipe can be halved.
- * I have refrigerated the lemon curd for a week and it was fine....I'm not sure how long it will keep beyond that
- Makes 1 1/4 cups
Attention Lemon Lovers: Make sure to try our tried and true Lemon Cake Recipe from scratch! This is one of our most popular scratch cake recipes!
If you are looking for a great lemon frosting to go along with this amazing lemon curd filling, our Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is perfect!
I’ve never met a cream cheese frosting recipe that I didn’t love, but there’s just something about the Lemon-Cream Cheese flavor combination that is out of this world!
Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to check out our Recipes section for more of our FAVORITE cake, frosting, and filling recipes!
Every time I make lemon curd the curd is nice and smooth. After refrigeration over night I have to whip again. The butter and perhaps the liquid separates but the butter solidifies in small pieces. Unfortunately whipping it does. not smooth the filling out. Do you have any suggestions why this happens. Therefore the filling after refrigeration is never smooth but has little clumps in it. Thank You
Hi Pat, If the butter solidifies in small pieces, the mixture was not hot enough when the butter was mixed in. Since you said the curd was smooth right after making it, I think possibly to much of the egg white might be going into the mixture with the egg yolks and the pieces you see are actually pieces of cooked egg. Do you have an egg separator for separating the yolk from the white? Some people pour the curd through a strainer after it is cooked to get out any solid pieces, though this does not seem to fit your problem since yours is smooth upon completion. Do you think either of my suggestions could be a possibility?
Hi Bebe . Thanks for your suggestions on the lemon curd. I tried to be very careful about the whites being left with the yolks. The curd I take from the burner pull it aside and then add the butter and vanilla or lemon flavoring . The chunks appear after it’s refrigerated .hard like little chunks like butter which I don’t understand because the butter was melted into the lemon card right off the burner.
I googled the problem to find other possible causes. One suggestion was that overcooking can cause the problem, also not stirring the mixture constantly. When refrigerating, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd so a thin crust won’t form on the top. If a crust did form, I don’t think you would refer to it as chunks but I wanted to add this possibility also.
have you made a strawberry or rasberry filling
Hi Sarah, This is a strawberry filling that I have used.
Strawberry Filling
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
3 T. cornstarch
2 1/2 cups strawberries, frozen or fresh, cut into thin slices
1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on the sweetness of the strawberries
Whisk the water and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add the sugar and strawberries. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens 10 min. or more, depending on the amount of berries. Cool completely before using. Can be kept in the refrigerator 4 or 5 days.
Do you have an estimate in grams for the amount of yolks? I have few from yesterday in the fridge, I would like to use them for this.
Hi Nair, one large egg yolk is approximately 18 grams this recipe has 2 yolks so 26 grams.
Hello, I was wondering how to add this curd to the lemon cake recipe. Do you spread it between the two layers of cake and then refidgerate? I am new to baking!
Hi Felicia, yes, between the two layers. You can spread the cream cheese frosting over the bottom layer and then spread on the lemon curd add the top layer of cake. You can reverse the process for the top layer…….spread a thin layer of curd on the top layer for added lemon flavor, it will need to be thin so you can spread the cream cheese frosting over it easily. The recipe for lemon curd makes 1 1/4 cups so you can half the recipe if you like. Any leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for at least a week, we haven’t tested beyond that.
Hi BeBe and Melissa. I have made your lemon curd recipe many, many times and it is always wonderful. I usually use up just about all of it, but this time I have leftovers. I know I can refrigerate but can this lemon curd be frozen? Thank you.
I forgot to add to my question about freezing lemon curd: do you know if the Cake Boss’ Seedless Raspberry Puree (which I have made many times, always great) can be frozen?
Hi Paula, yes, you can freeze lemon curd. I am not sure about the length of time but I am sure I have frozen it for 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. I have never frozen raspberry puree, but I would think it would be fine to do so. Here is a link on freezing raspberry puree that you might find helpful link to taste.com.au
Thanks BeBe!!
Can you use this filling for a pie?
Hi Marie, As it is written, I would not use as a pie filling.
Hi , how long should the lemon curd be refrigerated after you cover it before it is okay to apply to the cake ?
Hi Jerica, the lemon curd can be used as soon as it cools to room temperature. It is perishable so cakes that have this filling should be refrigerated.
Hello. I was wondering if this will soak into the cake. I am making a double layer full size sheet cake. Should I use a butter cream icing on the cake before applying the curd? Thanks.
Hi Carolyn, It does sink into the cake a little bit and looks a bit thin between the layers when used alone so we usually use our buttercream as a filling and spread lemon curb over that. Don’t spread too close to the edge or it may seep out……you could also pipe a dam around the edge it you are worried about that. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Thanks so much. Yes I did enjoy it, my kids eat it by the spoons full. Did a double batch so they can have some. 😊
That’s great, Carolyn!! Thanks for your post!
Can I make the curd and then mix it with already made buttercream just to make it more stable? Making a cake for a teacher not sure if she can refrigerate the cake.
Hi Theodora, She would still need to refrigerate it.
OK thanks a lot!! Might just use the curd for home use!!