LEMON CURD - WITH ALMOND AND CREAM SPONGE CAKE + NO-CHURN ICE CREAM

How to make this citrussy, creamy spread - for buttered toast, sponge cakes, ice cream and meringue.

Hello,

Nice to see some new followers here!

Lemon curd is a very nostalgic one for me. I think its actually highly underrated? Ok so it’s not made for fussy modern recipes and there’s nothing completely groundbreaking about it but when made with really good ingredients it’s quite something. It should be sandwiched between traditional sponge cakes or spread into a crisp meringue with cream. Growing up we would eat it between slices of soft white bread and salty butter at my nans kitchen table. That salty butter prompted me to start adding a pinch of salt to my curd many years ago, which brings out the bright, bold flavours beautifully.

I like to have a jar of it in my fridge. Its relatively quick to make; unlike my homemade jams it sits beside. and its genuinely great for pepping up otherwise quite boring bakes. You could stir it into a loaf cake, or fold into yoghurt for a pavlova, it would be quite nice in my thumbprint cookies from the tahini issue a few weeks ago.

I hate to state the obvious but a really good lemon curd should use really good lemons. So as a starting point always buy the unwaxed type for this and then try and get the really good, knobbly Italian ones if you can because they really do make fantastic curd.

A great way to use it is to spread it into a almond sponge cake. Its a simple sponge with ground almonds but once sandwiched with lots of homemade curd and sweetened whipped cream it makes for such a delicious bake.

It also works well rippled in a no-churn ice cream and topped with almonds and a very delicious slick of good olive oil. Great as the weather hots up.

A jar of lemon curd is a very satisfying thing to be able to know how to make and once you've made it once you’ll realise how easy it can be.

Enjoy these recipes!

Esther x

HOW TO

THE LEMONS

Always use the unwaxed lemons as they dont have that horrible chemical balm on them. If you can then buy the large, Italian lemons. They are knobbly and usually still have their green leaves. You can get them in greengrocers, online at natoora and on Ocado.

THE COOKING

Cooking the curd in a bowl over simmering water stops the curd from curdling as this allows you to have more control over the heat. A burst of heat will ruin the curd so be gentle when cooking.

Lots of people strain the zest and pulp out of their curd before jarring, but I like to keep mine as it is as I love the really strong lemon flavour that comes through the rind.

THE STORING

Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Lemon curd

Makes 1 x 500ml Jar

150ml lemon juice + zest 3-4 lemons

230g golden caster sugar

3 large free-range eggs

120g unsalted butter, cubed

1/4 tsp flaky sea salt

Squeeze the juice into a measuring jug until you’ve got exactly 150ml lemon juice. Zest the lemons into the jug and whisk in the eggs. Pour this into a heat proof metal bowl with the caster sugar and whisk for 1 minute.

Set a small saucepan of water over a high heat. Make sure the pan is filled no more than a third full of water then bring to a gentle simmer.

Once simmering, sit the bowl snuggly on top of the pan. Then whisk for a couple of minutes before adding the butter and salt. Keep whisking continuously for 5-7 mins or until the curd has thickened.

Remove from the pan and pour into a 500ml sterilised jar. Leave to cool for 2 hours at room temperature then chill in the fridge until needed. Will last for up to 1 month.

Lemon curd and cream almond sponge cake

The smell of this sponge cooking could not be more comforting. Resist the temptation to eat whilst still warm.

PREP 45 MINS COOK 20 MINS SERVES 8-10