Heard of this saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” Well, apparently these people have not had a taste of lemon curd!
WHAT IS LEMON CURD?
It is a smooth velvety custard that is delicious and can be used as a topping on cheesecakes, toast, and ice cream. It is equally perfect as a filling to sandwich between layers of cakes, butter crumpets, or scones. It is tart, buttery yet refreshing.
There are some things that should just never come from a jar. First, pesto, and second, lemon curd. Pestos that come in jars are basically a 5/10 for me and lemon curd is a 4/10. The homemade ones are a FULL 10/10 and I am not even trying to exaggerate.
Homemade lemon curd is SO delicious. It’s rich, creamy, deliciously tangy, and smells so fresh! You only need 5 ingredients and it comes together on the stove in 10 minutes! You would not be making the lemon curd only for this recipe as it goes perfectly well with scones, pound cakes, cupcakes, crepes, pancakes; basically almost everything. It is also a favorite on top of pavlovas and trifles too. Alternatively, you simply need a spoon, move over Nutella, and here comes the new kid on the block, pretty and bright as a burst of sunshine.
Citrus definitely my favorite and lemon top the list. The smell of lemon zest tends to perk me up and I especially love to use it in my bakes.
You have the option to make these non-baked cheesecakes in little jars or as a whole cake too. I made a 9-inch of this Lemon curd Cheesecake for a new year’s party with my cousins. One of my cousins literally said “this is gonna be my birthday cake! Yup, she has already decided on her birthday cake which is going to be in October. That speaks volumes as to how much these were loved. We all had two slices each despite the fact that we were pretty stuffed!
My mom isn’t a huge fan of cheesecakes but she happily savored this Lemon Curd Cheesecake. Buttery graham cracker crust, lusciously creamy cheesecake and a golden tangy lemon curd topping; this Lemon Curd Cheesecake is just irresistible!
- 120g granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 egg yolks
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup salted butter, cold
- 1 tsp vanilla
- For the biscuit base
- 200g Digestive biscuits
- 90g Butter, melted
- 500g cream cheese
- 250ml whipping cream
- 125g icing sugar (160g if you prefer it sweet)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Place egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice into the top pot of your double boiler. You can also use a pot if you do not have a double boiler, but do keep the flame low. Using a whisk, whisk until completely blended, then continue to whisk as the curd cooks and thickens.
- Remove pan from heat. Cut the butter into 4 separate pieces, then whisk into the curd. The butter will melt from the heat of the curd. Add vanilla and mix well.
- This is optional but I like to strain the final mixture to remove any bits of zest, etc. The final curd will be silky smooth.
- Pour curd into a jar or bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd. This prevents a skin from forming on top.
- Refrigerate the curd for up to about 10 days.
- Stir the graham cracker and melted butter together. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan OR divide the crust into little jars and pack in very tightly. Freeze for 15 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the refrigerator as you prepare the filling.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer beat the cream cheese and icing sugar on medium speed until perfectly smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add vanilla extract and beat for another minute.
- Fold in the whipped cream into the cheesecake using a spatula. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.
- Remove crust from the freezer and spread filling into crust.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for 12 hours. I just chill mine overnight.
- Top with the lemon curd just before serving.
Sponsors