What’s a Curd and How Do You Bake With It?

For years, I watched the “Great British Bake Off,” a competition where the bakers make a wide range of desserts with various origins, innovative flavor pairings, and often incorporating curds in their bakes. I have to admit that for years I’ve watched this show and I had no idea what a curd was. I always thought of it as this vague baking element that is much more common in the UK. So what is a curd?

A fruit-based curd is a custard spread made with eggs, fresh fruit, and sugar. Since the curd simmers over the heat of your stovetop, it’s the ideal vehicle for infusing flavor into a bowl of no-churn ice cream, to fill flaky brioche donuts, or even a slice of plain cheesecake that needs a bit of fruit to improve flavor.

In Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, Beard-award-winning author Nicola Twilley (2024) adds:

When food or drinks cool the tongue to below fifty-nine degrees, the channels through which these three taste receptors message the brain seem to close up, and the resulting signal is extremely weak. This is why a warm Coca-Cola or a melted ice cream is so sickly sweet: because they’re intended to be consumed cold, they have to contain too much sugar to boost the signal and register in our brains as tasting sweet at all. (p. 236)

The essence of flavor can stem from a curd due to the sugar content and cooking process, especially in frozen desserts. Lemon is one of the most popular fruits of choice for curds. However, despite the love for citrus desserts, there are other types of curds you can make: pomegranate, blueberry, orange, or raspberry.

How to Make a Curd From Scratch

Proper equipment is the secret to successfully making homemade curd. Here’s a list of tools you’ll need and how you will benefit from them.

Baking Spatula: For mixing the ingredients.

Silicone whisk: I’ve found whisking is much easier with a silicone whisk because it prevents friction when stirring the curd inside the pot.

Digital thermometer: Technically, you don’t have to use a thermometer, but the room for error increases substantially. When you use a thermometer, you can avoid overcooking the eggs and wasting ingredients.  

Sieve: Will stop the bits of cooked egg from getting into your dessert. Not straining it will lead to an off-putting chewy texture. Always strain for optimal results.

Mason jars: To refrigerate your curd for later use. An excellent choice if you’re making an elaborate cake with a filling or more complex pastry recipes.

The ratio of juice, eggs, and sugar varies depending on the fruit. Because citrus fruits like limes are more acidic, they require more sugar to prevent your palate from getting overwhelmed. Egg yolks add richness and volume, thus creating a thicker consistency. Many recipes instruct the baker to strain the cooked egg mixture over butter. It improves the texture, giving it a silky, smooth finish. The spread glides across cake layers and can serve as a filling for countless pastries.

1. Typically, curd recipes made in a saucepan require you to add sugar to the pot first. Of course, massaging zest with the sugar intensifies the flavor.
2. Pour freshly squeezed citrus juice into the pan.
3. Then crack the egg yolks (or whole eggs) and whisk over low heat, whisking continuously.
4. Once it’s done, the thermometer should register a temperature of 170°F. Immediately take the pan off the heat.

In the book Zoë Bakes Cakes, Cookbook author Zoë François (2021) explains which indicators suggest your lemon curd is the ideal texture: “it will be the consistency of smooth pudding”(p. 235).