The Common Mistake You Are Making With Homemade Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is a criminally underrated spread. Much more than just a filling for pastries and topping for scones, you can serve this tangy condiment with vanilla ice cream, stir it into yogurt bowls, or even morph it into a savory glaze. As confusing as it might seem to whip up a curd at home, you only need a few ingredients and half an hour or less of cooking time. However, there is one major mistake you'll want to avoid. A smooth consistency is key, and since you're using eggs, it's easy for them to create lumps instead of performing their intended function, which is to make your spread nice and thick. To prevent clusters from forming, cream your butter and sugar together before you add in the eggs. 

Including this step allows the sugar to dissolve into the butter, which starts your curd off with the smooth texture you're looking for. Then when you do stir in your eggs, the creamed mixture will be soft enough that they can properly emulsify. If you were to crack eggs into a bowl with separated sugar, on the other hand, the yolks might "burn" when reacting with the granules, leading to those unwanted lumps.

It may sound like a pain to add an extra step to your lemon curd recipe, but creaming butter and sugar together is a pretty simple process, made infinitely easier if you have a stand mixer or electric beaters. Just plop the two ingredients in your bowl and beat until they're fluffy, smooth, and combined. Always make sure your butter is softened, or at least room temperature, before you begin. To make this step even easier, beat the butter on its own until it's soft, then gradually add in the sugar, making sure not to overmix (around two minutes should do it).

When this is done, you're ready to make lemon curd. Now is the time to incorporate your whole eggs and yolks — room temperature and one at a time — beating the mixture again to ensure it stays smooth. As the last step before you apply heat, stir in your lemon juice. Your consistency should be silky at this point, but if you do notice any little egg clusters, feel free to strain them out before you begin cooking. While your ingredients are warming up, you can avoid additional lumps from forming by stirring constantly until it's done.