Easy Lemon Elderflower Curd Recipes

EASY LEMON & ELDERFLOWER CURD

Steps:

• Immerse the Elderflower heads in water to remove any dirt or insects and dry in a salad spinner if you have one.
• Place the sugar, lemon juice, zest and butter into a pan.
• Snip the flowers off the Elderflower stalks into the pan.
• Place pan over a very low heat and stir until all the sugar has dissolved (do not simmer).
• Remove pan from the heat and allow the Elderflowers to steep for 5 minutes.
• Sieve the contents of the pan to remove the Elderflowers giving them a squeeze with the back of a spoon.
• Place the mixture back in the pan and place over a medium heat then whisk in the beaten egg.
• Once curd starts to boil cook for a further minute continuing to whisk (will thicken in this time).
• Pour into hot sterilised jars. (Makes 2 x 250 ml jars).
• Once cool, store in fridge where it should keep for at least 3 weeks.

ELDERFLOWER LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Gently shake elderflower umbels to remove any insects. Remove as much of the green stems as possible. The best way to do this is to strip them off the stems with your fingers into a bowl.n
• Combine sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved in the warm liquid. Add elderflowers, turn off the heat, and let steep for 1 to 2 hours.n
• Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a double boiler or a metal bowl placed over a saucepan with simmering water. Squeeze the elderflowers to extract as much of the liquid as possible.n
• Add eggs to the double boiler and cook over simmering water, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until mixture coats the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes. Make sure to scrape over the bottom and the sides of the double boiler.n
• Once mixture is thick, remove from the heat. If it seems a bit lumpy, strain it through a fine sieve again. Add butter and stir until fully dissolved. Pour into a jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate or freeze.n

LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Place the butter, sugar, lemon rind and juice in a medium bowl and microwave on full power for a minute in 30-second bursts until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Add the beaten eggs and keep microwaving in 20-30 second bursts, stirring after each and reducing the time to 15 seconds as the mixture thickens, until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. (To make on the hob, put all the ingredients in a bowl set over a pan of hot water. Once the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved, stir the mixture until thick enough to coat back of wooden spoon - about 15 minutes.) Strain the curd through a sieve into a wide-necked jug to remove the lemon rind and any egg bits. Pour into cool sterilised jars and cover with wax discs and cellophane. Leave to cool then store for up to 10 days in the fridge. For passion-fruit curd: Add the seeds and pulp of two passion fruit just before potting. For elderflower curd carefully strip the tiny flowers from the stems of 2 handfuls of elderflowers and add to the curd when cooking. Preparation: 15 minutes. Cook: 8-10 minutes in microwave or 40 minutes on the hob.

EASY LEMON-ELDERFLOWER WEDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Prepare cake batter and bake as directed on package for 2 (8- or 9-inch) cake layers, blending dry pudding mix into batter before pouring into prepared pans. Cool cakes 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely. (Note: If tops of cake layers are domed in centers, use serrated knife to cut off domed tops to make even layers.)
• Brush each cake layer with 1/4 cup elderflower syrup. Mix lemon curd with remaining elderflower syrup until blended.
• Place 1 cake layer, bottom side up, on plate; spread with lemon curd mixture. Top with remaining cake layer.
• Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gradually add sugar, mixing well after each addition. Spread onto top and side of cake.
• Refrigerate 2 hours.

LEMON & ELDERFLOWER TRAYBAKE

Steps:

• First, make the pastry. Tip the flour, butter, sugar and lemon zest into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Tip in the egg yolk and ½-1 tbsp cold water and blitz again to bring everything together into a dough. If the dough isn't coming together, add more cold water, ½ tsp at a time, and blitz again. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm thickness, then use it to line the base of a loose-bottomed traybake or brownie tin (ours was 20 x 30cm). Transfer to the fridge and chill for 20 mins.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the chilled pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the parchment and beans and bake for 5 mins more until the pastry is lightly golden. Leave to cool for a few minutes before spreading over the lemon curd, leaving a 2cm border around the edges (it will spread out when the cake batter is poured over). Turn the oven down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest together using an electric whisk or in a stand mixer until pale, light and fluffy, about 8 mins. Beat in the eggs, one at a time along with 1 tbsp of the flour, then fold in the remaining flour and the ground almonds. Carefully spoon the batter over the lemon curd and gently spread out using the back of the spoon, then bake for 35-40 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin completely, then carefully remove to a board.
• To make the icing, combine the icing sugar, lemon juice and elderflower cordial until loose enough to drizzle over the sponge, then swirl over extra lemon curd, if you like. Cut into squares and serve. Will keep in an airtight tin for up to three days.

EASY LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Pour into jars; cool. , Store in refrigerator or freezer. Sauce is good on pound cake, muffins, pancakes and waffles.