Bergamot Lemon Curd

Busy Day Cake with bergamot lemon curd and garden strawberries

I made another batch of the Bergamot Lemon Curd over the weekend. What I didn't immediately lick off my fingers got used in the cake above or frozen for a burst of sunshine throughout the year.

Lemon curd makes a great topping for a simple cake. (One of our favorite cake recipes is Busy Day Cake, a recipe from an old Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. That's what I'm using in the picture above, tho I've added whole wheat. We often make it vegan using vegetable oil or vegan margarine and flax seed meal/water to replace the egg.)

Here's my recipe for Bergamot Lemon Curd:

* 1 Tbsp (or more) bergamot citrus zest (it freezes well)
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 cup bergamot citrus juice (it freezes well; OK to augment with a bit of regular lemon juice if needed)
* 4 Tbsp butter, cold, cut into pieces
* Double boiler or a pot-over-pot method for cooking
* Bowl with ice, ready for cooling (store in fridge until needed)


Get out the double boiler or pot-over-pot and bring the water to a boil. In the mean time, place the sugar and zest into a food processor and whirl until the rind is well dispersed throughout the sugar mixture.

Turn the water down to a simmer (low). Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl. Add the sugar/zest and lemon juice while whisking. Then pour into the double boiler and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until thickened, approximately 7 - 10 minutes. You may need to skim some foam and if any bits of egg coagulate and form chunks, fish them out. Stir in butter, a tablespoon at a time, until it's well combined. Then set over a bowl of ice to cool. Give it a stir every now and then.

Stores well in the fridge for a week and freezes well, too.