Orange Curd: A Step-by-Step Recipe with Photos for Homemade Use

Orange Curd – a delicate custard with a bright citrus note, the simple step-by-step recipe of which will help you add special touches to a wide variety of sweets prepared at home.

Nutritional value per serving

150.5 kcal

Proteins: 2.0 g
Fats: 8.3 g
Carbohydrates: 17.0 g

*Nutritional value is calculated per 100g of ingredients

Total time: 20 min
Time in the kitchen: 18 min
Complexity:

It's easy and straightforward to prepare, but it does require some experience. Not everyone can do it right the first time.
Number of servings: 1

The history of citrus curds, widely used in cooking today, began in the 19th century, when British and North American chefs introduced a fashion for thick lemon curds, similar in consistency to pudding. The recipe for this dessert was similar to custard, as it contained only four ingredients: sugar, eggs, butter, and lemon juice.

In an effort to offer customers new, vibrant flavors of the popular dessert, chefs tried replacing lemon juice with orange juice in the recipe and achieved an incredibly beautiful and delicious result.

Today, orange curd is widely used in confectionery as:

a separate dish, food for breakfast (the cream can be spread on toast instead of jam or marmalade);
cake layer (citrus curd is a perfect complement to classic sponge cake and goes well with mousse layers);
filling for muffins and cupcakes;
a bright accent for the meringue roll;
filling for cakes, waffles or pancakes;
filling for buns and other baked goods.

Also, the orange curd recipe presented on our website will pair perfectly with chocolate and any desserts that contain it.

Simply put, homemade orange curd is perfect for more than just a citrus-flavored cake. It's safe to say that the uses for this cream are now limited only by your imagination.

This page provides a classic step-by-step recipe for making thick curd using egg yolks and orange juice with the addition of starch.

Please note! The recipe calls for an average amount of sugar, but you can reduce or increase it depending on the taste of your oranges.

Orange Curd – A Simple Recipe for Cake and Cupcakes

Orange Curd – a step-by-step recipe for a citrusy cake layer with photos

Ingredients

Servings

Orange

3 pcs
Butter

25 G
Sugar

100 G
Egg yolk

2 pcs
Starch

2 tbsp

Preparation

Step 1

Wash and dry 3 medium-sized oranges thoroughly, then grate the zest on a fine grater.

Only remove the thin, bright orange skin. The whitish, fleshy layer underneath is very bitter and can ruin the flavor of the dish.

Step 2

Squeeze the juice from the oranges themselves (we got 300 grams).

Step 3

Place 100 grams of sugar, orange juice, and zest in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the saucepan over low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves completely (do not boil).

Step 4

Strain the resulting mixture to remove the zest. By this point, it has released most of its flavor and aroma, and is no longer needed; we want a smooth, stable, pulp-free cream.

Step 5

In a separate saucepan, whisk together 2 egg yolks and 2 tablespoons of starch (corn starch is best, but potato starch will do).

Step 6

Add orange juice to the egg-starch base in several stages, mixing thoroughly each time until smooth.

Step 7

Over low heat (or better yet, in a water bath), bring the cream to a thickening point, boiling it down to 83℃, but not allowing it to boil.

If the cream boils, the orange flavor and aroma will become less intense.

Step 8

Add 25 grams of butter to the still hot cream and knead until completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

If lumps form during the simmering process, don't worry. You can fix this by blending the cream with an immersion blender.

Step 9

The finished curd should be cooled and transferred to an airtight jar or container. The orange custard will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and can even be frozen if needed.

You can make lemon-orange or grapefruit-orange curd using the same recipe, simply replacing some of the orange juice with lime, lemon, or grapefruit juice.

Starch-based cream has a consistency similar to custard, but if you want a thicker layer, such as for carrot cake, try making orange curd without starch but with gelatin. For a detailed step-by-step description of the process for making this citrusy layer, watch this video:

We also suggest trying making a flavorful healthy curd at home using plant-based milk, without eggs or butter. Turmeric gives the cream in this recipe a beautiful carrot-red hue, but you can also make classic curd without this ingredient.