Put your elderflower cordial to good use and make this delicious lemon and elderflower curd today. Easy to make with only handful of ingredients, super versatile and pretty much life changing!
I've been making the most of elderflower season this year for sure and after making my homemade elderflower cordial, I wanted to use it for something else before we drunk it all.
As it's been a while since we had lemon curd, I thought it would be a great idea to combine two together - lemon and elderflower and make zesty yet floral lemon and elderflower curd.
Oh what a treat!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Great use for elderflower cordial either homemade or shop bought.
- Summery spread to adorn your toast, scones, cakes and pancakes.
- Sweet, tangy, buttery, gently floral - just delicious!
- Homemade preserve that is quick and easy to make, tried and tested.
- Easy to tweak the flavour either in favour of lemon or elderflower depending on your preferences.
📝 Ingredients
Here's what you will need to make my Lemon and Elderflower Curd:
Elderflower Cordial (Syrup) - This is our source of elderflower flavour and it works brilliantly.
Using cordial instead of fresh elderflowers makes it more accessible and will allow you to enjoy it eve once elderflower season is over.
If you don't have homemade cordial, feel free to use shop bought instead.
Lemons - We are using both zest and juice here so I would recommend going organic if possible or at the very least unwaxed.
The amount of juice and zest will depend on the flavour you're after but more on that below. 👇
Sugar - We don't need a lot of sugar here as cordial is very sweet already, but it's there for you to adjust the sweetness as per your liking.
Both caster (fine) and granulated sugar are fine here.
Eggs - I use both whole eggs and a yolk to make the curd. There are different methods and ways out there but this one has always worked for me.
Eggs act mainly as thickener and but also provide lovely richness.
Butter - I use Flora Plant block butter (salted) but you can use any butter you like (just not spreadable version from the tub).
Butter makes curd smooth and silky.
👉 Lemon to elderflower ratio tips
To make this curd work you'll need to get the right balance of tanginess vs sweet floral notes that suits you.
I would suggest starting with zest of one lemon + 2 tablespoon of lemon juice and mixing that in a bowl with 100ml elderflower cordial.
Have a little taste and adjust from there - perhaps add zest of another lemon, more lemon juice to make it tangier and sharper or a touch of sugar. Once you're happy with the flavour combination of lemon to elderflower you can proceed with recipe.
***Quick Tip*** Adjust the flavour with lemon or sugar but do not increase the amount of elderflower cordial. Also don't use more than 6 tablespoon of lemon juice.
***My Quantities*** I used zest of 2 lemons + 5 tablespoon lemon juice + extra 20g of sugar on top of 100 ml elderflower cordial. More tangy than floral version for me.
🔪 Instructions
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Prepare your ingredients by cutting butter into small chunks, whisking the eggs and egg yolk together and juicing and zesting the lemons.
In a small pan, mix together elderflower cordial, lemon zest and juice. Taste and add more zest and lemon juice if required and adjust sweetness with sugar (if needed).
Once you're happy with the flavour add butter and whisked eggs.
Place the pan over a low heat or alternatively in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan with simmering water (bain-marie/double boiler method). Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Keep stirring all ingredients continuously until butter has melted and you get uniform mixture. I highly recommend using balloon whisk here.
From that point on continue whisking for about 10 minutes (it will be slightly longer if using Bain-marie method) until curd starts to thicken.
The best indicator that your elderflower curd is ready is that it should coat the back of the spoon and not spread when you draw a line with your finger.
***Quick Tip*** Make sure to take the pan off the heat as you check for doneness.
Once ready, pour the curd into hot, sterilised jars, seal with the lids and let them cool on the counter before storing in the fridge.
🥡 Storing
Store: If you store lemon and elderflower curd in sterilised jars in the fridge, it should last good couple of months or even longer. However, once opened, use within 1-2 weeks but do use your judgement, if something seems off, don't eat it.
Freeze: You can freeze it is freezer safe containers, bags or ice cube trays for up to 1 year.
Defrost: Defrost in the fridge overnight and use within a week.
💭 Pro tips
Make sure to whisk the curd continuously over low heat or you'll get scrambled eggs.
If you're worried about making it in a pan, try bain-marie/double boiler method instead where you use heatproof bowl set over a pan with gently simmering water (water cannot touch the bottom of the bowl).
There is no need to sterilise jars if you intend to use the curd immediately, perhaps as a cake filling etc. It will keep in a clean container for up to 2 weeks.
Do adjust the flavour to your liking before you start cooking so that you're 100% happy with the result - see Lemon to elderflower ratio tips ☝️.
Don't forget the curd will thicken more once it cools down. Use the back of the spoon trick to check its doneness.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Spread it on toast, crumpet or scone instead of jam.
Enjoy it over pancakes or use it as a filling for English pancakes (crêpes).
Use it as a cake or tart filling, in my Lemon Curd Pavlova or Eton mess.
Try it with yogurt and granola for breakfast.
Swirl it through ice cream.
My favourite way of enjoying it is super simply on toast. Try it on my wholemeal no-knead bread, pure heaven!
❓ FAQ
I would say it's personal preference. If prepared correctly curd should be very smooth with few specs of lemon zest. Feel free to pass it through the sieve if you'd rather.
No it doesn't.
I would only recommend fresh lemon juice here.
I am pretty sure that time and constant whisking will thicken the custard so be patient.
In the unlikely event it won't thicken (it really should if recipe has been followed exactly) you can thicken it with cornflour slurry (1Tbsp cornflour mixed with a drop of water) added to curd and gently heated up stirring continuously.
Don't forget, lemon curd should be consistency of custard and it will also thicken further once cool.
It's entirely up to you. I prefer making it in a pan and never had any issues. As long as you keep the heat low and don't stop whisking you will be fine with a pan.
2 small jars worth, about 350ml or 23 tablespoons.
Have you tried my Lemon and Elderflower Curd ?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
😋 More lemony recipes
Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake
Baked Lemon Cheesecake
Lemon Curd Pavlova
📋 Recipe
Lemon and Elderflower Curd
Equipment
- jam jars
Ingredients
- 100 ml elderflower cordial homemade or shop bough
- zest of 1-2 lemon see instructions below
- 2-6 tablespoon lemon juice see instructions below
- 20 g caster or granulated sugar (optional) see instructions below
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk save egg white for something else
- 100 g block butter (salted or unsalted) I use Flora Plant but any butter can be used
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients by cutting butter into small chunks, whisking the eggs and egg yolk together and juicing and zesting the lemons.zest of 1-2 lemon, 2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 100 g block butter (salted or unsalted), 2-6 tablespoon lemon juice
- In a small pan, mix together elderflower cordial, lemon zest and juice. Taste and add more zest and lemon juice if required and adjust sweetness with sugar (if needed).To choose the right lemon to elderflower ration for you I would suggest starting with zest of one lemon + 2 tablespoon of lemon juice and mixing that in a bowl with 100ml elderflower cordial. Have a little taste and adjust from there - perhaps add zest of another lemon, more lemon juice to make it tangier and sharper or a touch of sugar to make it sweeter. Once you're happy with the flavour combination of lemon to elderflower you can proceed with recipe. ***Quick Tip*** Adjust the flavour with lemon or sugar but do not increase the amount of elderflower cordial. Also don't use more than 6 tablespoon of lemon juice. My Quantities - I used zest of 2 lemons + 5 tablespoon lemon juice + extra 20g of sugar on top of 100 ml elderflower cordial. More tangy than floral version for me.100 ml elderflower cordial, zest of 1-2 lemon, 2-6 tablespoon lemon juice, 20 g caster or granulated sugar (optional)
- Once you're happy with the flavour add butter and whisked eggs.2 large eggs, 100 g block butter (salted or unsalted), 1 large egg yolk
- Place the pan over a low heat or alternatively in a heatproof bowl placed over a pan with simmering water (bain-marie/double boiler method). Make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.Keep stirring all ingredients continuously until butter has melted and you get uniform mixture. I highly recommend using balloon whisk here. From that point on continue whisking for about 10 minutes (it will be slightly longer if using bain-marie method) until curd starts to thicken.
- The best indicator that your elderflower curd is ready is that it should coat the back of the spoon and not spread when you draw a line with your finger. ***Quick Tip*** Make sure to take the pan off the heat as you check for doneness.
- Once ready, pour the curd into hot, sterilised jars, seal with the lids and let them cool on the counter before storing in the fridge.
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per 1 tablespoon serving based on 23 servings and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- If you store lemon and elderflower curd in sterilised jars in the fridge, it should last good couple of months or even longer. However, once opened, use within 1-2 weeks.
- Freezer friendly.
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