lime curd recipe

I love simple old fashioned recipes like this home made lime curd which uses a glut of home grown produce and can be stored and saved for later use.

Although I've had a lime tree for the last six or so years, this is the first year its been really happy and produced a bumper crop. More sunlight since a dead hakea was removed from beside it has meant a doubling in size and a seemingly endless supply of lovely limes. In fact this recipe uses the windfalls that we couldn't keep up with.

I based my curd on this recipe, but substituted limes for lemons. The recipe used about 5 small limes.

85 grams (6 tablespoons) softened butter
1 cup caster sugar
4 free range eggs - 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks
2/3 cup of lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime zest

Beat the butter and sugar together until combined. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for one minute. Add lime juice and zest and mix well until combined.

The mixture may separate but will come back together when heated.

Heat over low heat until combined and then cook over medium heat stirrring for 15-20 minutes till it thickens and colours.

You can put your curd in a bowl covered with glad wrap in the fridge but mine went in to a sterilised jar. (I know there are other ways but I always sterilise my jars in a water bath - place jars and lids in a large stock pan covered in water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.)

This beautiful lime curd, so much fresher and nicer than shop bought and with no artificial thickeners or colours, will be perfect for making my favourite cake! My mother's group lemon cake will become my mother's group lime cake with home made lime curd, recipe here. Often when I go to make this cake I find I have no lemon curd in the cupboard. With this simple recipe it will be easy enough to whip up my own.