I love making fruit curds and after I made raspberry curd I knew that blackberries were next. This delightful Blackberry Lemon Curd tastes and looks amazing. The sweet blackberries combine perfectly with the tart lemon to create a wonderful sweet-tart fruit curd. It's so delicious and creamy, I can eat it by the spoonful, but I especially love it slathered on biscuits. The creamy tart blackberry curd is perfect with the buttery biscuits.
Ingredients for Blackberry Curd
Curd is a simple, easy to make fruit spread that has 5 basic ingredients:
- Egg Yolks and Whole Eggs. The eggs thicken the curd
- Sugar. Because you always need a little bit of sweetness
- Unsalted Butter. Butter adds a creamy and rich texture to the curd
- Blackberries (Fruit). Use your favorite fruit.
- Lemon Juice. Lemon juice adds to the tartness of this fruit curd and also helps this particular curd thicken.
The original fruit curd was lemon curd dating back to the 1800's in England. Fruit curd is different than jams because it uses the fruit juice instead of the whole fruit like jam. In addition, it relies on eggs and the natural fruit pectin to thicken into a creamy spread. Of all the fruit curds I have made to date lemon, lime and kumquats thicken the most, and the other versions like strawberry and rhubarb, require lemon juice to help thicken them.
How to Make the Blackberry Curd
One of the first tips I want to give for this recipe is the importance of cooking it in a non-reactive pan. What is a nonreactive pan? Certain metals will react with certain foods and change the taste and possibly the final appearance of the dish. Stainless steel and copper are examples of non-reactive pans. Aluminum and cast iron are examples of reactive pans, and these pans will react with the acid in the blackberries and lemon juice.
Making the blackberry curd starts with 8 ounces of fresh blackberries. The blackberries are pureed and then strained through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds. There should be about 3/4 cup of puree. The puree is combined with lemon juice.
Use the temperature to determine when the curd is done. The curd takes about 10 minutes to cook, but the temperature is a better gauge to determine doneness.
In a 3-quart saucepan combine the blackberry-lemon mixture, the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and butter. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until the curd thickens and reaches a temperature of 185-190 degrees F.
Do not attempt to rush this recipe by cooking over a higher temperature and do not leave the saucepan unattended. If you have to walk away remove the pan from the heat.
Strain the curd through a medium-coarse strainer into a bowl to catch any of the egg solids. Cover the curd with plastic wrap by pressing the plastic into the surface of the curd. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours to thoroughly chill. The curd will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze it for up a year, which means if you have a family get together coming up, this blackberry curd is the perfect treat to share for breakfast or dessert.
Other Fruit Curd Recipes
I love making fruit curds. While the name doesn't sound all that good, it is one of the tastiest treats to make and an easy way to add additional flavor to your desserts. Here are some of my other favorite curds:
- Lemon Curd
- Strawberry Curd
- Cranberry Curd (bookmark this one for Thanksgiving and Christmas)
- Seville Orange Curd
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Blackberry Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 2 cups (227 grams) fresh blackberries
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 (100 grams) whole eggs
- 4 (80 grams) egg yolks
- 6 tablespoons (84 grams) unsalted butter cut into 6 pieces
Instructions
- Wash the blackberries and process them in a food processor. Pour the pureed berries into a fine mesh strainer and use the back of a large spoon to push the berries through a strainer. You should have about 3/4 cup of seedless blackberry puree.
- Combine 3/4 cup of blackberry puree with 1/2 cup of lemon juice in a 3-quart non-reactive saucepan. Add 1 cup of the sugar and whisk to combine. Taste the mixture and depending on desired sweetness add additional sugar.
- Place the medium bowl with a medium-coarse strainer next to the stove. Add the whole eggs, egg yolks, and butter and place the pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk, until the mixture is slightly thickened and registers 190°F.
- Strain curd through the medium-coarse strainer into the bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto surface of curd and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (Curd can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
Sarah Hibbing says
Absolutely delicious. Bless you.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Sarah
Thank you and I'm so glad you enjoyed this curd.
Never says
I made the blackberry curd and it was fabulous! I made some shortbread to go along with it (which was great) but then made mini cheesecakes and topped them with the curd and blackberries! That's a keeper!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Never
Thank you for visiting the blog and trying this recipe. I'm so glad you like it and the cheesecake is an excellent idea. It sounds so good.
sam says
this looks lovely! would it work with lime juice instead of lemon?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Sam
Thank you for the compliment. Yes, this recipe will work with lime juice, but you will need to adjust the sugar since lime juice is usually not as sour as lemon juice. Start by adding half the amount of sugar to the blackberry lime puree, taste it, and add additional sugar based on teh desired level of sweetness.
S Thorne says
Hello! I just made this and will be putting it in the fridge shortly. It doesn't seem to be thick at all though. Is there a way to make it thicker?
Cheryl Norris says
Hello
Thank you for trying this recipe. The curd will continue to thicken as it chills. After a few hours in the refrigerator, it will be noticeably thicker. Did you cook it to the right temperature? That is key to ensuring the curd thickens.
Chris says
Beware, the weights don't change when using the serving slider.
Otherwise delicious!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Chris
Thanks for letting me know. I will correct that.
Susan says
Can you use frozen berries?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Susan
Yes, you can use frozen blackberries. Let the berries thaw out first, then strain them to remove the seeds. If you have more than 3/4 cup of liquid, cook the puree on medium heat to reduce it down to 3/4 cup.
Laura says
Can I double this recipie?
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Laura
It can be doubled, but make sure you have a large pot to avoid overcooking it.