Lemons Are for Lovers
A Valentine's Day special feat. homemade vegan lemon curd & lemon rose filled cupcakes
Whether you are celebrating Valentine’s Day or Galentine’s Day, pucker up for these sweet & sour lemon creations.
First is my homemade vegan lemon curd, available for all subscribers below. Lemon curd is one of my favorite treats, and this vegan version satisfies all of my creamy, citrusy cravings, even without eggs and butter. We start with a lot of fresh lemon juice and zest for sunshine-y flavor and bright acidity. Almond milk adds body and additional creaminess, while cornstarch is the thickening agent; together these ingredients replace the egg yolks found in non-vegan lemon curd. To amp up the yellow color, I add a pinch of turmeric, but this is optional. I finish off the curd with cultured-style vegan butter for richness, a dash of salt and a touch of vanilla paste for visual texture and a sweet fragrance that balances the sharpness of the curd. Enjoy this simple spread on toast or scones for a lovely breakfast in bed.
And to really turn up the romance, look no further than my pretty-in-pink lemon rose cupcakes, available for paid subscribers further down. These fluffy lemon cakes (with both zest and juice in the batter) are infused with fragrant rose water, filled with tangy, vanilla bean-flecked lemon curd (see above) and finished with a rosette of rose water buttercream, a lemon slice, and a glittering shower of sprinkles. They are the perfect dessert to cap off the night (along with my chocolate-dipped strawberry cupcakes).
Vegan Lemon Curd
Makes about 2 cups
20 mins active time, 20 mins total time
Ingredients
7.5 g (1 tbsp, 3 lemons) lemon zest
150 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp, 4-5 lemons) lemon juice
133 g (2/3 cup) organic granulated sugar
23 g (3 tbsp) cornstarch
1.5 g (1/2 tsp) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal or see note below)
0.3 g (1/8 tsp) turmeric (for color - optional)
180 g (3/4 cup) almond milk (or other neutral plant milk)
86 g (6 tbsp) unsalted, cultured-style vegan butter (e.g. Miyoko’s) (see note below), cubed, room temperature
5 g (1 tsp) vanilla paste (see note below)
Instructions
Zest and juice the lemons (see pictures 1 and 3 below)
Combine the lemon zest and granulated sugar in a medium bowl and rub with your fingers until the mixture resembles wet sand (see picture 2 below)
Add the cornstarch, salt, and turmeric and whisk until thoroughly combined
Add the almond milk, whisk to combine, then add the lemon juice and whisk until the solids have largely dissolved (see picture 4 above)
Pour the lemon curd mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it boils, stirring constantly; it will thicken as it approaches the boiling point (see picture 5 below)
Once the mixture begins to boil, continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 30 secs; this ensures the starch is cooked completely
Off the heat, add the vegan butter and whisk until emulsified (see picture 6 below)
Add the vanilla paste and whisk to combine
Pour the lemon curd into a heatproof container and cover with plastic wrap; place the film directly on the surface of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming
Cool the mixture to room temperature either on the counter or in the fridge
Spread the cooled lemon curd on toast, or scones, or use it as the filling in my lemon rose cupcakes, below
Lemon curd keeps for up to 1 week in the fridge in an airtight container; stir the lemon curd to smooth it out before using
Notes & Variations
Ingredient Notes
Kosher salt: I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which has larger crystals than other kinds of kosher salt, normal table salt or fine sea salt. As a result, when measured by volume (teaspoons/tablespoons) it will add less "saltiness" than an equal quantity of the other salts. If you are not using Diamond Crystal, I recommend measuring your salt by weight, in which case you won't run into this issue. Otherwise, use half the volume quantity of salt
Vegan butter: There are two main types of vegan butter: (1) margarine-style products that are basically butter-flavored vegetable shortening (e.g. Earth Balance or Violife), and (2) cultured-style products made from cashew, coconut, or other kinds of fats (e.g. Miyoko's). I generally prefer the first type in cakes, muffins, and frostings, where the more obvious "butter" flavor and greater stability, and yellow color are beneficial. I prefer the second type in recipes where the fat will caramelize, such as cookies, pie or tart dough, and bread, as margarine-style butters can develop unpleasant burnt oil flavors when heated to high temperatures. Also, cultured-style butter can be browned similarly to dairy butter, while margarine-style butter cannot
Vanilla paste: Using vanilla paste (I love Nielsen-Massey) adds lovely specks of vanilla bean; however, you could also use vanilla extract for a similar flavor
Things I Used
As an Amazon Affiliate and Food52 Curator, I earn a small commission on anything purchased through these links
Ingredients
Miyoko’s unsalted vegan butter
Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste
Equipment
The recipe for my lemon rose cupcakes, filled with creamy vegan lemon curd, is available for paid subscribers below :)
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