I’ve always been intrigued by lemon curd and orange curd. I love the tartness of these citrus and creamy fillings used in pies, cakes, pastries and other desserts. I thought, it can’t be that hard to make.
So, I tried a recipe I found in Gram’s recipe box – why not? The recipe is well over 55 years old since that’s about how long ago she stopped baking and making treats for the family, due to poor health. This recipe takes me back to her lemon pies, her lemon curd in pastries and so many of her other delicious baked good. She actually made orange and lemon curd from the same recipe, substituting one flavor the other. This is truly a trip down memory lane.
This recipe is so good. I'm happy to ease a spoonful of curd into my mouth, close my eyes and think back to Gram in her cobbler apron that she wore ALL the time in her farm kitchen, rolling out pie crust after pie crust for her delicious pies. What a lot of warm memories.
It's even a fun cake to decorate for Easter or any other spring event!
Many of you have probably had those cute little orange shaped chocolate candies flavored with orange. It’s a perfect marriage of chocolate and orange. That’s also what this Orange Curd Covered Chocolate Bundt Cake reminds me of. I make a deep dark chocolate Bundt cake and drizzle it with the homemade orange curd. The colors and flavors are amazing, especially with fresh orange zest sprinkled on top.
For this delicious cake, make your own chocolate cake recipe, whether it’s from a mix or homemade. Or a 9”x 9” cake or a larger 9”x13” cake or a Bundt as I’ve done. Spread the curd on top, place a dollop on each piece or drizzle it over the crown of the Bundt cake. I’ve included the Orange Curd recipe below. This recipe will make a thin layer on a 9”x 13” cake or drizzle nicely over a 12 cup Bundt cake.
Gather up your Orange Curd Ingredients:
6 T Butter, soft
2/3 C Sugar
4 Egg yolks
½ C Orange juice, freshly squeezed
6 T Orange zest, freshly grated
¼ t Salt
1 T Orange zest for garnish, freshly grated
First make your cake and cool it completely.
Mix and make your lemon curd:
-In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat the soft butter for a couple of minutes.
-Add the sugar and beat until creamy.
-Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one until combined. Gram would use only 3 egg yolks if they were from her best laying hens because they gave larger eggs. If they were pullet eggs from her youngest hens, she would use 5 yolks. Pullet eggs were always small – cute, but small. Sometimes an egg would even release a double yolk – Gram said that was a bonus.
-Add the orange juice, orange zest and salt and beat in slowly until combined. Make sure your orange zest is from the orange portion of the peeling. If you grate down into the white pith, it will be bitter. It’s okay if the mixture looks a little curdled. Don’t let it boil.
-Keep cooking the curd until it reaches 170F degrees, measuring it with a thermometer. It should also create fairly thick coat of orange curd on the back of a spoon. This can take 10-15 minutes. Make sure you are stirring constantly so everything thickens at the same rate and nothing burns.
-When it reaches 170F degrees, take the pan off the burner and pour the curd into a bowl.
-I like to strain the curd as I pour it into the bowl. Then I get any lumps and the zest out, for a smooth curd. Some people like to leave the zest in for more flavor. It’s your choice.
-Cover it with plastic wrap. I press the plastic wrap right down onto the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming.
When the curd has cooled pull off the plastic wrap and it’s ready for drizzling or spreading onto your cake.
Assemble your cake:
-Pour the curd onto the cake. I let the curd come to room temperature so it does a little dripping down the sides of the cake. If you are using a Bundt cake, pour it around the top of the crown, allowing it to drizzle down into the valleys on
the outside of the cake. If the curd needs a little help moving down the sides of the cake, use the back of a small spoon to spread it down a little. It does not need to be spread all over the cake.
-Sprinkle the lemon zest around the top of the crown of the Bundt cake.
Storing your Cake:
-I store this cake with the orange curd on it for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. I usually place a large round bowl over the top.
-I freeze this cake in an airtight container, but without the curd. When I’m thinking about bringing it out of the freezer, I’ll let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and make the curd so it’s fresh on the day I serve it.
This is a delicious cake to brighten a spring or summer day. It’s nice for Easter, a summer dinner or tea and decorated with a orange zest or little candies. However you like to serve your Orange Curd Covered Chocolate Bundt Cake, enjoy it with friends and family and “Bake your own Memories!”