Edna's lemon curd tea cakes
Edna's lemon curd tea cakes are delicate little bakes filled with tangy homemade lemon curd, fresh lemon thyme and butter. The Thermomix blends the curd base of lemon juice, eggs and sugar into a silky filling, while the batter comes together in seconds. Ideal for afternoon tea, a dessert buffet or as a sweet snack with coffee.
About this recipe
Edna's lemon curd tea cakes Thermomix TM7 bring a beloved British teatime classic into your all-in-one kitchen machine. These recipes for light, buttery sponge cakes with a bright lemon curd centre and a whisper of fresh lemon thyme are exactly the kind of bake the TM7 excels at: the mixing bowl turns egg, sugar and self-raising flour into an airy batter in seconds, while gentle heating cooks the lemon curd until thick and glossy without any stirring by hand. Searching for a quick dessert or a sweet snack that impresses at afternoon tea, a birthday table or a Sunday brunch? These tea cakes deliver a tangy-sweet flavour and tender crumb, and because the machine weighs, mixes and cooks in one bowl, there is far less washing up than with traditional curd-and-cake recipes. A truly nostalgic bake made wonderfully simple.
Preparation tips
- Zest the lemons before juicing them, as soft juiced lemons are much harder to grate. Add the zest together with the fresh lemon thyme leaves to the batter so the citrus oils perfume the whole tea cake.
- Fill the moulds only two-thirds full so the batter has room to rise around the lemon curd centre. A quick spray of oil helps the little cakes release cleanly once cooled slightly.
- The lemon curd keeps well in a sterile jar in the fridge for about a week, so make a double batch and use the surplus on scones, toast or stirred through yogurt for a quick dessert.
Recipe variations
- Gluten-free version: replace the self-raising flour with a gluten-free self-raising blend and add a spoonful of almond flour for moisture; the lemon curd and thyme flavours stay exactly the same.
- Festive winter variation: swap the lemon thyme for a pinch of ground cardamom and a little orange zest, then dust the cooled tea cakes with icing sugar for a seasonal afternoon-tea treat.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Built-in scale - The Thermomix weighs self-raising flour and sugar directly into the bowl for a balanced batter every time. [Weighing]. [Time Savings]
- Gentle heating - Precise temperature control of the TM7 cooks lemon curd slowly into a thick, glossy filling without splitting. [Heating]. [Precision Control]
- Speedy mixing - The Thermomix blends eggs, butter and flour into an airy tea cake batter in a few seconds. [Mixing]. [Multi-Function]
- Fine grinding - The TM7 grinds sea salt and lemon thyme finely so the herbs spread evenly through the curd. [Grinding]. [Multi-Function]
- Whisking power - With the butterfly whisk the Thermomix whips the eggs until pale and fluffy for a tender crumb. [Whipping]. [Multi-Function]
Ingredients
- lemon juice
- unsalted butter
- white sugar
- egg
- sea salt
- oil spray
- self-raising flour
- unsalted butter
- fresh lemon thyme
- white sugar