Blackberry Curd (Easy Homemade Recipe)
Blackberry curd is something you just can’t buy, so it’s well worth making your own. Juicy seasonal blackberries or frozen ones, make a sumptuous fruit curd with an intense fruity flavour. It’s simple to make, just puree the fruit, strain out the seeds for a smooth texture and cook over a gentle heat with sugar, lemon juice and whole eggs. It keeps for a few weeks in the fridge and is excellent spread on crumpets, toast and scones.
Following on from a morning walk foraging for blackberries, my thoughts quickly turned to bramble jelly. But as I’ve been on a fruit curd roll recently, I decided to make bramble curd instead. Despite the lack of rain this summer, the berries are super juicy and sweet this year, if a little early. They’ve obviously enjoyed the sunshine.
- Why This Blackberry Curd Recipe Works
- Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
- How To Make Blackberry Curd
- Top Tips For Successful Blackberry Curd
- Delicious Ways To Use Blackberry Curd
- FAQs
- Other Fruit Curd Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
Why This Blackberry Curd Recipe Works
- Smooth and creamy texture – Straining the blackberries removes those pesky seeds, leaving you with a beautifully smooth curd.
- Intense blackberry flavour and purple colour – Blackberries make a wonderfully fruity curd that’s both sweet and tangy. But it’s not as sharp as some citrus and berry curds.
- Simple stovetop method – There’s no need for a double boiler or special equipment; a sieve, saucepan and a little gentle cooking are all you need.
- Works with fresh or frozen blackberries – So you can make it during blackberry season or enjoy it at any time of the year.
- Simple ingredients – Blackberries, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and butter are all you need. Using whole eggs avoids waste and there’s no need to fuss about separating eggs.
- Lovely in so many ways – Spread it on crumpets, toast and scones, swirl into yoghurt or porridge or use it in desserts, cakes and other bakes.
- A delicious way to use foraged fruit – Especially if you come home from a bramble-picking walk with more berries than you know what to do with.
- Makes a pretty edible gift – Spoon it into a small jar, add a label and you have a delightful and colourful homemade present.
Ingredients, Additions and Substitutions
With only five ingredients needed to make this blackberry curd recipe, it keeps things nice and simple. Apart from the blackberries, you’re likely to have everything you need to hand.
Fruit – You can use either fresh or frozen blackberries. If picking your own, try for ripe fruit that are completely black with no red to be seen. They should taste sweet and juicy. Lemon juice tempers the sweetness of the curd and enhances the flavour of the berries.
Sugar – Sugar is needed to give both flavour and structure to the curd. I like to use golden caster or golden granulated sugar as it’s less refined than white sugar. If you’d prefer a less sweet curd, it’s fine to reduce the amount by twenty to forty grams.
Eggs – Whole eggs are best for making fruit curds. Using only egg yolks not only creates waste and is a bit of a faff, but it gives an eggy tone that can overwhelm the flavour of the fruit.
Butter – Crucial for both richness and set, butter also adds flavour and acts as an emulsifier which leads to smooth spreadability and a velvety mouthfeel. For a dairy-free option, try vegan butter. I haven’t tried it, so I can’t vouch for the flavour. I’d love to hear how you get on if you give it a go though.
Optional Flavouring – This blackberry curd has such a good flavour, it doesn’t really need anything else. However, if you like to ring the changes, you could try adding rose, vanilla or mint extract. Go carefully as these are all strong flavours and taste as you add.
How To Make Blackberry Curd
It doesn’t take nearly as long as you think to make blackberry curd. Removing the seeds is the most difficult part and as long as you keep the heat low and stir regularly you should get a nice smooth curd.
Step 1. Prepare Blackberries
You may or may not need to rinse your blackberries before using. I’m a careful picker, so I don’t bother. Cover with cold water, swish them around a bit, then scoop them out and drain through a sieve. If using frozen blackberries, you’ll need to defrost them first.
Place the blackberries in a jug and use a hand blender to purée them to a nice juicy consistency. Alternatively, purée them in a jug blender.
Place a sieve over a small to medium-sized saucepan (a heavy based one is good), then press the purée through the sieve. Use a large metal spoon to press as much of the juice and flesh through as you can. This bit can take a while. When you’ve finished, discard the seeds.
Step 2. Make Curd
Whisk the sugar and lemon juice into the blackberry purée and keep whisking until the sugar has dissolved. A balloon whisk is good for this.
Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking thoroughly between each addition.
Swap the whisk for a wooden spoon. Place the pan over a medium heat, stirring all the while, until you can see steam rising. Make sure the mixture doesn’t boil though or it may curdle.
Turn the heat down a little and cook until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon without running off. If you run your finger down the middle, it should leave a trail. You don’t need to stir all of the time, but it’s important you stir regularly to make sure nothing catches on the bottom of the pan.
Remove from the heat.
Step 3. Add Butter
Whilst the curd is cooking, slice the butter into six to eight cubes. Add a cube of butter to the hot curd and stir until melted.
Repeat with the remaining butter cubes. It’s important to do this bit gradually so as not to split the curd.
Step 4. Jar & Store
Pour the hot curd into warm sterilised jars and seal straightaway. A jam funnel is useful and helps to prevent spills.
Leave to cool, then place in the fridge to set completely. The curd thickens as it cools.
Store in the fridge until needed. It will keep unopened for three to four weeks. Once opened, use within three days.
Top Tips For Successful Blackberry Curd
- Use a heavy-based pan if you have one
- Stir regularly to ensure a smooth texture
- Keep heat low to avoid scrambled eggs
- If you scramble the eggs, strain through a sieve before adding the butter.
- It will thicken as it cools
Delicious Ways To Use Blackberry Curd
There are many ways to use blackberry curd. My favourite is to simply spread it on a lightly buttered crumpet or slice of toast. This works for both breakfast or afternoon tea. It also goes very nicely with homemade scones.
Here are a few more ways to use your delicious homemade curd.
- Fill cakes or cupcakes. Works well mixed into buttercream as in this chocolate Victoria sandwich sponge.
- Swirl into yoghurt or porridge for breakfast.
- Spoon over pancakes, waffles or ice cream – try it on these chocolate cake waffles and swap the strawberries for blackberries.
- Sandwich biscuits and macarons.
- Fold into whipped cream or mascarpone – perfect as a topping for cakes and pavlovas. Try these mini chocolate pavlovas and swap the rhubarb curd for blackberry curd and the rhubarb for fresh blackberries.
- Fill tarts or tartlets such as these chocolate shortbread tart cases.
- Add to cheesecakes or swap the lemon curd for blackberry curd in these baked curd cheesecakes.
- Gift to friends and family.
FAQs
Blackberry curd has an intense flavour of sweet ripe blackberries, balanced by a gentle brightness from the lemon juice. It’s not as sharp as some fruit curds, but has plenty of fruity tang. The texture is smooth and velvety which gives this luscious curd a wonderfully luxurious mouthfeel.
It takes anywhere between ten to twenty minutes of cooking for the eggs to start setting and the curd to thicken. Just keep going until it coats the back of a spoon.
Look for a custard like consistency. If you run your finger along the spoon, it should leave a trail. Don’t worry if it seems a bit runny when it’s hot, the mixture will thicken as it cools and adding the butter will help.
Butter helps to thicken fruit curd and gives it a nice spreadable consistency. But it also adds richness and gives a delightfully silky smooth mouthfeel.
The trick is to add it at the end of the process. This really makes a difference to the smoothness of the finished blackberry curd.
Some recipes suggest straining the curd through a sieve before jarring it up. This is not only a pain to do and creates more washing up, but it’s mostly unnecessary. As long as you cook your curd over a low heat and whisk it often enough, you should have no lumps in it at all.
If you do find bits of scrambled egg in your finished curd however, then yes, it’s a good idea to strain it through a sieve.
If jarred correctly, blackberry curd will keep in the fridge for three to four weeks. Once you’ve opened a jar, keep it in the fridge and consume within three days.
Basically, if the curd looks good, smells good and tastes good, it’s generally good to eat. But if you notice any mould or strange taste, then discard.
If you have a power blender, you most certainly can make fruit curd in one. In fact I use it more often than not to make fruit curds these days. It’s easier, if noisier.
An ordinary blender won’t work though. When the speed is set high on a power blender, the friction of the blades heats the jug up enough to cook fruit curd. You’ll need to keep it going for five to six minutes.
Other Fruit Curd Recipes You Might Like
- Apricot cardamom curd
- Blood orange curd
- Ginger & lime curd
- Grapefruit curd
- Raspberry rose curd
- Rhubarb & elderflower curd
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this recipe for blackberry curd, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for making fruit curd, or using foraged blackberries for that matter?
Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I really enjoy seeing your take on my recipes.
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Choclette x
Blackberry Curd. PIN IT.
Blackberry Curd (Easy Homemade Recipe)
Ingredients
- 300 g blackberries can also use frozen
- 120 g golden granulated sugar or golden caster sugar
- ½ lemon juiced
- 3 eggs
- 60 g unsalted butter cubed
Instructions
- Mash the blackberries up as thoroughly as possible to make a purée. A stick or jug blender is the best way to do this.300 g blackberries
- Pass the mash through a sieve to remove any seeds and press hard with a metal spoon to extract as much of the juice and flesh as possible. Place the sieve directly over a small to medium sized saucepan to catch the resulting purée.
- Add the sugar to the pan then squeeze in the lemon juice.120 g golden granulated sugar, ½ lemon
- Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then whisk in the eggs, one by one, until the mix is completely smooth. A balloon whisk is ideal for this.3 eggs
- Stirring all the while, place over a medium heat until you can start to see steam rising up. Lower the heat to medium low (I use 3 out of a possible 9), then cook for about ten to fifteen minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you run your finger down the spoon, it should leave an obvious trail. You don't need to stir all of the time, but stir regularly to ensure the mixture remains smooth and that the eggs aren't cooking on the bottom of the pan.
- Once thickened, take the bowl off the heat, add the butter, one cube at a time, and stir until melted and thoroughly combined.60 g unsalted butter
- Pour into clean sterilised jars. The curd will thicken as it cools. Seal, allow to cool fully then store in the fridge for up to a month.