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Perfect Lemon Pastry Filling

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This perfect lemon pastry filling is smooth and silky with a tangy and tart flavor that overwhelms your senses and leaves your taste buds tingling.  

This post was a bit of salvage mission. Originally, we had planned on making a lemon dessert loaf that had been inspired by another blogger’s recipe. However, we must have done something wrong because the bread refused to rise. Kim was preparing the mixture, and we both suspect the baking powder to be the culprit. Well, instead of panicking and chucking the whole post, we decided to improvise and with a little ingenuity and quick thinking Kim, and I managed to create two posts out of one failed attempt.

Close up of Perfect Lemon Pastry Filling in a purple and white bowl.

Some people may wonder, “Why do this? Why not just start over?” The answer to that is simple, improvising in the kitchen is an important skill to cultivate. Especially, when you are cooking meals for your loved ones. Another reason to take this approach is that I feel people should know that even practiced cooks make mistakes and it’s not the end of the world. Take a deep breath, think about what you have in your cabinets and make the best of it. What started as a dessert bread became a delicious parfait that will be posted in two separate parts. The first part being the lemon pastry filling and then the bread in the coming days.

Top down view of Perfect Lemon Pastry Filling on a cutting board.

It is my hope that you will not only enjoy this recipe but will also take away something more valuable. No matter how many years you have in the kitchen, life happens. When it does, learn to think on your feet and show life that knocking you down won’t stop you. I suspect many food bloggers out there have had the same struggles but in the end prepared a delicious dish. For those of you who are new to cooking, look for those recipe posts. Not only for the food but the message as well.

Today’s post was my first attempt at making lemon pastry filling. Is it perfect? No, but I am proud of what I created and even more proud of Kim’s ability to accept the failed bread and still devise a delicious dish for another upcoming post. In closing, I wish everyone long life, everlasting love, and a full stomach. This recipe was adapted from Wilton’s website and can be found here.

Instructions:

To begin, go ahead and separate the egg whites from the yolks in two different bowls. There are couple ways this can be done. I assume most people have the kitchen tool that makes this process a snap. However, since we don’t own that gadget, I prefer to crack the egg along the side of the shell to split the egg completely in half. Then, over one bowl, I slowly pass the egg yolk back and forth between the shell halves and the white drains away from the yolk. Afterward, I pour the yolk from one-half of the egg into a separate bowl. Go ahead and beat the egg yolks. It’s a bit more labor-intensive, but until I get the proper tool, I do what I got to do. Once you have the yolks prepared, it’s time to move on to making the filling.

Perfect Lemon Pastry Filling in a bowl in front of fresh lemons.

The next step is to take a small saucepan and add the cold water, cornstarch, sugar, salt and beaten egg yolks. Begin heating the mixture over medium heat while constantly stirring the ingredients. This process will ensure all the elements are properly blended and keep the filling from heating too quickly and scrambling the eggs.

In a few minutes, the mixture will start to steam, that’s when I added the lemon zest and lemon juice. As before, constant stirring is a must for this recipe to turn out well. Let the lemon filling come to a boil and continue boiling for approximately one minute. You’re almost done, and the last few steps are only difficult if you are impatient, like me.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter. It will melt quickly as you whisk. All that is left to do is to let it cool to room temperature and strain the filling. Straining might not be needed if you heated everything slowly. But, if you are new to this process or just something unknown happened and the eggs scrambled you will want to strain the filling. It’s nothing to fret over because straining the substance will remove any unsightly flecks of egg or oversized zest pieces. Once cooled and strained, the lemon pastry is ready for use or can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Craving more lemon recipes?  Have you seen our Lemon Blueberry Muffins, Light and Fluffy Lemon Parfaits, or Smashed Red Potatoes with Lemon Rosemary Butter?

If you like this recipe, please leave us a comment and rate the recipe card. You can also find us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram searching for Berly’s Kitchen!

4.5 from 2 votes
Print
Perfect Lemon Pastry Filling
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
This perfect lemon pastry filling is smooth and silky with a tangy and tart flavor that overwhelms your senses and leaves your taste buds tingling.
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Lemon Pastry Filling
Servings: 1 Serving
Calories: 1070 kcal
Author: John
Ingredients
  • 3/4 Cup of Cold Water
  • 2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch
  • 1 Cup of Sugar
  • 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
  • 2 Large Egg Yolks Beaten
  • 1 Tablespoon of Fresh Lemon Zest
  • 5 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon of Butter
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cold water, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and egg yolks. Stir vigorously to mix the ingredients and stir occasionally as the filling cooks.
  2. After the filling begins to thicken and bubble, stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
  3. Let boil for approximately 1 minute.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
  5. Allow filling to cool to room temperature, then strain to remove any scrambled egg yolks.
  6. Can be stored in sealed container in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  7. Makes 1 cup of pastry filling.
Recipe Notes

Cook time listed above does not include cooling time. Please allow approximately 30 minutes to let the filling cool for straining.

Nutrition Facts
Perfect Lemon Pastry Filling
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1070 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Cholesterol 420mg 140%
Sodium 712mg 30%
Potassium 116mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 222g 74%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 201g
Protein 6g 12%
Vitamin A 17.4%
Vitamin C 44.6%
Calcium 4.6%
Iron 5.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  2. confettiandbliss

    OMGosh! This lemon pastry filling looks so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and photos. I really appreciate it. I can hardly wait to give it a try. 🙂

    Reply

    • John

      Thank you, Krysten! Well, it happens, but I am so glad this recipe worked out in the end. Thanks for dropping by again, I hope all is well with you 🙂

      Reply

  5. Lydia J Graham

    I love it when something goes wrong works out in the end. I think my 12 year old will be trying this recipe out soon.

    Reply

  6. New Labels Only

    This is looks absolutely tasty and the recipe is quite easy to follow. I will be trying this at a dinner party which I am hosting. Cheap and tasty!

    Reply

    • John

      Thank you! If you wanted to use it like a mousse or pudding hybrid, I bet you could fold in some whipped cream and serve it in a wine glass. 🙂

      Reply

    • John

      Thank you, Chantel! I was thinking that might be possible if you folded a little a whipped cream into the filling. Might make a weird pudding/mousse hybrid. 🙂

      Reply

  11. Ali

    Beautiful recipe and a great lesson, too. I’ve had many a catastrophe in the kitchen – and have often had to adapt to recover. It’s one of the fun parts of the creative process.

    Reply

    • John

      Thank you, Ali! I agree, fixing mistakes helps you grow more creative and teaches you how to adapt to changing conditions. Not just in the kitchen 🙂

      Reply

  12. Jolina

    “Mistakes” lead to the best recipes don’t they? 🙂 I love lemon, I am borderline obsessed with it! I can imagine this goes wonderfully with donuts or layered cakes. YUM!!

    Reply

    • John

      Thank you, Jolina! Me too, I am a lemon fiend lol! I bet it would, but I was also thinking, what I folded whipped cream into the filling. I wonder if that would make a weird mousse/pudding hybrid. Even if it doesn’t, it will be a tasty mistake lol! 🙂

      Reply

    • John

      Thank you, Tammy! It really is pretty easy. The main thing is to keep stirring the filling while it cooks. Other than that, it’s easy peasy 🙂

      Reply

  19. Erica (@Erica's Recipes)

    HA! I am one of the food bloggers of which you speak, and I still fail on a regular basis. That never goes away, it is just part of the process of creation. Good for you for seeing that, and your lemon filling sounds deliciious.

    Reply

    • John

      Thank you, Erica! Cooking can be intimidating to some people. Especially with how our pictures look and how everything “always” seems to work out in the posts. It can seem discouraging to someone starting out when his or her dish doesn’t turn out just like the photographs. Kind of like the commercials and magazines we see every day in which “ideal” should be the expected norm. I just want people to know what happens behind the “smoke and mirrors” and to see that cooking in a skill that can be learned just like anything else. With making mistakes and learning from them 🙂

      Reply

  21. Cait Weingartner

    Yum! Spring always makes me think of lemon flavored desserts, and I can just imagine how delicious this filling would be when used in a puff pastry, and combined with raspberry and whipped cream.
    Thanks for sharing, this is a keeper!

    Reply

    • John

      Thank you, Cait! It turned out to be pretty good! I like your ideas for puffed pastry, raspberries, and whipped cream. I may have to make that this weekend for a family treat 🙂

      Reply

    • John

      Thank you, MK! In regards to flavor, I feel like it’s about the same. This might be a little more tart, but that might be the only difference. It’s been awhile since I have eaten lemon curd. Texture wise, it is not as thick as curd, more like the “jelly” in a jelly filled doughnut. I hope that helps and thank you for commenting!

      Reply

  27. Wendy Hampton

    What a lovely filling. I can think of half a dozen ways to use it! It is just tangy enough to be fresh tasty but sweet enough that I was eating it with a spoon! thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  28. Kelly @ XterraWeb

    My husband loves lemons. He doesn’t like the “fake” fillings found in many grocery store bakery pastries. I’d love to make him a good lemon-filled pastry. This recipe is easy to make and it looks great too! Do you have a pastry recipe you’d recommend?

    Reply

    • John

      Thank you for commenting, Kelly! In regards to lemon-filled pastries, you could try the Pepperidge Farms pastry dough. We really loved it and it tastes wonderful. Then you could either use the lemon filling inside a cream puff or use our method and make it a cup. Just substitute the lemon pastry cream for the key lime filling. I hope this helps! Have a great day 🙂

      Reply

    • John

      Thank you, Patricia! I hope it works perfectly for you. I’ve never had an old fashioned hot milk bundt cake. Onward to Google to do some research. Thank you again for commenting and I hope you have a lovely weekend 🙂

      Reply

  30. Mary Estep

    Have you tried this filling in pastries, such as turnovers, or kolaces? I’m curious if it will bubble up and run out of the pastries while they’re cooking in the oven.

    Reply

    • John

      That’s a great question, Mary. Unfortunately, I’ve never tried this filling in a pastry that needs to be baked with the filling inside. My first instinct would be that the filling would probably bubble up and run out of the pastry as it cooks. This filling is better suited for injection after the pastry has been cooked. Kind of like a cream puff filling. With that being said, you could still try it if you like. If you decide to, would you mind coming back and letting us know if it worked for you? I’m really curious about what would happen. Thank you again for your question and we hope you have a lovely weekend, Mary!

      Reply

  31. Cindy Seibert

    I want to know if this pastry filling is “thicker” than pie filling. I am making a Christmas cookie called a Kiffel and you must use pastry filling (Solo pastry filling). I can never find lemon by Solo, only Apricot and Cherry. Curd is too thin and I must have a “pastry” filling.

    Reply

    • John

      Good Morning Cindy, that’s a good question. Unfortunately, no, my recipe is not thicker than a pie filling. However, if you decide to use it, you could incorporate some arrow root or a corn starch slurry during the cooking process. That would thicken it up nicely. I hope this information helps. Have a lovely day 🙂

      Reply

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