Category: Curd and Jam

Cakes · Curd and Jam · No-Bake

Lemon Drizzle Trifles

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Individual serving lemon drizzle trifles. A light, refreshing summer dessert. What’s not to enjoy about zesty lemon cake layered with lemon curd, custard and a whipped cream topping?

Trifle is a staple British dessert. I love a trifle for pudding and I adore lemon drizzle cake.

So today, I’m combining the two together to create these easy homemade Lemon Drizzle Trifles.

This mini trifle recipe can be assembled in less than 10 minutes.

The recipe makes four individual servings and, for me, that’s the perfect quantity.

When it’s a scorching hot day outside, you can rustle these up in next to no time, meaning you’ll spend less time in a sweltering kitchen – coming from a chef who spends long hours in a hot kitchen, I know just how draining it can be!

The trifles can also be made ahead of time. Cover them and set aside in the fridge for up to 2 days before serving. I decorated ours with some white chocolate flakes. Fresh summer berries or even some crushed meringue will also make great toppings!

Sweet, zesty and easily adaptable to suit dietary needs. This time, I switched to dairy-free custard and lactose-free whipping cream to suit my taste testers’ dietary requirements.

You can also use gluten-free cake if making this for anyone gluten intolerant.

This is the easiest trifle recipe. A lovely, light and tasty summer dessert.

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Lemon Drizzle Trifles

Individual serving lemon drizzle trifles. A light, refreshing summer dessert. What’s not to enjoy about zesty lemon cake layered with lemon curd, custard and a whipped cream topping?
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 1 small lemon loaf cake approx. 1 x 240g cake
  • 8 tablespoons lemon curd add more if you desire
  • 1 x 400g can readymade custard I use approx. 2-3 tablespoons of custard per serving glass
  • 250 ml double cream whipped to stiff peaks
  • white chocolate grated/flakes to decorate

Instructions

  • Slice the lemon cake up into small cubes. Layer half the cake pieces between the serving dishes/glasses. Drizzle each dessert with one tablespoon each of lemon curd. Now top each dessert with 2-3 tablespoons of custard.
  • Layer again with the remaining cake pieces. Now top each dessert with the whipped cream. Drizzle over another tablespoon of lemon curd on each trifle and decorate with grated white chocolate (flakes) if desired.
  • Serve the trifles straight away or chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving. I recommend chilling. The trifles will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

More lemon recipes to bake next! 

Homemade Lemon Curd

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Lemon Bars

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Cakes · Curd and Jam

Bakewell Shortbread Bars

What Jessica Baked Next5 Comments

Deliciously moreish Bakewell bars. A layer of buttery, cake-like shortbread, topped with strawberry jam, frangipane and flaked almonds. Baked until golden and dusted with icing sugar. Watch these vanish before your eyes!

It’s a bold statement to make, but these Bakewell shortbread bars are quite possibly the BEST bake I’ve ever made.

My taste testers and I simply couldn’t get enough of these. I found the recipe on the wonderful Feasting Is Fun blog, and my gosh, Sammie, you’ve created a stunning recipe!

A lot of my culinary discoveries happen when I’m travelling. Bakewell Tart is a classic British dessert hailing from Bakewell in Derbyshire. This time last year, I visited the beautiful Peak District and enjoyed a short break filled with countryside walks and lots of authentic Bakewell Tarts. The Peak District is one of the many beautiful areas of the UK, and well worth a visit if you’re ever here in the UK.

Furthermore, what inspired this recipe was a recent trip a few weeks ago, during a weekend away in Yorkshire. We visited RHS Harlow Carr in Harrogate, and after a walk around the incredible gardens, we popped into one of the many food spots for some lunch. We enjoyed some savoury bits for the main part of our lunch, but there’s always room for a little sweet treat afterwards.

We ordered a huge square of homemade salted caramel millionaire’s shortbread, and we also couldn’t resist picking the Strawberry Bakewell bar. One bite of the shortbread bar, and I knew I had to recreate it for the blog. So as soon as I got home, I set about doing just that!

I love the ease of this recipe compared to the classic Bakewell tart. Normally you have to roll a sweet shortcrust pastry out, but with this recipe we’re pressing the shortbread dough straight into a cake tin.

The shortbread has an added egg yolk, which creates a more tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It’s more cake-like and softer in texture than classic shortbread. It still holds together without being too hard.

Jam choice is totally down to your preferred flavour. I went for strawberry jam, but equally apricot, cherry or raspberry will work. Raspberry, however, is traditional.

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Bakewell Shortbread Bars

Deliciously moreish Bakewell bars. A layer of buttery, cake-like shortbread, topped with strawberry jam, frangipane and flaked almonds. Baked until golden and dusted with icing sugar. Watch these vanish before your eyes!
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Shortbread Layer

  • 225 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 150 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 275 g plain flour

Frangipane Layer

  • 175 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 175 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 100 g ground almonds
  • 50 g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Jam / Decorating Layer

  • 175 g jam of choice I use strawberry but raspberry is traditional
  • 50 g flaked almonds

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180ºC / 160ºC Fan / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4. Line a 28cm x 20cm x 5cm (12-inch x 8-inch x 2-inch) tin with baking paper and set aside for later.
  • Make the shortbread layer by adding the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Cream until lightened in colour and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and the egg yolk and mix again until combined fully.
  • Add the flour and a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter. Continue to mix until a soft shortbread dough forms. At this point you can chill the dough for 30 minutes, but I spread mine out in the tin straight away - it was a little sticky but didn't take too long to do. Once the shortbread layer is even, dock it with a fork all over.
  • Bake the shortbread layer for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Now spread the jam over the part cooked shortbread layer.
  • To make the frangipane cake layer. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add the vanilla and the almond extract, followed by the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once mixed well, add the flour, baking powder and the ground almonds. Fold gently until incorporated.
  • Spread the frangipane mixture over the jam coated shortbread layer. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden and firm to the touch.
  • Allow to cool completely before slicing into 12 bars. Cut down the middle length of the bar, then cut across the width in the middle. Cut each quarter into 3 bars. Before serving dust with icing sugar.
    The bars will keep for up to 5 days, covered and stored at room temperature.

These bars are divine served on their own, or with warm custard, a scoop of ice cream, or cream. Writing this blog post up is making me seriously crave these shortbread bars again. The recipe has already been requested again by my taste testers!

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Baking · Curd and Jam · Scones

Classic British Scones

What Jessica Baked Next9 Comments

Classic British scone recipe. Buttery in flavour, with a soft and fluffy texture. Top generously with jam of your choice, and clotted cream for the very best scone experience. 

This is a recipe update from April 2016. The recipe and photographs updated in April 2024.

I really love eating scones, and lately I’ve been enjoying baking scones too. I love a freshly baked scone, still slightly warm from the oven, spread with butter and jam, or topped with clotted cream and jam.

Scones originate right here in the United Kingdom. We Brits are proud of this bake that’s popular all over the world, with many countries having their own variations.

In the UK, we traditionally make sultana/plain scones and cheese scones.

I’m revisiting an older blog recipe; the original recipe contained vanilla, but with this one we’ve left it out, and actually, it tastes more traditional and even nicer without any vanilla extract. If you love vanilla, then you can always add a teaspoon to this scone mix.

Classic British Scones are left plain or have sultanas added. I enjoy both plain and sultana scones, but as one of the taste testers I’m making these for prefers plain scones, I’m therefore baking mine without sultanas today. If you want to include sultanas, add roughly a couple of small handfuls.

These scones are super simple to mix up; they have just a few more ingredients compared to my Lemonade Scones (3 Ingredient Recipe), but they’re incredibly tasty, with more of a buttery flavour and texture than the 3-Ingredient Recipe.

The mix makes around a dozen scones; how many you manage to make depends on the size of your cutter. I went for a 5cm fluted cutter; this made the perfect-sized scones, leaving us all longing for more.

Once the scones are risen and lightly golden, leave them to cool before serving. Serving is when you really bring your batch of scones to life. I highly recommend some strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream. There’s no better taste experience than this spread atop a homemade scone!

I’m holidaying in Cornwall this year, so I’m excited for a cream tea or two, clotted cream ice cream, and other delicious Cornish foods. I can’t wait to devour freshly baked scones filled with masses of clotted cream and the sweetest jam! The countdown is on!

But in the meantime, I’ll quite happily take these!

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Classic British Scones

Classic British scone recipe. Buttery in flavour, with a soft and fluffy texture. Top generously with jam of your choice, and clotted cream for the very best scone experience.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 350 g self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 85 g butter (salted or unsalted) cold and cut into cubes
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • Generous pinch of salt
  • 175 ml milk you might need to add more

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency.
  • Now mix through the sugar, along with a generous pinch of salt. Slowly add the milk, continuing to mix until a soft dough (that's holds together well) comes together. You might need to add more milk to bring the scone dough together.
  • Lightly flour a work surface, press the scone dough out to approx. 4cm in thickness. Using a 5cm cutter (I went for a fluted cutter), gently stamp out 12 pieces from the dough - you will need to reshape and re-roll.
  • Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk, then bake for 12-15 minutes, or until risen, and lightly golden on top. Leave to cool on the baking tray for about 15 minutes, then serve with butter, jam, and cream of your choice.
  • The scones will keep for up to 2 days, stored in an airtight container/covered plate at room temperature. They're at their best on the day of baking.

More British recipes to bake next!

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Eton Mess Cake

Scottish Shortbread

 

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Baking · Cakes · Curd and Jam

Classic Victoria Sandwich

What Jessica Baked Next3 Comments

This traditional sponge cake tastes great decorated with a choice of fillings such as vanilla buttercream, whipped cream, lemon curd or jam. This recipe proves that you needn’t be an experienced baker to make a bakery-worthy cake.

Today I wanted to share a layer cake recipe that’s popular in bakeries, coffee shops and tea rooms.

Victoria sandwich is a classic British recipe and a firm favourite cake for many. It’s a popular cake for celebrations like birthdays and can be as dressed up or down according to the occasion.

Over the last few weeks I’ve lost count of the number of sponge cakes that have been baked in my kitchen. Luckily I don’t mind as sponge cake is my favourite cake and I wanted to make sure this cake was good enough for sharing.

I worried that the recipe was too simple, but sometimes you don’t want to bake anything too elaborate or requires more than a handful of ingredients.

If you feel like adapting the recipe you can add different flavours like fresh lemon, lime or orange zest or fold through some fresh/frozen berries or even some chocolate chips into the cake batter before baking – there are so many derivatives of this basic sponge cake recipe.

Once the cakes are completely baked all the way through, allow them to cool and then decorate as you want. Traditionally the cake has a raspberry jam filling, but strawberry jam or even homemade lemon curd are both delicious alternatives. As well as a curd or jam filling, you can also fill the cake with vanilla buttercream or whipped cream.

However you decide to decorate this cake, I hope you enjoy baking (and eating) it as much as we do!

(Serves 10)

Ingredients:

Cake Batter: 

225g (8 ounces) butter (salted or unsalted), softened – I leave mine out at room temperature overnight to ensure it’s soft enough

225g (8 ounces) caster or granulated sugar

4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

225g (8 ounces) self-raising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons milk or water

Decoration/Filling:

3-4 tablespoons raspberry or strawberry jam (try not to use too much otherwise it might spill out)

Half batch vanilla buttercream recipe or 150ml double cream, for whipping (both optional)

Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C Fan / 375°F / Gas Mark 5. Line the base of two 20cm / 8-inch cake tins with parchment paper and grease the sides of the tin.
  2. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together for about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition – if the mixture looks curdled, add a bit of the flour. Next mix through the vanilla extract.
  4. Now gently fold through the flour and mix until no lumps of flour remain. Add enough water/milk to loosen the cake batter slightly (I added 4 tablespoons of water to my cake batter. We’ve found adding water instead of milk produces a lighter cake).
  5. Evenly divide the cake batter between the cake tins, leave a small dip in the centre of each cake to encourage even rising.
  6. Bake the cakes for 20-30 minutes (it takes around 25 minutes in my oven) or until the tops have turned a light golden colour and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre of one of the cakes. Only test one cake as this will become the base layer and the other cake will be the top layer on show.
  7. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the sides of the tin and release the cakes from their tins. Peel the parchment paper carefully off the base of each cake and leave the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack, base side down.
  8. Once cool, fill the cake with raspberry jam and sandwich the two cake halves together. Dust the top with icing sugar and serve. The cake will keep at room temperature covered for up to 3 days. Generally this cake only lasts a day or so in our house!

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Baking · Curd and Jam

Homemade Lemon Curd

What Jessica Baked Next12 Comments

Four ingredients and just half an hour of your time is all that’s required to make this creamy and tangy homemade lemon curd. 

Making my own curd and jam has been on my list for a long time. A few summers back I got my very own private jam-making session with my grandma, we spent the day preparing homemade plum jam and I came home with a several jars of jam to enjoy. As a food blogger a few of the recipes I test unfortunately don’t make it onto my blog. Some recipes are just a plain fail, whereas with some of the recipes I will write down and change things to do better the next time round.

Lemon curd is something I failed at miserably when I made it for the first time a couple of years ago. It was so terrible that it put me off making lemon curd until now. I used a recipe from another source and it never thickened. After standing for over an hour stirring the pot I was left with a bowl of runny lemon slop, not the creamy and thick lemon curd I’d hoped to make.

I learnt from the mistakes I have previously made when making lemon curd and now I am happy to finally have found a lemon curd recipe that works and produces beautifully tangy curd that you could eat by the spoonful.

This is recipe is one my mum handed down to me, my grandma gave my mum a cookbook and this lemon curd was from that book. The cookbook I got this recipe from is called “The Dairy Book of Home Cookery”. My mum has had this cookbook for nearly thirty years and it she’s told me this is the first cookbook she ever owned. It’s the kind of book you go to for reliable recipes that actually work and come out well.

Once opened this lemon curd with last for only about two weeks and that’s good because the recipe only fills one large jar – about 550ml worth of curd in total. It’s so addictive that you’re probably going to want to keep the entire jar just to yourself and not tell a single other person about it!

Lemon curd is fantastic served as it is, you can drizzle it over cheesecake, swap the classic raspberry/strawberry jam filling in a Victoria sponge and spread a generous layer of lemon curd instead and you could even dollop it on top of a toasted crumpet, English muffin or a stack of pancakes.

Before I forget to mention it’s also absolutely divine swirled through plain yoghurt and topped with fresh fruit. One of my go-to desserts, but truth be told all I need is a jar of this lemon curd and a spoon!

(Yields enough to fill 1 large jar – approx. 550ml)

Ingredients:

100g (4 ounces) butter, cut into small cubes

225g (8 ounces) caster or granulated sugar

3 free-range eggs plus 1 yolk, beaten

Grated zest and juice of 3 lemons

Method:

  1. Melt the butter in a medium sized heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (bain-marie/double boiler). Make sure the base of the bowl is not touching the water.
  2. Add the sugar, eggs and egg yolk and lemon zest and juice.
  3. Cook gently without boiling until the curd thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon. Be careful not to overheat the mixture otherwise it may curdle and separate. This recipe takes about 30 minutes to reach the correct consistency.
  4. Sieve the curd if you want and then pour the curd into sterilised jars that are still warm and cover as you would do for jam. Leave the curd to cool completely before placing in the fridge – as it cools it will thicken even more.
  5. Store the curd in a cool place, I usually leave mine in the fridge. The curd will store for up to 2 weeks.

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