Baked Custard with Lemon
Baked custard is smooth, creamy, and needs just seven ingredients. This custard recipe is easy, delicious, and a custard dessert I serve to my family and guests all year round. If you are a fan of homemade custard, this recipe is screaming your name.
This recipe was a bit of an accident. When I was working on my recipe for Lemon Squares I made the topping several times without the crust. I knew the crust recipe was perfect but needed to tweak the topping more.
One of those attempts ended up as a luscious lemon custard and I knew I had to share it with you!
The Best Baked Custard
Comfort food but made with Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet, so you don’t have all the extra sugar. Or if you have another type of sweetener you prefer, reach for that. No one has to know; your custard will have that velvety smooth texture that melts in your mouth.
I add in some lemon juice and extract to give my baked custard a little bit of a tangy citrus twist. It’s unique because it isn’t classic vanilla, but I always get compliments on how flavorful my custard recipe is!
How to Make Baked Custard
Start by preheating your oven and greasing your pan.
Then mix your butter, cream cheese, and sweetener until nice and creamy. Then slowly mix in all your other ingredients and pour into your pan.
Bake for around 30-35 minutes or until the custard doesn’t jiggle when you jiggle the pan. If you see ripples or movement in the pan, you know you need to allow it to bake longer.
Why Does The Cream Cheese Need to Be Softened
If you spend time in the kitchen, you know when it comes time to use cream cheese in recipes, it generally requires it to be softened. Cream cheese needs to be softened, or it will leave a cottage cheese texture to your custard. As it bakes, it stays curdled, and you want to get that creamy texture you are wanting.
Take the time to allow it to soften. This is a step you honestly can’t skip in the custard recipe. 
How Long To Bake Custard
How long to bake custard? Well, for this recipe I found that around 30-35 minutes worked for me. You want to be able to jiggle the pan slightly and see that the custard doesn’t wiggle. If you see it shaking when you are moving the pan, it means it needs to bake for a bit longer.
Is It Normal for My Custard To Puff Up And Sink Once Pulled From Oven
Yes, it is normal for the custard to puff up and then sink. Just like a souffle, you will find they puff as they bake. With custard it will have that same effect, but as you pull it out and it cools it will fall. You didn’t ruin anything; it is just how this recipe is.
Can I Use Ramekins For Making Baked Custard
You can use ramekins in replace of a baking pan. You will lessen the cooking time. It is hard to say how long to allow your custard to bake using a smaller dish. Depending on the size will depend on how long it will take. I recommend starting to check at 10 minutes in and do the jiggle test.
Toppings for Baked Custard
You can eat this alone or add in some toppings to add even more elements of flavor. Here are some tasty ideas.
- Fresh fruit
- Sugar-Free chocolate shavings
- A drizzle of sugar-free caramel sauce or chocolate sauce
- A sprinkle of powdered sugar
Best Way to Store Custard
Once you have allowed your custard to cool, keep it in the refrigerator. Because of the ingredients, it will spoil if left on the counter. Just wrap up with aluminum foil or place in an airtight container.
Do You Serve Custard at Room Temperature or Chilled
To be honest, you can do either. When I freshly make a custard, I tend to serve it warm. But with leftovers, I grab from the fridge and enjoy it chilled. Both ways are delicious. It is all about what your preference is.
As you can see my recipe is so simple to follow. No need to scald milk or bake your custard in a water bath to prevent cracking. A quick and easy recipe with minimal steps to give you that classic custard recipe just like grandma used to make. The only difference is I use sweetener in my method, where she might have used regular sugar.
What is your favorite topping for baked custard?
Check out these other low carb desserts
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Baked Custard
Ingredients
- 1 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes) finely ground
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 2 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup cream light or heavy
- 4 eggs
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 baking pan.
- Mix together the sweetener, butter, and cream cheese until smooth with an electric mixer. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 min or until the filling no longer jiggles if the pan is gently shaken. It will puff up like a souffle and then sink. This is normal. Cool completely. Serve room temperature or chilled. Store in the fridge.
Can you substitute confectioner sugar or ground regular sugar. Edwin
I think regular sugar would work but I have not tested it.
Can I use vanilla instead of the lemon juice and extract? I want to try it but I want to put a chocolate topping on it after I insert custard between two layers of your vanilla cake for Boston Cream Pie, one of the desserts my mom made when I was a kid. I do not eat sugar now.
Sure! I’ve thought about making a Boston cream pie before. Great idea to use this for the filling.
This is sooo good! I absolutely love custard and this satisfies my craving! Thanks for the great recipe! I did not have lemon extract but did have some lemon peel oil so I used 7-8 drops of that and topped with whipped cream. Will be a regular dessert at our house!
Perfect texture, good keto dessert. I used 1.5 of swerve as suggested under substitution and it was a tab bit too sweet. Will use less next time.
Excellent!!