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Bird's-eye view of a lemon curd muffin with streusel topping and white glaze, lemon zest visible on the glaze.

Lemon Curd Muffins with Streusel Topping

Baked lemon curd muffins with streusel topping and lemon glaze, made from scratch with Greek yogurt for tenderness.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
  

Lemon Curd

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 6 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter cold and cut in pieces

Streusel Topping

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 125g
  • 1/4 cup sugar 50g
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar 50g
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted (85g)

Muffin Batter

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 188g
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter room temperature (75g)
  • 3/4 cup sugar 150g
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup Greek yogurt 160g
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Grated zest from 1 lemon
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Glaze

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar 90g
  • 1-2 Tablespoons milk or cream

Instructions
 

Lemon Curd

  • Cook lemon curd:

    Prepare lemon curd in advance: in the top pan of a double boiler over gently simmering water, combine egg yolks, 6 Tbsp sugar, lemon zest, and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Whisk continuously with a silicone spatula until the mixture thickens, roughly 10 minutes. Should it fail to thicken, raise the heat and whisk energetically.

  • Cool and store curd:

    Take off the heat, then add 1/4 cup cold butter pieces, whisking until fully melted. Transfer to a jar or bowl, lay plastic wrap directly on the surface to avoid skin formation. Allow to cool entirely; the curd will solidify further during cooling.

Streusel Topping

  • Preheat oven and line pan:

    Set oven to 350°F (175°C). Insert paper liners into a 12-cup muffin pan.

Muffin Batter

  • Make streusel topping:

    For the streusel: combine 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour in 6 Tbsp melted butter and mix until the blend becomes crumbly. Put aside.

  • Mix dry muffin ingredients:

    For the muffin batter: in a separate bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt. Reserve.

  • Cream butter and sugar:

    Beat 1/3 cup butter at room temperature on high speed until it becomes smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup sugar and cream together. Incorporate eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, and Greek yogurt, mixing only until combined. Stir in 2 Tbsp lemon juice.

  • Fold flour into wet mix:

    Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just blended.

  • Fill cups with batter and curd:

    Distribute batter among the prepared cups, filling each halfway. Place roughly 1 Tbsp lemon curd in the center of each, then top with a thin layer of batter (cups should be about 3/4 full). Sprinkle streusel generously on top, pressing gently to adhere.

  • Bake muffins until golden:

    Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the muffins are set and the streusel turns golden brown.

Glaze

  • Prepare and drizzle glaze:

    For the glaze: whisk together 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1-2 Tbsp milk or cream until smooth. Drizzle over the muffins. Adjust consistency by adding more liquid if too thick, or more powdered sugar if too thin.
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