Cutting Macaron Sweetness
One of the most common complaints about macarons is that they are “too sweet”, I am from the camp that you should take macarons as they are. Either you like them or you don’t and forgo manipulating the sugar level in the shells to make it less sweet. Sugar is one of the few but basic ingredients in the shells and you need a certain amount of it for it to be stable. There are still ways to get around the perception of it’s sweetness and one of them is to consider the fillings that it’s being paired with.
Tart Fruit Filling Cuts the Sweetness in Macarons
The type and flavour of the fillings can greatly impact how sweet the resulting macarons will be. An American Buttercream – one that is made with icing sugar and butter – will be considerably sweeter than the Swiss or Italian version. Learn more about different Macaron Filling Types here. My personal preference is to NEVER use an American buttercream with macarons. It may be a sweet indulgence on cupcakes but it’s sugary taste is too much when paired with an already sweet macaron shell.
Another quick remedy to reduce the sweetness in macarons is to fill it with a tart fruit filling. The acidity in fruit fillings is a perfect mouthwatering contrast to the sweet shells. One of my favourite fruit fillings is the lemon buttercream with a lemon curd center. I really appreciate how this flavour can be achieved entirely with the fruit itself without the need for additional extracts.
A Lemon Curd Thick Enough for Use in Macarons
This recipe I’m sharing with you today, involves making a lemon curd first and then adding it into a Swiss meringue buttercream to create a lemon buttercream. The buttercream is piped into a ring shape, creating a dam, which will then be filled with lemon curd. I don’t know about you, but I found that every lemon curd macaron I’ve had in the past has been soggy since fruit curds are higher in moisture than other fillings. So in this recipe, I wanted a curd that would not cause the shells to become soggy. The end result is a very sturdy and lemon-y curd that holds up inside the macaron for days. I’m so pleased with the results and I hope you will get a chance to test out this new recipe of mine. It’s perfect for those who are looking for a macaron that is “less sweet”.
Wishing you a happy bake day and don’t forget to join me on Instagram and Facebook where I share a little bit more of my recent projects and loves.
XOXO,
Mimi
- zest of two organic lemons
- 76 grams organic lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 50 grams butter
- 180 grams granulated sugar
- 65 grams egg whites
- 130 grams granulated sugar
- 195 grams butter at room temperature
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Zest the organic lemon, set aside.
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In a heatproof glass bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Do not use metal bowls as it will react to the acidity in the lemon juice.
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Add egg and beat until incorporated.
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Add lemon juice and beat until incorporated.
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Place over a pot of boiling water. Do not let the bottom touch the water.
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Whisk gently to keep the mixture moving as it heats up.
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Occasionally, check the temperature of the mixture. You should see the curd thicken up and it will coat the back of your spoon. Allow the mixture to reach 180F-185F. It might take a while (10-15 min), so be patient.
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Take the mixture off the heat, add the lemon zest into the hot mixture to release the oils and mix until combined.
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Pour through a sieve into another bowl for a smooth curd.
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Let it cool down then place in the fridge. It will set up into an even firmer and thicker curd after you've chilled it in the fridge.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
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Place egg whites and sugar into a heat proof bowl. Stainless steel is light and safe.
- Whisk the whites & sugar mix over the boiling water.
- Pay attention to whisking the mixture when it starts getting hot, you don’t want to cook the eggs.
- Whisk the mixture until the temperature reaches 160F. This temperature is generally accepted to be able to kill salmonella in eggs.
- Pour the mixture into the Kitchenaid mixer and whisk on low with the balloon whisk, then turn it up to medium.
- Once the mixture is stiff and the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch, stop mixer. Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment.
- Add butter a little bit at a time while beating with the paddle attachment at medium speed.
- The mixture might look curdled or separated for a while but keep mixing. It will all come together.
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Keep 200 grams of the buttercream for use in our current recipe. Freeze the rest of the buttercream for use at a later date.
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Add 8 tablespoon of the curd into the buttercream, a tablespoon at a time and beat until incorporated.
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Pipe a ring of lemon buttercream as a dam then fill it with the lemon curd. Assemble the shells together, place in fridge to mature for 24 hours. Enjoy!
- Organic lemon was used in this recipe since it requires the zest. Most of the pesticides on citrus fruits can be found on the peel.
- 240 grams almond flour
- 240 grams icing sugar
- 185 grams egg whites
- 165 grams granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
- There is enough filling in this recipe to fill 45 macarons. Use the quantities above to make the macaron shells and follow the method below:
More Macaron Recipes by Mimi
Double Chocolate Macarons
April 30th, 2016
The Best French Macaron Recipe (with Video & Template)
March 12th, 2020
The Best Swiss Meringue Buttercream for Macarons, Cakes and More
April 4th, 2018
Baileys Irish Cream Gingerbread Man Macarons for the Winter Holidays (Template)
November 26th, 2017
Chinese New Years Mandarin Macarons with Mandarin Jasmine Ganache
February 7th, 2016
Sue says
Hi Mimi,
May I know if the eggs that you use to make the lemon curd are medium sized eggs or large eggs (or it doesn’t matter at all?)
Thanks! Can’t wait to give this a go
Mimi says
Hi Sue,
Whenever a recipe mentions egg without specifying a size, it is referring to large eggs 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
Joy says
Hi Mimi, would it be OK to just use the curd as filling? I’ve experimented with xanthan in curd but there was still a lot of moisture. Thanks a lot! Joy
Mimi says
Hi,
If you follow this recipe, you’ll find that it’s low in moisture and very macaron friendly. You can use just the curd as filling but it won’t be as strong as having a buttercream ring around it. It might squish out from the sides of the macaron just a bit if left at room temperature. If you’re not too picky about that, you might want to try just using the curd.
XOXO, Mimi
Joy says
I did! The curd held for 5 days without soggy shells, used calamansi and added citric acid to really up the sour and it was perfect in cutting the sweetness. Thanks very much Mimi 😍
Mimi says
I’m happy you followed the recipe and it worked well for you. I do love this curd so much because it is the only one that has worked with my macarons without making it soggy. And its so funny because I just learned to use Kalamansi this weekend for pastries and it just has such a unique citrusy tang. Very good idea in adding that! XOXO, Mimi
JOY says
It’s the perfect curd for macarons….i used just the curd for filling and the shells stayed intact for 5 days. I used calamansi lime and added citric acid to up the sour kick! Worked a treat!
Ann says
Hi Mimi – I stay away from jams, jellies and curds because they are too wet. Can you tell me how this lemon curd prevents the shells from becoming wet? I know only a small amount is piped on the inner circle.
Thanks
Mimi says
It’s not due to using a smaller amount, it’s a combination of the way its prepared and the ratio in the ingredients. I believe I posted below in the comments a photo from another reader who has made these already and they have had great success with it and it’s not runnny or have too much moisture.
xoxo,
Mimi
Jess Viverito says
Hi Mimi! Thanks for all your inspiration. I’ve been trying to branch out with my flavors. I was thinking of trying grapefruit macarons with this recipe as a base. I figured I would use the same amount of juice as lemon but how much zest should I use?
And slightly unrelated. I’ve finally achieved round flat uniform macarons but they are rough and bumpy. Do you think I need to sift my dry ingredients more than once or am I not folding the batter enough? Thanks for your help!
Viv
Mimi says
Hi Jess,
I haven’t tried it with grapefruit but if you are hoping to make a 1:1 substitution, you should consider 2 issues. 1. Grapefruit zest can be bitter so you may not like the taste nor will it add as much zing as you might expect a lemon. 2. Grapefruit has less citric acid so it might not set the curd the same way as the lemons do using the ratios in this recipe.
XOXO,
Mimi
Mimi says
Reader’s work using this tutorial. Thank yo so much for tagging me!
Mimi says
Reader’s work using this tutorial. Thank yo so much for tagging me!
Amelia says
Hi Mimi, can I make both the curd and the buttercream a day ahead of making the macaron shells?
Also, are the fully assembled macaroons freezable? or able to be kept in the fridge for any length of time beyond a few days?
Thanks!
Mimi says
Hi Amelia,
yes, you can make both the day before. They are freezable and do quite well since this particular curd is not too high in moisture. I have tried freezing them for 2 months and they came back to room temperature beautifully!
XOXO,
Mimi
Iris says
Hi Mimi!
I was wondering if it were possible to make this buttercream without a stand mixer? I only have a Kitchenaid hand mixer and no paddle attachment. I’ve heard that the paddle attachment helps create a smoother and lighter texture but was wondering if there was an alternative way to achieve the results without a stand mixer.
Thanks!
Mimi says
Hi Iris,
You can make it with a handheld mixer and of course, the old fashioned way, by hand with a spatula for the paddle… but that would take quite a while. If you do use a handheld mixer, just use a spatula at the end to fold out some of the extra air so it is smoother when you pipe it.
XOXO,
Mimi
Jen says
Hi Mimi,
I am in the middle of making the buttercream and noticed there is not an amount given for salt. In the instructions it states in step two to place the egg whites, sugar and salt into your bowl. I am going for a pinch as I am about to put it all together. Any chance you could update that?
The lemon curd is wonderful btw! Can’t wait to get these all together!
Mimi says
Hi Jen,
oh my! I’m sorry for the confusion. I must have accidentally put salt in the instructions although it’s not needed. In my regular buttercream instructions, I do add a bit of salt to cut the sweetness. In this recipe, we’re adding lemons so it’s nice and tart and cuts the sweetness, the salt is not necessary but even if you’ve added a pinch it’s totally okay! The lemon will still come through 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
Lynn says
Hi Mimi,
I was wondering if you could do a post about how to create geode macarons. I love the ones from maclab’s Instagram but I can’t seem to figure out how to make the sugar crystals stay glued to the macarons. Piping gel? If you can’t make a post, maybe you could help by responding if you think you know how. Also, would you use gold foil on the sides or gold luster dust? Any advice you could give would help me greatly, as I would love to make these as party favors for an upcoming birthday. Thanks!
Mimi says
Hi Lynn!
I just discovered a quick video on that created by Eater. You might want to check it out. I better leave that one to them since they’ve got it down 🙂
good luck
XOXO,
Mimi