Whitby Lemon Bun
A crumbly, golden shortcake bun baked with a tangy lemon curd centre and coated in a sharp citrus icing.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 18 min
- Total
- 43 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Equipment
- •Baking tray
- •Greaseproof paper
- •Mixing bowl
- •Wire cooling rack
- •Pastry brush
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- fat
- 15 g
- carbs
- 56 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 5 g
- calories
- 380 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and preheat your fan oven to 160°C.
- 2
Rub the diced cold butter into the flour, baking powder, and salt until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- 3
Stir in the caster sugar and the finely grated lemon zest.
- 4
Add the beaten egg and milk, bringing the mixture together into a soft shortcake dough.
- 5
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and shape each into a neat ball.
- 6
Flatten 4 dough balls slightly and press a shallow hollow into the centre of each.
- 7
Spoon a generous teaspoon of lemon curd into each hollow.
- 8
Flatten the remaining 4 portions and place them on top to enclose the filling.
- 9
Pinch (seal the dough edges firmly) to prevent any lemon curd leaking out during baking.
- 10
Arrange the buns on the prepared baking tray and bake for 16 to 18 minutes until pale golden.
- 11
Mix the icing sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to make a smooth glaze.
- 12
Brush the glaze generously over the warm buns and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Chef's tips
Keep the butter very cold when rubbing in to ensure the shortcake remains tender and crumbly. Be careful not to overfill the centres so the lemon curd stays neatly enclosed while baking.
Ingredient substitutions
- unsalted butter → dairy-free baking block
- lemon curd → lime curd
Storage
Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm gently in an oven at 150°C for 5 minutes to refresh before eating.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overworking the dough which leads to a tough, heavy shortcake.
- •Failing to seal the dough edges securely, causing the curd to spill onto the tray.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Whitby Lemon Bun?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from Yorkshire and the Humber
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
