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1
Preheat the oven to 325F degrees and fit the molds with paper muffin cups.
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2
In a bowl, sift together the flour, the baking powder and the salt. Then set aside.
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3
Combine butter and milk in a saucepan, heat on medium until the butter has just about melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
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4
Using the whisk attachment beat your eggs on high until blended, about 1 minute.
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5
Add the vanilla extract and the sugar gradually and beat until pale and tripled in volume. This is the most important step. Don't stop until the mixture is pale and much more voluminous! It should take 5-8 minutes. Some recipes say even 10 minutes.
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6
Fold one third of the flour mixture into the egg mixture with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture in 2 more additions. It is very important to incorporate the four mixture well but without over mixing otherwise the final mixture will lose its fluffiness.
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7
Reheat the milk mixture until just under a boil. Then add the hot milk mixture into the batter and fold it in.
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8
Pour the batter into the muffin pan. Bake for about 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool down completely before filling and frosting.
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9
For the lemon curd:
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10
Put all the ingredients in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir with a heatproof spatula to moisten the sugar. Put the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring without stopping, until the butter melts and the mixture thickens like custard, 4 to 6 minutes.
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11
Keep your eyes on the pan, because the curd can curdle quickly. It is cooked enough when you can run your finger along the spatula and the curd doesn't run into the track you've created (btw, I loved this tip. It totally helped me in stopping to cook the curd on time!) Don't worry if the curd looks thin at this point - it will thicken more as it cools.
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12
Remove the pan from the heat and scrape the curd into a heatproof jar or a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the curd to create an airtight seal and cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator.
