I'll pick a slice of cherry pie over a cupcake any day, with one exception: these lemon-curd-filled cupcakes. Pleasantly dense cream cheese pound cake flecked with lemon zest would make for a killer cake without further adornment, but velvety lemon curd is the real star here.
Thankfully (or dangerously), they're not too tricky to make, so I can whip them up with regularity. Just remember not to fill them with lemon curd more than four hours before serving as the lemon curd will start to leach into the cake, marring their otherwise lovely appearance.
Keep reading to learn how to prep them ahead of time — and, of course, for the recipe.
Sweet-tart and lush in texture, lemon curd (or any curd for that matter) is one of my all time favorite foods. Thankfully, it's extremely easy and surprisingly quick to make at home, particularly if you have a slight taste for danger. 
Quick breads are one of the easiest things to bake and one of the most enthusiastically received gifts. My grandmother must receive at least 20 loaves from friends during the holiday season! She stacks them high in her freezer and pulls them out throughout the year. 
I have fond memories as a child, waking up to the smell of banana nut bread reheating in the oven on Christmas morning. Call me strange, but growing up, I soaked bits of toasted banana nut bread in corn grits along with bacon crumbles. I still think it's the most incredible sweet-salty combination.
This recipe is on the cakey side, and it's not overwhelmingly sweet. When I make breakfast breads, I prefer things that are slightly crunchy and complex, which is why I added some wheat flour and a hefty dose of walnuts to the mix. Remarkably, this banana nut bread tastes even better reheated; I recommend toasting thick slices in the oven until the edges become crunchy. Gift this banana nut bread the day of or day after you make it and include a card that recommends the recipient eat it within three days or freeze it for later use. 
I don't remember much about my 10th birthday party, but I do vividly recall receiving one present: a small, spiral-bound book called 
. Now, undoubtedly I was more excited by the eponymous glittery "magic spoon" that was included, but, tellingly, only the battered and food-stained cookbook remains on my shelf (the cherished utensil is long lost).
Longtime fans of Klutz books (the cookbook's publishing house) won't be surprised, but despite being a solid decade-and-a-half out of its intended demographic, I still flip through its thick card-stock pages with surprising frequency, generally landing on the recipe for "can't fail killer fudge." This ultrasimple recipe turns out exactly as promised time and time again; not exaggerating, I've made it at least 100 times over the years. Lush and velvety, and finished off with a pop of salt, this was my secret recipe (further protected since the cookbook is sadly now out of print), until now . . .