Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
Soft vanilla cupcakes filled with silky pastry cream and topped with a glossy chocolate ganache — the perfect handheld version of the classic Boston Cream Pie.
Equipment
- Cupcake Pan
- Piping Bag
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Spatula
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Pastry Cream Filling
- 3 cups whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp butter for finishing the cream
Chocolate Ganache Topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
- Fill cupcake liners about halfway and bake for 20–25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
- To make the pastry cream, whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Slowly add warm milk while whisking, then temper in the egg yolks.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla, and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- For the ganache, heat heavy cream until just simmering. Pour over chopped chocolate, let sit 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Add vanilla.
- Use a small knife or cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake. Fill with pastry cream using a piping bag.
- Replace the cupcake tops and spoon or drizzle chocolate ganache over each one.
- Let the ganache set at room temperature or refrigerate before serving.
Notes
For a shortcut, you can use boxed yellow cake mix and instant vanilla pudding as the filling. Keep cupcakes refrigerated until ready to serve.