Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

5 from 1 vote

A light and fluffy yellow buttermilk cupcake filled with a homemade vanilla pastry cream and topped with a whipped chocolate ganache frosting!

Prep Time1

Cook Time20

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 372kcal

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 muffin tins (24 wells) with paper cups or silicone cups.
To make the cupcake batter: Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until they're well combined.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Once all the eggs have been added, beat the batter at high speed of your electric mixer for 5 minutes, until it's light-colored and fluffy. Stop once, midway, to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, beating briefly to combine.
Gently stir in the flour alternately with the buttermilk. Add the vanilla at the end.
6.Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, using a muffin scoop until about 3/4 full. Bake at 350F degrees for 18-20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack before filling and frosting.

1. Whisk egg yolks until smooth in a large bowl.
2. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan, and heat over medium. Stirring constantly, gradually add milk in a slow, steady stream, and cook until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
3. Whisking constantly, slowly pour one third of the milk mixture into egg yolks (this step is called tempering, which keeps the yolks from curdling). Pour mixture into remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a full boil and is thick enough to hold its shape when lifted with a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
4. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl. Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, pressing it directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days). Once cupcakes are cooled, remove the center of the cupcakes and fill each cupcake with about a tablespoon of the chilled pastry cream. Replace the top of the cupcake.

1. In a medium bowl, measure out 16 ounces of chocolate. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the 16 ounces of heavy cream over low heat until simmering.
3. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate chips and allow to sit for 5 minutes undisturbed.
4. After 5 minutes, stir until smooth. At this point you can dip the filled cupcakes in the ganache. If you prefer a whipped chocolate ganache frosting allow the ganache to cool. Reserve a small amount of the ganache to dollop on top in the end. In a stand mixer, whip until light and fluffy about 2-3 minutes. Using a french star tip, pipe the frosting on top, then dollop some of the reserved ganache in the center. You can store the cupcakes in the refrigerator, covered for up to 2 days.

Use unsalted butter. And good quality butter. I love Cabot butter (no I'm not getting paid to promote it, but it's quality and delicious). Why unsalted? This allows you to control the salt you add to the recipe which is key especially when it comes to baking.
Room temperature ingredients are key. Be sure your butter and eggs are room temperature before you start baking. Room temperature ingredients allow more air to be incorporated into your mixture which allows for a light and fluffy cupcake in the end.
Use quality vanilla extract. These are a vanilla cupcake after all. No imitation vanilla extract please! Invest in a bottle of PURE vanilla extract. I love Nielsens-Massey vanilla extract, but if you can't find that or afford, McCormick is another great alternative.
Do not overmix. This is a big one you guys! I know stirring can be therapeutic, but save it for your cooking dishes. Overmixing your baked goods will result in a tough cupcake. So be careful and do not overmix. Not sure how to do that? I like to leave a streak of flour in the bowl. The flour will bake out, and you can ensure that you do not overmix.