Boston Cream Cupcakes
These buttery vanilla cupcakes are filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate ganache. If you love the flavors of Boston cream, you’ll love these Boston cream cupcakes!
Growing up, I was the odd kid who was all sorts of indifferent about doughnuts. Actually, I leaned more toward dislike than indifference (that still holds to this day). Doughnuts never did much of anything for me. Count me out on the funnel cake train, as well. The one exception to my doughnut dislike was Boston cream. Now those doughnuts I would gobble up and look for seconds. Seriously, if you fill just about anything with pastry cream and top it with chocolate, chances are, I’m going to eat it. Quite a few years ago, I baked a Boston cream pie for my grandma to commemorate her 91st birthday (new, improved recipe here) and, needless to say, it was an enormous hit. I had no doubt that a cupcake version would be just as good, and I was right. You just can’t go wrong with pastry cream and chocolate!
I actually think that these Boston cream cupcakes are better than a traditional Boston cream pie. You know me and my preference for a large frosting to cake ratio in my cupcakes. Well, the same holds true when we’re talking about pastry cream inside of a cupcake. The higher the pastry cream to cake ratio, the happier my taste buds are.
These cupcakes start with a fabulous, buttery vanilla cake recipe. Once the cupcakes have cooled, the insides are hollowed out and filled to the brim with pastry cream, then the entire top of the cupcake is smothered in a chocolate ganache glaze. While these cupcakes involve three different components, they come together quite easily and are a cinch to assemble.
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If you’re as big of a fan as I am of cupcakes, pastry cream and chocolate, you absolutely cannot go wrong with these babies.
Since I’m still not gaga over doughnuts, I’ll just eat a few more Boston cream cupcakes in the meantime!
One year ago: Symphony Bars
Four years ago: Toasted Coconut Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
Five years ago: Filled Raisin Cookies
Ten years ago: Egg Muffins
Boston Cream Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Pastry Cream
- 1⅓ cups (317.33 ml) heavy cream
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 2 pieces
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
For the Cupcakes
- 1¾ cups (218.75 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 12 pieces
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup (183 ml) whole milk
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Glaze
- ¾ cup (178.5 ml) heavy cream
- ¼ cup (85.25 ml) light corn syrup
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Pastry Cream: Heat the heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the cornstarch and whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 15 seconds.
- When the cream reaches a full simmer, slowly whisk it into the yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract until the butter is completely melted. Transfer the pastry cream to a small bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt on low speed. Add the butter one piece at time and mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Add the milk and vanilla extract, increase the speed to medium, and mix until light and fluffy and no lumps remain, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through.
- Fill the muffin cups three-quarters full and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the Glaze: Combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, chocolate and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Set the glaze aside to cool and thicken at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Assemble the Cupcakes: Using a paring knife, cut into the center of the cupcake at a 45-degree angle about ⅛-inch from the edge and cut all the way around. Remove the cone and cut away all but the top ¼ inch, leaving a small disk of cake.
- Fill the inside of each cupcake with pastry cream and top with the disk of cake. Spoon the chocolate glaze over top of each cupcake, covering the top completely. Refrigerate the cupcakes until the glaze is set, about 10 minutes. The cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on September 26, 2013. The only adjustment made was serving size; the original recipe listed 12 cupcakes and in subsequent testings, I’ve found that the batter yields closer to 18 cupcakes.
I will be making these this weekend!!! They look amazing and I love how your cupcakes have a straight edge! How do you achieve this look, certain liners or your cupcake pan? I would love to know :)
Hi Columbia, Nothing special! I use the regular white paper liners from the grocery store and this Wilton cupcake pan: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F5K3J8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000F5K3J8&linkCode=as2&tag=broeyebak-20&linkId=KS5SHUHJJBIZ5C2U
YUMMY! I made these for a friend’s birthday. Boston Cream pie is her favorite but I needed to feed 30 people so I went with these cupcakes. They were delicious! I have left over glaze which I have been eating with starwberries and ice cream. Thank you!!
WOW! These were so good that I made them twice in one week! They were such a hit that they were gone within 2 hours of having them ready to eat! So fraking good!!! They are just too good to resist!
I have my own go to vanilla cupcake, and having a cupcake business, I will likely top this with a rich chocolate buttercream….but I just made the pastry cream, and thanks to your excellent instructions, it came out PERFECT and DELICIOUS on the first try! I am in LOVE! Thank you!!
Hi! these cupcakes sound delicious!!!!! I glad that me and my friend will get to make these on this snowy day!
Dear Michelle,
As usual I love all your recipes and how pretty the end products always turn out to be! I have noticed that in your usual cupcake recipes, you cream the butter, sugar and vanilla (and others) together first. I’m just wondering, why it is different in this case. Why do we not cream the butter and sugar as usual (instead of mixing sugar with the flour mixture and then adding butter after).
Sorry for the confusing question! I just really like to figure out why some recipes differ from others :) Thank you!
Hi Adele, This is known as a reverse creaming method, and using it creates cakes that have a more tender crumb, which holds up to the pastry cream filling.
Every Christmas Eve I make beignets from scratch for neighborhood friends for a morning Wii family competition. The standard is the powdered sugar beignets you see at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. This year I dreamed up adding Boston Cream beignets. I used your cream filling and the ganache topping with the traditional beignet recipe. They were out of this world. Thanks for the fabulous memories.
hi. is it ok to use half and half instead of heavy cream? thanks.
Hi Debs, Both the pastry cream and ganache may not set up correctly if you substitute half and half.
I made these tonight and they are awesome! Although I ended up with some extra pastry cream and chocolate glaze… might have to whip up some more cakes tomorrow to use it all up! :)
Delicious!!! Made these over the weekend. Took my time and was having fun making them but they didn’t turn out as pretty as yours :) but I’m glad I tried them. I actually got 16 out of the batch. Sat down as they were cooling & turned on the TV & Lidia Bastianich was also making them on tv but she added olive oil & some orange zest & juice to the recipe. She was putting her Italian spin on them. But I loved this recipe. The pastry cream was light & airy. Yum!
Hi, could I double this recipe or even triple it? Or is it better to make in small batches? I am a sharer and a dozen doesn’t seem nearly enough of these beauties!!
Hi Lisa, I have not tried to scale this recipe up (or down), so I can’t say for certain how it would work, but it’s certainly worth taking a shot if you think you’ll need more than one dozen.
I know this is an old question, but figured others might search for the answer too…i doubled these cupcakes and it worked perfectly :)
This is awesome! I love the site!!
So, Boston cream doughnuts are my favorite flavor, hands down. I will have to try these… as long as I can keep from eating the pastry cream before I fill the cupcakes!
Hi there from the UK!
These look great and I plan to give them a go this weekend. However, you measure butter by the tablespoon, how many grams of butter is one tablespoon?
Thanks!
Hi Kevin, Here is a little cheat sheet I put together on measuring butter, it has cups, tablespoons, ounces and grams: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/09/10/how-to-measure-butter/
Hi, I would love some feedback on the texture of these cup cakes. I made them today and the were a bit doughy and not like the traditional ones I enjoy in Australia and wondering if this is how they are meant to be. I have never used this method before and usually cream the butter and the sugar and then add the dry ingredients and milk alternately. I may try this method and see if it changes the texture. Partner enjoyed them with the filling cream and ganache. Regards Helen
I wouldn’t describe the batches I made as doughy, but certainly not typical American cupcake texture – far better IMO. My husband is English and he said they’re like a spongecake in taste and texture. Adding the butter in bits until resembling “sand” is how scones are traditionally made, so I’ve used this method before, just not for cupcakes.
I agree – I also found these to be like a spongecake but a little moister.
These taste fantastic! I made two batches today for my daughter to take to school for her 10th birthday tomorrow. Using a standard muffin tin, my yield was 18 per batch as opposed to 12 (This meant I could have gotten away with making just one batch, but I’m glad I didn’t because now I can keep some instead of sending them all off to school). Mine came out more rounded on top than yours so the glaze isn’t a nice flat layer within the liner – a bit messy looking, but oh so yummy. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Oh my god, I definitely ate way too many doughnuts as a kid. My favorite was the tiger tail, which was a half chocolate, half maple bar. I wish I could eat as many of those today as I did when I was 12. Now I’d die. I could definitely go for one of these cupcakes!
I made these yesterday – absolutely wonderful! I did to the pastry cream the night before and the cupcakes came together very quickly.
Boston Creme Pies, this is the best thing ever!!
this look DIVINE! I have to know – what muffin tin are you using? I’ve been searching for one with straight-sided wells for years and have yet to find it.
Hi Anisa, I use this muffin tin: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F5K3J8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000F5K3J8&linkCode=as2&tag=broeyebak-20
Purchased!! Thanks a bunch!
These are so cute! I’m in love. :)
This recipe is definitely a keeper…wow
they look yummy!
Boston Cream donuts are my heart, so these cupcakes would be my heart x 2! I cannot wait to eat these!
I wasn’t much of a donut fan as a kid either, I really just liked the chocolate frosting :) Boston Cream pie with the filling and the chocolate though, yum!
Pastry cream and chocolate together totally rule! I am with you on that, Michelle. Your cupcakes look so moist and inviting. I adore Boston Cream Pie (when done right with quality ingredients and the cake is moist). Thanks for sharing and have a beautiful Fall weekend!
mmmm. this is torture for a pregnant lady. I want them in my belly right now!
All of us in Australia have never heard of these Boston Cream Cakes but they sound amazing , will give them a go ,thanks for your wonderful blog !
I looked at the top of the top picture and thought ‘these are a bit out of focus’ and then I scrolled down to see the delicious treat in all it’s glory :) I’d love to eat this right now!
Excited to try these! Yum!