Cupcakes are still quite the trend, aren't they? Well, I don't think this trend is ending anytime soon... especially when the sky's the limit for cupcake flavors! Take for instance Boston Cream Pie. It's not exactly a pie but rather a cake. When it comes to cupcakes, pretty much any cake can be adapted in cupcake form. These Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are a delicious example. Tender cake filled with sweet pastry cream is crowned with a rich chocolate ganache. What's not to love?
I'm not going to lie, these are time consuming to make, but they are definitely worth the effort! The recipe will open your eyes up to some different techniques so you'll definitely learn something and eat your cake too. For one, most cakes start out by creaming butter and sugar together, followed by adding the liquid ingredients and then the dry ingredients. When making these cupcakes, the reverse is done. Flour, baking powder, salt and sugar are combined first and butter is slowly introduced to create coarse crumbs. To pull the batter together, eggs, milk and vanilla join in. As a result of this reverse-creaming method, you'll have a tender crumb cake that can hold it's own up to the creamy pastry cream.
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
recipe from Cook's Illustrated
Pastry Cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
pinch of table salt
4 teaspoons conrnstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cut into 2 pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons table salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened but slightly cool, cut into 12 pieces
3 large eggs
3/4 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze:
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the pastry cream:
Bring the cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the cornstarch and whisk the mixture is pale yellow and thick.
Article comments
1 - Maureen
I love Boston creme pie but never thought about putting it in a cupcake. Great idea and wonderful photos.
2 - Joelen
Thank you Maureen!
3 - Janet
I love cupcakes and Bostom Cream Pie. These look amazing.
4 - Joelen
Thanks Janet! Hopefully you'll give this recipe a try some day...
5 - Denise Hucks
I made this for a birthday party...and had rave reviews. I agree that the bittersweet works best. The cake was a little heavy but tasty. I cut the cupcakes in half horizontally and scooped out some cake to accommodate the luscious pastry cream. Wow. This is a keeper for certain! It is labor intensive, but I made it in stages so it didn't overwhelm my day.