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These Boston Cream Cupcakes are totally irresistible. From the moist vanilla cake, to the rich pastry cream filling, to the homemade buttercream frosting and smooth chocolate ganache drizzle, this cupcake is like a slice of Boston cream pie in every bite.
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
If you’ve ever experienced the deliciousness of a Boston Cream Pie, then you can already imagine how delicious these cupcakes are. Traditionally, a Boston cream pie is made with yellow cake, filled with custard or cream, and then topped off with a buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache drizzle. That’s exactly what you have in these tasty cupcakes, but everything is better in cupcake form, right?
Quick Time-Saving Note: If you’re looking to save time, you can use store-bought cake mix, pudding and frosting to save time. Either way, these cupcakes are going to hit the spot and be a total hit with anyone who tries them!
Why We Love Our Boston Cream Cupcakes Recipe
- Easy to make
- Delicious filled cupcakes recipe
- Easier than making a traditional Boston Cream Pie
- Full of rich, decadent flavor
- Fun and unique cupcake recipe
- Can be made with store-bought ingredients or from scratch
- Quick and simple assembly
Ingredients/Shopping List
- Flour
- Sugar
- Butter
- Milk
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Cornstarch
- Icing sugar
- Cocoa
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy cream
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
How to Make Boston Cream Cupcakes Recipe
This recipe will come together in steps that can be broken down into 4 main parts.
First, you will make the pastry cream that will become the filling to your cupcake.
Second, you will make and bake the cupcakes.
Next, while the cupcakes bake you will make the buttercream frosting and ganache.
Finally, you will use all of these to assemble the Boston Cream Cupcakes!
For the Cream Filling
Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl. Add a teaspoon of milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk and set aside.
Add sugar, cornstarch, and milk to a saucepan and place over low to medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved and bring mixture to a simmer until thickened (about 1-2 minutes).
Stir in the egg mixture and bring to a light boil and continue to stir, until desired consistency is reached. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
Pour into a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the cream’s surface so a skin doesn’t form. Set aside.
For the Cupcakes
For the cupcake batter, you can either use our homemade cupcake recipe or use a store-bought boxed cupcake mix. If you want to make our homemade cupcakes follow these instructions. If using a boxed cupcake batter, start the instructions after we bake the cupcakes.
Add all cupcake ingredients to a mixing bowl. Either use a stand mixer or a hand mixer and beat at low speed, scraping sides as needed, until all ingredients are moistened. Beat at medium speed until batter is combined and smooth.
Scoop cake batter into cupcake tin.
PRO TIP: We love to use a cupcake scoop to fill cupcake batter into the muffin tin.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. (If you are filling a boxed mix, follow the instructions on the back of the box).
For the Frosting
While baking, cream your butter. Then, add icing sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and milk and mix the ingredients together until smooth.
OPTIONAL: Melt chocolate chips and heavy cream in the microwave to make your ganache. (the ganache is literally the icing on the cake … or cupcake. Feel free to skip this step if you wish!)
When cupcakes are cooled, scoop out a hole in the middle of each cupcake.
Fill each hole with the pastry cream.
Pro-tip: While it can be tempting, (because the filling is so tasty) it’s important that you don’t overfill the cupcakes! This can create quite the mess. I may be speaking from experience here…
Pipe the buttercream on top of the filled cupcake.
Pro-tip: If you don’t have a piping bag for the buttercream on the top of your cupcakes, you can simply use a Ziploc bag and cut off the corner.
OPTIONAL: Drizzle with chocolate ganache.
Variations / Options / Add-ins
- PASTRY CREAM: You can use pudding in place of making the pastry cream filling.
- CUPCAKES: Instead of mixing up the cupcakes from scratch, you could use a boxed cake mix for your cupcake mix.
- FROSTING: You could also use a store-bought frosting instead of making a homemade buttercream, but I would recommend getting one that can easily be piped onto the top of your cupcakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Boston cream cupcakes will need to be refrigerated after assembly, and between servings. The pastry cream filling is perishable if they sit out for too long. Place the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. They are actually delicious served chilled!
Traditionally, Boston cream filling is made of a custard or pastry cream. In this case, we are making a homemade pastry cream to fill the cupcakes. The pastry cream is made of egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, milk, butter and vanilla. You can also use vanilla pudding to fill the cupcakes if you’d like! It will offer the same flavor and consistency.
Boston cream pie is a buttery cake layered with a creamy custard and topped with a rich chocolate ganache. It was invented at Boston’s Parker House Hotel in 1856 by Armenian-French chef M. Sanzian. While it is called a pie, it is in fact a cake!
Other Easy Desserts
Cheesecake Brownies | Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries | Pop-Tarts Cookies | Earthquake Cake | Sugar Cookie Bars | Pina Colada Cupcakes | Cherry Breakfast Braid
Boston Cream Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 15.25 ounce box French vanilla cake mix prepared according to the box instructions
Filling
- 3.4 ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
Chocolate Ganache
- 8 ounce (2 4-ounce) semi-sweet chocolate baking bars roughly chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Prepare the French vanilla cake mix according to the instructions on the box and pour the batter into cupcake liners, filling them up about ¾ of the way full.
- Bake the cupcakes in the oven for the time indicated on the box or until a toothpick comes out clean (mine cooked for 15 minutes, but it will vary depending on what brand you use).
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. Place a large piece of aluminum foil under the wire rack.
- While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the filling by combining the vanilla instant pudding mix, whole milk, and heavy cream in a medium sized mixing bowl with a hand or stand mixer.
- Beat together until the mixture thickens.
- Cover the pudding and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the ganache by placing the chopped chocolate bar into a heat safe bowl. Set aside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream and sugar just to a simmer.
- Immediately pour the hot mixture over the chocolate bar pieces and let it stand for 3 minutes.
- Slowly stir the chocolate mixture until combined and fully melted. Let the chocolate mixture cool at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes.
- Prepare to assemble the cupcakes by gently cutting a hole (about the size of a quarter) on the top of the cupcake, scooping out some of the cake inside. Keep a portion of the very top of the cut cupcake. Be careful not to scoop out too much of the cupcake, or the cupcakes may split.
- Spoon 1-2 Tablespoons of pudding into the center of each cupcake. Replace the top of the cupcake onto the pudding (see photos for what this looks like).
- Drizzle a layer of ganache onto the top of each cupcake. I recommend starting in the middle of each cupcake and just pouring enough for it to spread slightly but not enough to pour over the edge.
- Allow the ganache to set before plating and serving. Feel free to put your cupcakes in the refrigerator to harden faster.
Notes
- To Store: Any leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze these cupcakes for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then at room temperature for the last 30 minutes.
- You can use an apple corer to cut the hole out of the center of the cupcakes, but it’s just as easy to use a simple serrated knife.
- Cupcakes should be fully room temperature before you start filling them and covering them with chocolate.
- Feel free to put your cupcakes in the refrigerator to allow the ganache topping to harden faster.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutrition information is an estimate. Please utilize your own brand information to double check against our estimates.
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