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Boston Cream Cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes filled with vanilla pastry cream and dipped in dark chocolate ganache: Boston cream in a single serving.

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Boston Cream Cupcakes

What it's made of

CupcakesVanilla Cupcakes Center fillingVanilla Pastry Cream FrostingDark Chocolate Whipped Ganache Frosting
Makes 12 cupcakes Active 1 hr 30 minChill or rest 3 hr 0 minParts 3
Contains milk, egg, wheat (check labels)

Each part is a full recipe as written; the Dessert Builder scales them to fit this cupcakes and merges the shopping list. Open it with the button above to adjust servings or swap any part.

Ingredients

Vanilla CupcakesCupcakes · makes 12 cupcakes

  • 1.5 cupsall-purpose flour (190.0 g)
  • 1.5 tspbaking powder (6.0 g)
  • 0.25 tspfine sea salt (1.5 g)
  • 0.5 cupunsalted butter, softened (113.0 g)
  • 0.75 cupgranulated sugar (150.0 g)
  • 2.0 large eggs (100.0 g)
  • 2.0 tsppure vanilla extract (10.0 ml)
  • 0.5 cupwhole milk, room temperature (120.0 ml)

Vanilla Pastry CreamCenter filling · makes 12 servings

  • 2.5 cupswhole milk (568.0 g)
  • 0.667 cupgranulated sugar (132.0 g)
  • 0.25 cupcornstarch (28.0 g)
  • 6.0 large egg yolks (108.0 g)
  • 0.25 tspfine sea salt (1.5 g)
  • 0.5 cupunsalted butter, cold and cubed (113.0 g)
  • 0.5 VanillaGoods vanilla bean, split and scraped (2.0 g)

Dark Chocolate Whipped Ganache FrostingFrosting · makes 12 cupcakes

  • 8.0 ozdark chocolate, finely chopped (227.0 g)
  • 1.0 cupheavy cream (240.0 ml)
  • 2.0 tbspconfectioners' sugar (15.0 g)
  • 0.125 tspfine sea salt
  • 1.0 tspVanillaGoods pure vanilla extract (5.0 ml)

Method

1. Vanilla Cupcakesfull recipe

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Beat the butter and sugar 3 minutes until pale, then beat in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla.
  3. Add the flour in three additions alternating with the milk, mixing on low just until smooth.
  4. Divide the batter between the liners, about two-thirds full. Bake 18 to 21 minutes until the tops spring back and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then on a rack.

2. Vanilla Pastry Creamfull recipe

  1. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a clean heatproof bowl and keep it beside the stove.
  2. Warm the milk with the split and scraped vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat until it is steaming and small bubbles appear around the edge. Do not let it boil hard. The milk should be hot enough to steam steadily but not scorch on the bottom.
  3. While the milk heats, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks in a bowl until smooth and slightly lighter in color. There should be no visible pockets of dry cornstarch.
  4. Slowly whisk about half of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, then pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan while whisking. Adding the hot milk gradually keeps the eggs from scrambling.
  5. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the cream thickens and bubbles break through the center. Continue cooking for 1 minute, still whisking; if you check with a thermometer, the cream should reach at least 165°F (74°C). The pastry cream should look glossy, thick, and hold the tracks of the whisk for a moment.
  6. Press the hot pastry cream through the sieve, removing the vanilla pod if present. Add the cold butter a few pieces at a time and stir until the cream is smooth. The finished cream should be glossy with no visible lumps.
  7. Transfer the pastry cream to a clean shallow heatproof container. Press parchment or plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate promptly until thoroughly cold, at least 3 hours. Whisk briefly before piping or spreading if the chilled cream feels very firm.

3. Dark Chocolate Whipped Ganache Frostingfull recipe

  1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it just simmers, pour it over the chocolate, and let stand for 3 minutes.
  2. Add the confectioners' sugar, salt, and vanilla and stir gently until smooth and glossy.
  3. Cover and refrigerate until cold and thick, at least 2 hours or overnight.
  4. Whip on medium-high speed until lighter in color and spreadable, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop as soon as it holds soft peaks; overwhipped ganache turns grainy.

4. Put it together

  1. Bake the Vanilla Cupcakes and cool completely in the pan for 10 minutes, then on a rack.
  2. Make the Vanilla Pastry Cream and chill it until thick enough to pipe.
  3. Core each cupcake: cut a cone about 3/4 inch wide and three-quarters of the way down with a paring knife or an apple corer. Trim the cones into lids.
  4. Pipe or spoon the Vanilla Pastry Cream into each hole, set the lids back on and press gently.
  5. Make the Dark Chocolate Whipped Ganache Frosting and pipe or spread it over each cupcake.