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These Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are to die for! Moist vanilla cake, pastry cream filling and a beautiful chocolate ganache topping make this one tasty cupcake you’ll definitely want to sink your teeth into.
Table of Contents
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
So I guess today is the day that I will dispel the myth that I have always been an amazing baker – just in case you were under that impression. 🙂 The truth is, I grew up cooking with my mom, not baking. Sure, there was some baking around holidays, but day-to-day was all about the cooking. So when I started baking several years back, it was quite an effort to really learn what I was doing. Lots of hours have been spent in the kitchen. With cooking, I was used to being able to throw things in a dish and not have to worry too much that small changes to a recipe would ruin it. With baking, it’s a whole different ball game. Small changes can make a huge difference – and be incredibly frustrating.
So back around the time I started baking, I was taking a lot of the desserts I’d make into work. I’d ask co-workers what their favorite dessert or flavor was if what was their birthday and then I’d challenge myself to come up with a cake. It was a great way for me to try things I hadn’t tried before – the best way to learn! Even now, I still love unexpected requests that give me a challenge or get me to step out of the box.
Well one such request was for a Boston Cream Pie – and I had never even made pastry cream before. Ever. I had no idea what I was doing. But I found a recipe and went for it. I’d been fairly successful up until this point, so I figured it’d be all good.
I was wrong.
I had no idea what I did at the time and it’s been so long that I don’t even remember what recipe I used to look back and figure it out, but I remember wondering how in the word the pastry cream would thicken enough to hold up between cake layers. Ultimately the cream was much too thin and by the time the cake made it’s way to work, it was basically two layers of cake that used to have pastry cream between them, but was now in a puddle around the bottom. Major fail.
Well fast-forward about 5 years and that co-worker has moved on to another adventure. It was sad to see him go, but I was happy for him in his new path.
Of course to send him off, I had to redeem myself. Yes, he’s had many of my cakes since then, but the Boston Cream Pie had to be revisited. This time I went with cupcakes. 🙂
I find pastry cream to be much less intimidating these days. I now know that cornstarch and the egg yolks are what actually thickens the cream and I’ve made pastry cream more times than I can count. 🙂 It’s actually pretty easy to make and quite delicious.
Of course my old self is rolling her eyes at my current self for calling it “easy.” 😉
The pastry cream sits in the middle of one of my favorite vanilla cupcakes. It’s light, moist and has great vanilla flavor. Like many cupcake recipes you’ll find on here, making them starts with creaming the butter and sugar. I will say it over and over – be sure to fully cream the butter and sugar. This ensures a fluffy cupcake. Don’t skip it!
The cupcake is topped with the most delicious chocolate ganache. It has a little corn syrup added to it to keep the ganache looking glossy and fresh. Once the ganache is made, it’s set in the fridge to get firm, then can be piped onto the cupcakes. Even though roses aren’t super manly – and these were technically for a guy – I decided to go with the roses on top for these cupcakes. They are just so pretty!
And honestly, there were no complaints. Only happy moans as they ate the cupcakes. In fact, a few of them are going to be quite happy to finally see the recipe on the blog so that they can make them at home.
These cupcakes really are delicious. Fairly light and a fun mix of flavor and texture. I think, after 5 years, I’ve finally redeemed myself. 🙂
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Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are to die for! Moist vanilla cake, pastry cream filling and a beautiful chocolate ganache topping make this one tasty cupcake you’ll definitely want to sink your teeth into.
Ingredients
VANILLA CUPCAKES
- 6 tbsp (84g), unsalted butter, room temperature (I use Challenge Butter)
- 3/4 cups (155g) sugar
- 6 tbsp (86g) sour cream, room temperature
- 2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (163g) all purpose flour
- 2 tsp (8g) baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp (90ml) milk, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (30ml) water, room temperature
PASTRY CREAM FILLING
- 2 egg yolks
- 6 tbsp (78g) sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270ml) milk
- 1 tbsp (14g) salted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 12 oz (338g) semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp (30ml) light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (210ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the amount of creaming time.
3. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
4. Add egg whites in two batches, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine the milk and water in a small measuring cup.
6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well combined. Add the milk mixture and mix until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
7. Fill the cupcake liners about halfway. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
8. Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.
9. While the cupcakes cool, make the pastry cream. Put the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl and gently beat them together. Set aside.
10. Add the sugar, cornstarch and milk to a large saucepan and mix until smooth.
11. Cook, stirring continuously, over medium-high heat until mixture begins to thicken and bubble.
12. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
13. Add a little bit of milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together, then add egg mixture to milk mixture. This process ensures that you don’t cook the egg yolks.
14. Place the pan back on the heat and bring to a light boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
15. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
16. While the cupcakes and cream are cooling, make the chocolate ganache. Put the chocolate chips and corn syrup in a large bowl.
17. Bring the heavy cream to a boil, then pour over the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
18. Place the chocolate ganache in the fridge until completely cool and firm, 1-2 hours.
19. Once everything is cooled and ready, cut out the centers of the cupcakes. I use a cupcake corer, but a knife would work as well.
20. Divide the pastry cream between the cupcakes and fill in the centers.
21. Top the cupcakes with the chocolate ganache. I used Ateco tip 844 (Wilton 2D or 1M would work as well) to pipe roses on top. To make the roses, start the piping in the center then create a swirl moving outward. Complete 2-3 rotations until the cupcake is covered, then release pressure and pull the piping bag away.
22. Refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve and serve closer to room temperature. The chocolate ganache will be quite firm when cold. Cupcakes are best if eaten within 3-4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
- Calories: 364
- Sugar: 34.2 g
- Sodium: 82.5 mg
- Fat: 18.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.2 g
- Protein: 5.6 g
- Cholesterol: 58.3 mg
Enjoy!
Can I make the ganache the night before and store in fridge?
Sure!
Hello! Trying to make this recipe and noticed 11/4 cup flour as 136 grams. Isn’t 1 cup 136 grams? Which measurement is correct? Thank you 😊
It’s listed as 163. I measure a cup of flour as 130g.
These look amazing! Can the pastry cream be made a day or two in advance? How should it be stored?
Yes, pour it into a bowl and press the top with clear wrap to keep a film from forming on top. Stir it up before using it.
Is the 11/4 and 11/2 measurements supposed to be 44 and 22 or 1/4 and a 1/2? Like u said that would make a huge difference when I make these!!
It’s one and a fourth and one and a half.
I made these today but my ganache came out thin and runny. I followed the directions and left it in the fridge for 2 hours.
Any suggestions? I want to make these for the holidays.
Thank you.
It shouldn’t be runny. There are two options I can think of – either the measurements were off or maybe you used a different kind of chocolate (like milk chocolate) or a different type of cream. Heavy cream has a higher fat content, which will make the ganache thicker. Something with a lower fat content will make it thin out.
Using this recipe for wedding cupcakes😄 if I were to use milk chocolate chips & its runny can I add powdered sugar to thicken it up?
You could try it but I’m not really sure if that would work out as well.
All good except the pastry cream did not stay thick enough once cooled to room temp. I refrigerated for a bit, but this did not thicken it enough either. I followed ingredients and cooking technique exactly as written. I filled the cupcakes anyway, but was the cream was loose and I had quite a bit left over. Should I add more cornstarch or egg yolks next time?
Definitely “moan”-worthy! But I almost had a fail because the “total time” listed did not include the ganache chilling time. I was late to the event and it was a drippy glaze (no roses). But delicious! I will try again – please adjust the total time on the recipe? Thanks.
Is it possible to make the batter a day in advance?
I followed the recipe exactly, except I used a 1 to 1 gluten free flour mix and these turned out amazing!
Thanks for posting about gluten free worked.
Glad you found a helpful answer! Enjoy them!
Can you freeze these cupcakes?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be fine.
Can this recipe be adjusted for mini cupcakes?
In theory, yes. It might be hard to fill mini cupcakes though. Otherwise, everything should work in mini form.
Looks delicious! Just wondering on the range of cupcakes – 12-24…does this recipe make 24? Trying out for a birthday party and want to make sure I have it right!
The recipe yields 12-14 cupcakes.
I just made these last night after a friend posted this on her FB page. The cupcakes themselves came out perfectly!!! The pastry creme was easy to make. If I make these again, I will cut the vanilla in half. Also – I have never like a ganache made from chocolate chips. I followed the recipe, but if I make these again, I will make my own. I had no trouble with consistency after leaving the ganache in the refrigerator (as you said) for a bit over an hour. As another commented, my ganache was really dark – perhaps it is the lighting. My pastry bag skills are sorely lacking. I put the wrong tip on (because I don’t know what my tips are!!) and filled the bag. I gave up and just frosted. While the dark ganache is truer to Boston Creme Pie, I was hoping for a lighter chocolate frosting. So, next time, that is what I will make. Your recipe and instructions are really well articulated.
So glad to hear that you enjoyed them!
I tried them and they are bomb! <3
So glad you enjoyed them!
I made these for my husband’s birthday because he loves Boston cream pie. They were really good. The cupcake part…a very light cupcake. Very good flavor and not dry. I probably had to bake 10 min longer than recipe. I used vegan sour cream and almond milk for the cupcake just as a way to cut down on the dairy.
So this is probably human error because I’ve never made pastry cream, but it turned our weirdly lumpy and gross… I threw it out and attempted it again using a different recipe. In my second attempt I used regular milk, not almond milk, came out perfect.
For the ganache I used one cup heavy cream, 12 oz bag of chocolate chips and no corn syrup… came out perfect and the thickness was great because they went on top of the cupcake like frosting. The flavor was awesome…
Overall they were great. Thanks for the videos and pictures. Pastry cream is hard!
Everyone in my family loves these cupcakes! Was wondering if they can be frozen would like to make ahead for Thanksgiving dessert. Thanks you
So glad you enjoyed them! As for freezing, I’m not entirely sure how the pastry cream would do after thawing it. But you could try it.