Fluffy vanilla cupcakes filled with Boston cream and topped off with a silky chocolate ganache. Made completely from scratch, this Boston Cream Cupcake recipe yields 24 cupcakes but can be cut in half. Includes a step-by-step video!
If you’ve ever had a slice of Boston cream pie before, you already know that it’s not actually a pie, at least not in the traditional sense. Rather than being neatly served in a pie crust, Boston cream pie is actually a vanilla cake filled with custard and topped with silky chocolate ganache.
Since we’ve already broken with classic pie convention, I see no harm in taking things a step further and serving in cupcake form, instead. Boston cream cupcakes are even more delicious than the faux-pie, anyway, if you ask me, because our ratios of cream, cupcake, and chocolate are perfectly proportioned and you get just the right amount of each in every bite.
Today’s recipe is a bit more involved than some of my other cupcake recipes so to make it worth your while it yields 24 cupcakes, though you could certainly cut the recipe in half if needed (or if you don’t happen to have 9 eggs lying around!).
Real Boston Cream (Not Pudding)
Many Boston cream cupcake recipes take some liberties with the Boston cream filling and use instant vanilla pudding instead. I get it, honestly, because making Boston cream (pastry cream) is a bit more time consuming and there’s some more technique involved. However, I think the effort is completely worth it so I’m including my pastry cream recipe in today’s post. This is definitely a recipe worth learning, I’ve used it frequently on the blog, and once you master it you’re halfway on your way to making perfect homemade cream puffs or flawless French Eclairs!
If you’ve never made Boston cream before, make sure to watch how I make it in the video before beginning. Since the cream will need to cool for several hours before it is usable, I recommend making it first (or you can make it up to 3 days in advance of making/assembling the cupcakes).
Filling Boston Cream Cupcakes
Some people use fancy cupcake corers to fill their cupcakes, but I’ve never owned one and have found that a knife works just fine.
First let the cupcakes cool completely. Use a sharp knife to carefully carve a hole that’s 1 ½″ wide at the top and slightly narrows a bit until you’ve made a 1″ deep cavity into the cupcake. Remove this core and slice off the bottom, reserving about a ¼″ deep layer of the surface. This will be your plug once you fill your cupcakes (see photo below). You might recognize this carving technique from my gender reveal cupcakes or pinata cupcakes, and in fact it can be used to fill just about any cupcake recipe, with just about anything.
Then, fill your cupcakes with chilled pastry cream. You can fit a piping bag with a simple round tip or just snip the corner off of a ziploc bag (or, really, just use a spoon to dollop in the frosting, but it won’t fill it as compactly). Fill the cupcake almost to the brim, then cap the cream with your reserved cupcake plug.
Ganache Frosting
No Boston cream cupcake would be complete without a shiny, silky layer of chocolate ganache. I make mine in the microwave, heating together chocolate, cream, and corn syrup until melted and then stirring in a bit of powdered sugar.
The corn syrup that is used here is not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup (and I’ve used it in some of my most popular recipes, like my favorite sugar cookie icing), but if you don’t want to use it or don’t have it in your pantry, just leave it out. Your ganache just won’t be quite as glossy or thick.
Immediately after melting your ganache it will be a bit too thin to pour over your cupcakes without making a mess and running right off the top. Let it thicken for at least 10-15 minutes or so before spooning (generously!) over the surface of each cupcake.
If you want to try a more traditional type of frosting, I recommend my favorite chocolate frosting instead.
How to Store
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container, they’ll keep for 4-5 days this way. Because of the cream filling, I recommend keeping Boston cream cupcakes at room temperature for no longer than a few hours. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe as the pastry cream may break down in the freezer.
More Fun Recipes to Try:
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Be sure to check out my video in the recipe where I’ll show you exactly how I make these in my own kitchen!
Boston Cream Cupcakes
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
- 1 cup milk¹ (236ml)
- 1 cup heavy cream¹ (236ml)
- ⅓ cup + 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar divided (67g + 3 Tablespoons)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large egg yolks² room temperature preferred
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened and cut into 4 pieces
Cupcakes
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil or other neutral oil (118ml)
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar (350g)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (375g)
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk room temperature preferred. (300ml)
Ganache Frosting
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (170g)
- ½ cup heavy cream (118ml)
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup³
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar icing sugar(45g)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
Pastry Cream:
- Combine milk, cream, ⅓ cup sugar, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.1 cup milk¹, 1 cup heavy cream¹, ⅓ cup + 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a separate large bowl, vigorously whisk together egg yolks and remaining sugar until sugar begins to dissolve (about 15-30 seconds). Sprinkle cornstarch over mixture and whisk until combined and slightly thickened.5 large egg yolks², 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle about ⅓ cup of milk mixture into the egg mixture (we’re tempering the mixture this way to keep the eggs from cooking). Gradually add remaining cream until completely combined.
- Pour mixture back into saucepan and return to the stovetop over medium heat, whisking frequently until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl. Add vanilla and whisk in butter, one piece at a time, until completely melted and mixture is smooth.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Place a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the pastry cream, allow to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes then transfer to refrigerator to chill completely (about 2 hours). Meanwhile, prepare cupcakes.
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line two 12-count cupcake tins with paper liners. Set aside.
- With an electric or stand mixer, beat together butter, oil, and sugar until light, fluffy, and well-combined (about 30 seconds on medium/high speed)½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup canola oil, 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition, and stir in vanilla extract.4 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Using a spatula now rather than the electric mixer, gradually alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter/oil batter, starting and ending with the flour mixture and stirring until just-combined after each addition. Ingredients should be thoroughly combined, but take care not to over-mix or your cupcakes will be dense and dry.1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- Fill cupcake liners no more than ¾ full (if you have extra batter discard it, don’t overfill the liners or your cupcakes will cave in), transfer to center rack of oven (I usually bake one pan at a time to ensure even baking), and bake for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in cupcake pan then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
- Shortly before you’re ready to assemble, prepare chocolate frosting by combining chocolate chips, heavy cream, and corn syrup in a large heatproof bowl. Heat in the microwave in 25 second increments, stirring well in between, until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Sift in powdered sugar and allow to cool for about 10 minutes (you can carve and fill your cupcakes during this time) or until ganache is still fluid but not so runny that it will run right off the cupcakes.1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, ½ cup heavy cream, 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup³, ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Assembly
- Once cupcakes are cooled and pastry cream is chilled, fill a large piping bag fitted with a round tip (or use a ziploc bag with a corner cut off) with pastry cream. Use a knife to cut a 1 ½ ” wide and 1” deep cavity into each cupcake (don’t cut all the way to the bottom!). Remove this core from your cupcake and then slice off the bottom so only a ¼” thick piece of the surface remains (see pictures in post or video for a visual).
- Fill cupcake with pastry cream and top with reserved ¼” thick cupcake surface, fitting it snugly against the pastry cream. Drizzle ganache generously over the top of each cupcake, then allow ganache to harden before serving.
- Store cupcakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Amy Wonder
can i use cake flour?
Sam
Yes you can substitute cake flour. 🙂
Kathy Goulden
Exactly what I was looking for!!! 👌 Thank YOU
Nyaziah
I want to make these tomorrow and I wanted to know if I could use a cookie scoop to fill the cupcake liners. I don’t want to overfill them. It’s my trial baking week (testing a bunch of recipes because people at my job always want me to bake them something) and I can never fill the liners correctly. It’s always a little too much. I was also wondering if you’d ever post a French macaron recipe. I only trust your website for recipes and I’d like to learn how to make them.
Sam
Hi Nyaziah! I like to fill mine with an ice cream scoop. It makes it much easier. A cookie scoop will definitely work here though. 🙂
ella
can i turn this into a cake please? If so, will any ingredients change the value ?
Sam
Hi Ella! I would just follow my vanilla cake recipe. 🙂
Michelle
Hi Sam!
I accidentally used whole eggs instead of yolks for the pastry cream instead of just yolks. Is there any way to fix it/any chance it will come out alright anyways? Total facepalm moment.
Sam
O no! Unfortunately it’s probably best to just start over. 🙁
Michelle
Hello!
I’m a big fan of your recipes and eager to try these! However I only have milk and don’t have any cream or half and half. I was wondering if there was anything I could substitute the cream with? I do have a small can of condensed milk. Or would it be best to wait until I have cream or half and half?
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Michelle! You could try just using milk but I’m worried it will be too thin. 🙁
Zofia
Hi! Planning on making these this weekend! I‘be made your easy vanilla cupcake recipe before, and just curious why this cupcake recipe is different than using the easy vanilla recipe and adding the cream to them?
Thanks!!!
Sam
Hi Zofia! It makes a cupcake that’s a bit sturdier and better for holding the pastry cream 🙂
Pam
These are so delicious! I really enjoyed them!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Pam! 🙂
Andres
I tried these cupcakes and they were phenomenal, I made the pastry and when I returned all of my ingredients back to the stove, my mixture wouldn’t thicken so I went back to the computer to see what you did and when I came back to the stove it was the perfect thickness so next time I will be patient. And your combination of butter and oil in the cupcakes keeps them SOOOOOOOO moist without compromising the ultra buttery flavor of a classic vanilla cupcake. 10/10
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Andres! 🙂
Desiree Spires
Can I make this into a “pie” instead of cupcakes?
Sam
You can probably get away with half the amount of pastry cream but yes, it could be made into a pie/cake :).
Desiree Spires
How many egg yolks would I use for half? 🤷🏻♀️
Sam
You can use the pastry cream that I use in my fruit tart recipe, it’s the same only scaled down. Now that I think of it, though, when I’ve made Boston cream pie in the past I usually make a single layer of cake and cut that in half (lengthwise), so if you’re going to be using all of the cupcake batter it might make sense to just make a full batch to be sure you have enough.
Emmylou
I made these yesterday, and they turned out delicious, but there was much more cake batter than I expected. I had a ton of batter left over, and the 24 cupcakes I made all had significant muffin tops, so if I make these again, I would probably just make a half dozen or so more cupcakes (not a bad thing!) They barely lasted a day in my house!
Sam
Oh wow, I usually have a little left over but not quite that much. I wonder if maybe your cupcake pans are a bit more shallow than mine are. Glad they were still enjoyed so much, though, Emmylou! Thank you so much for commenting, I appreciate it! 🙂
Tammie
Before I go to make these I have 2 questions. I’ve made ganache plenty of times but I’ve never seen a recipe call for icing sugar. Can you tell me why that’s added? As for the pastry cream. I’ve made that before as well but I’ve never seen a recipe call for both milk and heavy cream. I do happen to have both but I’d like to understand why you’re using both instead of say 2 cups of milk. Hope to hear from you soon.
P.S. I can definitely use those left over egg whites. Planning on making a SMBC for an Oreo mint cake. Sounds good, right? 😋
Sam
Hi Tammie! You are right, ganache typically doesn’t use powdered sugar, but I’ve added it to thicken the ganache and make it a bit more frosting-like. For the pastry cream I love the richness, thickness, and creaminess the heavy cream adds, while mixing it with milk keeps it from being too thick or cloying. I think it’s just the perfect balance 🙂
And YES the egg whites for Swiss meringue buttercream sounds perfect! Love the sound of that cake!!! YUM!
Priscilla O'Connor
Pastry creme beautiful! I will finish up tomorrow. Too hot for the oven. California is cooking right now!
Passed recipe to my sister in Colorado – she is making these also. I also sent her Sugar Spun link instead of me always sending her the recipes.
Sam
Woohoo! I can’t wait to hear how everything turns out, Priscilla! And THANK YOU so much for sharing my recipe link, that means so much to me! <3
Priscilla O'Connor
These look yummy! I will try these when it gets cooler!
Sam
I think you’ll love them! 🙂
Alet
Hi! I always fill my cupcakes when they are hot out of the oven, then you don’t have to cut any thing, you just pipe your filling into the middle. The cake is still soft when it is hot. Work perfectly!
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!!
Regards alet
Sam
Thanks, Alet!! I’m so glad you have been enjoying the recipes 🙂