Boston Cream Cupcakes

Flour – All purpose flour will work well in this cupcake recipe.

Eggs – You’ll need to separate the whites from the yolks. I always use two sure-fire ways to separate the eggs and the is either to crack it into my hands and carefully wiggle off the egg white while the yolk stays. If you have trouble with this method, use the half shell method, there you crack the egg in half and slide the yolk between the two shell halves while the white slides off. Always do it slow and gentle!

Buttermilk – You’ll need low fat buttermilk for the best results. If you have any left over, use it to make my favorite Buttermilk Biscuits or pancakes!

Baking Powder and Baking Soda – Keep in mind that both of these ingredients are the most potent when they’re used within 6 months of opening! If your baking powder is too old, your baked goods will not raise well.

Heavy Whipping Cream – You’ll need this ingredient for both the custard filling and for the chocolate ganache. I don’t recommend swapping it with any other dairy product.

Oil – A neutral oil (vegetable or avocado oil it what I use) works best. Some olive oils have a strong flavor, so if you have to use olive oil, choose one with mild flavor.

Baking Chocolate – This creates the very best ganache! Make sure to use semisweet baking chocolate bar.

See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

Whisk the yolks and sugar. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until completely combined (1).

Add flour. Add flour, whisk very well (2, 3) and set aside while heating the milk.

Heat the milk. Heat milk, heavy cream, butter and salt until starts to simmer (4). Do NOT boil! Turn off heat.

Add the milk mixture to the yolk mixture. Slowly, 1/2 cup at a time, add the heated milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture stirring constantly (5). Whisk slowly to combine.

Thicken it. Return the mixture into the pot and bring to simmer, while stirring constantly (6). Turn the heat back on to medium to medium-low. The mixture will thicken within a minute or two. Take off heat as soon as it thickens! Whisk in the vanilla, set aside to cool to room temperature (7).

PRO TIP: You can make custard ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator, in an air-tight food storage container. Make sure it’s cooled to room temperature before storing. Don’t make it more than 1-2 days ahead.

PRO TIP: Note that this custard recipe makes more custard than needed. This is because some like to add a little more custard into their cupcakes than others. If you have leftovers, simply enjoy it like pudding.

Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Sift flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder together and set aside. Make sure your other ingredients are ready and measured.

Beat the eggs. In a bowl of an electric mixer (use paddle attachment), beat egg whites for a few seconds and slowly start pouring in sugar (8). Beat for 3-4 minutes, until white and fluffy.

Add the oil. Start slowly pouring in oil (9), as the eggs are still beating on medium-high. Add vanilla extract and lower the speed to low.

Flour and buttermilk. Alternating, add flour mixture (10) and buttermilk (11) in two parts. Mix until just combined. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and give it another quick mix just to incorporate.

Bake. Divide batter among the cupcake cups, filling them about 2/3 of the day (12). Bake for 18-20 minutes (13).

Add the custard. Use a long, thin decorating tip fitted to a piping bag. Fill a decorating bag with the custard filling. Insert the tip into the center of the baked cupcakes while they are still hot (14).

Make the ganache. Chop the chocolate bar into as small pieces as you can. The smaller the pieces, the better it will melt. Bring the heavy whipping cream to simmer, be careful not to let it actually boil. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Cool to a little warmer then room temperature.

Add the ganache. When the cupcakes are completely cooled, spoon the ganache frosting on top of the cupcakes and let it slowly spread (15). If it does not spread too easy, help it with the edge of the rubber spatula carefully.

Storing Instructions

Make sure to cool the cupcakes before storing! Once cooled to room temperature, store the cupcakes in an airtight food storage container with a lid. Cupcakes should be covered airtight or they’ll dry out. Store them in the refrigerator for about 4 days.

Note that these Boston cream cupcakes are best when served at room temperature. So pull them out of the refrigerator and let them rest and warm up on the counter for about an hour.