I am a fan of Boston Creme Pie, although I don’t eat a lot of sweets. However, I am not a baker (even though that’s my maiden name). I cannot even make decent chocolate chip cookies, but my roommate (a.k.a. Mike) kicks it to the moon with his! I ran across this recipe posted by Life, Love & Sugar, and thought I’d give it a whirl.
I actually made everything from scratch, although while I had the hubs whisking for a second, he (possibly sarcastically) said, you know, you could just use a yellow cake mix. Yep, I had already thought of that, and actually looked at the options in my cupboard. But I figured I was going to do this the recommended way. I did read some of the comments, and one person suggested that instead of making the filling, use a 50/50 ratio of whipped cream and vanilla pudding. I figured it was just as much trouble to make the pudding as it is to make the filling, so what the heck, just go for it! As far as the cake mix idea, you could certainly use the shortcut of a butter yellow cake mix.
The only other recommendation that I have would be on the ganache frosting — make it FIRST! I was doing all of this in anticipation of watching the KSU Wildcats play (eek out a win, and make it to the Elite 8) and I got to the last step which is the ganache frosting and it has to chill for an hour or two. Therefore, I ended up hurrying around to get the cupcakes iced. I admit that I tried to use my pastry bag to pipe the icing, but remember, I’m NOT a baker, and I ended up with ganache on anything within reach on my kitchen counter (even my salt shaker). Therefore, I iced the little devils! Took them to work, and wow, what a great way to start a Friday.
So, if you like Boston Creme Pie, I encourage you to make these, and if you have tips or suggestions, please leave them in the comments below! Happy Weekend!
~Connie Kaye
Boston Creme Pie Cupcakes
Vanilla Cupcakes
6 tbsp, unsalted butter
3/4 cups sugar
6 tbsp sour cream, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
6 tbsp milk
2 tbsp water
Pastry Creme Filling
2 egg yolks
6 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup + 2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp salted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp light corn syrup
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
Let’s Do This
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare cupcake pan with liners
- Make ganache: Put the chocolate chips and corn syrup in a large bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil, then pour over the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Place the chocolate ganache in the fridge until completely cool and firm, 1-2 hours.
- Make cupcakes: 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. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. 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. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine the milk and water in a small measuring cup.
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. - Fill the cupcake liners about halfway. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
- Make filling: Put the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl and gently beat them together. Set aside. Add the sugar, cornstarch and milk to a large saucepan and mix until smooth. Cook, stirring continuously, over medium-high heat until mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. 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. Place the pan back on the heat and bring to a light boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Once everything is cooled and ready, cut out the centers of the cupcakes. I used an empty pill bottle, but apparently there’s a cupcake corer on the market; you could also use a knife.
- Divide the pastry cream between the cupcakes and fill in the centers.
- Frosting If you want to get fancy, pipe it on (once it’s hung out and chilled), or just ice as usual. Either way, delish!
- Store in fridge, and are good for 2-3 days. Be sure to cover so as not to dry out!
Connie Kaye's Kitchen 