Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

If you love Boston Cream Pie, then these smaller, handheld portions are right up your alley. My family adores these delicious Boston Cream Cupcakes, a little fancier than ordinary cupcakes.

Why this recipe is so loved

Traditional Boston Cream Pie is buttery yellow cake, filled with custard or pastry cream, and smothered in chocolate ganache. While the cake is made from scratch, we’ve taken a short cake to cut down on your time in the kitchen.

Instead of pastry cream, we’ve doctored up a boxed pudding mix. Making the ganache is easy too. All you’ll need for that is chocolate, cream, and butter.

Many of you have already tried (and loved!) my Boston Cream Poke Cake, so I know your are going to eat up these little guys!

Ingredients you will need

This cupcake recipe has the usual suspects: flour, eggs, sugar, and more. We use buttermilk in this cake recipe. If you don’t have any, you can easy substitute a homemade version (see tips below). Also, if you can’t find French Vanilla pudding mix, regular vanilla will do just fine.

Expert Tips & FAQs:

• If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, put one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough regular milk to the measuring cup to equal one-cup. Stir, then allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• If you like, you can use a yellow cake mix instead of the cupcake recipe above. However, cake mix sets up soft and a bit crumbly. The from-scratch recipe above holds up well to slicing. If using a cake mix, be sure to chill the cupcakes in the fridge for a couple hours before cutting so they don’t fall apart.
• Do not follow the instructions on the back of the instant pudding box. All the ingredients you need are listed in this recipe. We use a little bit less milk than the box directs so that the filling will be thick.
• Make the ganache last, after you’ve cut the tops off all the cupcakes, so that it doesn’t thicken or harden while it sits.
• For the ganache, be sure to soften the butter pieces so they will melt easier when added to the chocolate. If you have stubborn pieces of butter after continuous stirring you can heat the mixture in the microwave for short 5 second bursts. Be careful, you don’t want to overheat the chocolate which could cause it to seize up.

How to Make Boston Cream Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line 22 muffin cups with paper or silicone liners. Note, you may only get 20 cupcakes, depends on how much batter you put into each one.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until blended.

3. With a mixer at medium-low speed, beat butter until creamy, slowly add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Beat in vanilla extract.

4. With mixer on low speed, alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just blended. Beat on medium speed for an additional minute to aerate the batter.

5. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

6. For the filling, whisk together dry pudding mix with milk and vanilla extract. Chill until thickened.
7. Using a bread knife, slice the top off of each cupcake. Remove pudding from fridge and whisk again to make smooth, it should be thick. Spread about one tablespoon of pudding onto the cupcake bottom, then replace the top.

8. To make the ganache, place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until hot, about 60-75 seconds. Pour hot cream over the chocolate. Wiggle the bowl to be sure all chocolate is in the hot cream. Let sit for two minutes. Stir chocolate and cream until completely blended then stir in the softened butter cubes until butter disappears and mixture is smooth.

9. Add about a tablespoon or so of ganache to the top of the cupcake. Allow it to spread, add more or help it along by spreading the ganache across the top a bit.

10. Allow ganache to set before serving.

This miniature version is fun to make with kids and they are super impressive when served at a party. Everyone needs a Boston Cream Cupcake in their life!

More Cakes and Cupcakes you will like

• Classic White Cake
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Banana Pudding Poke Cake
• Texas Sheet Cake
• S’mores Cupcakes
• Chocolate Mug Cake
• Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes
•  Raspberry White Chocolate Cupcakes

I love to bake and cook and share my recipes with you! I know it’s hard to remember to come back and search, so I’ve made it easy for you with my weekly newsletter! You can subscribe for free and I’ll send you delicious recipes every week right to your email. 

Boston Cream Cupcakes

Yummy yellow cupcakes, filled with a vanilla cream pudding, then topped with amazing chocolate ganache. What could be better, and great for a party!

5 from 6 votes

IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

Print It Rate It Save ItSaved!

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Servings: 22 cupcakes

1 hour hr 38 minutes mins

Calories: 285

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• ▢ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ tsp baking soda
• ▢ ½ tsp baking powder
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ ¾ cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, softened
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 cup buttermilk (see substitution in notes)

Filling

• ▢ 3.4 ounce instant French vanilla pudding mix
• ▢ 1 ½ cups milk
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla

Chocolate Ganache

• ▢ 8 oz semisweet chocolate chopped, or chocolate chips
• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream
• ▢ 2 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into small pieces and allowed to soften

Things You'll Need

• ▢
  Stand mixer
• ▢
  Mixing bowls
• ▢
  Whisk
• ▢
  Rubber spatula
• ▢
  Muffin pan

Before You Begin

• This recipe makes roughly 20-22 cupcakes. You could probably stretch it to 24 if you wish.
• If you don't have buttermilk on hand, put one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough regular milk to the measuring cup to equal one-cup. Stir, then allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• If you like, you can use a yellow cake mix instead of the cupcake recipe above. However, cake mix sets up soft and a bit crumbly. The from-scratch recipe above holds up well to slicing. If using a cake mix, be sure to chill the cupcakes in the fridge for a couple hours before cutting so they don't fall apart.
• Do not follow the instructions on the back of the instant pudding box. All the ingredients you need are listed in this recipe. We use a little bit less milk than the box directs so that the filling will be thick. 
• Make the ganache last, after you've cut the tops off all the cupcakes, so that it doesn't thicken or harden while it sits. 
• For the ganache, be sure to soften the butter pieces so they will melt easier when added to the chocolate. If you have stubborn pieces of butter after continuous stirring you can heat the mixture in the microwave for short 5 second bursts. Be careful, you don't want to overheat the chocolate which could cause it to sieze up.

Instructions

Make the Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350 F and line 22 muffin cups with paper or silicone liners. (this recipe makes 20-22)
• In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until blended.
• Beat butter until creamy, slowly add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Beat in vanilla extract.
• With mixer on low speed, alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just blended. Beat on medium speed for an additional minute to aerate the batter.
• Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

Filling

• Whisk together dry pudding mix with milk and vanilla extract. Chill until thickened.
• Slice the top off of each cupcake. Remove pudding from fridge and whisk again to make smooth, it should be thick. Spread about one tablespoon of pudding onto the cupcake bottom, then replace the top.

Glaze

• Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until hot, about 60-75 seconds. Pour hot cream over the chocolate. Wiggle the bowl to be sure all chocolate is in the hot cream. Let sit for two minutes. Stir chocolate and cream until completely blended then stir in the softened butter cubes until butter disappears and mixture is smooth.
• Add about a tablespoon or so of ganache to the top of the cupcake. Allow it to spread, add more or help it along by spreading the ganache across the top a bit.
• Allow ganache to set before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 285cal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 137mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 392IU | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Follow on Pinterest @AmandasCookin or tag #AmandasCookin!

This post originally appeared here on Mar 23, 2011 and has since been updated with new photos.