This Boston cream cupcakes recipe turns the famous Boston cream pie into twelve handheld treats: soft vanilla cupcakes, a cool pastry cream filling and a glossy chocolate ganache on top. It takes about 50 minutes of active work, plus time to chill the filling, and each part is easy once you know the one thing that can go wrong with it.
Boston Cream Cupcakes Recipe: Where the Name Comes From
Boston cream pie isn’t really a pie. It’s a layered sponge cake filled with custard and covered in chocolate, and the “pie” name is usually explained by early cooks baking cakes in pie tins. The dessert is commonly credited to Boston’s Parker House hotel in the 19th century, and Massachusetts named it the official state dessert in 1996. The cupcake version keeps the same three layers of flavor in a single portion.
The Three Parts, and the One Mistake in Each
The cupcake. A simple butter cake: the butter and sugar are creamed until pale, eggs go in one at a time, and flour and milk alternate. The mistake to avoid is overmixing after the flour goes in. Stop as soon as you no longer see dry streaks, or the cupcakes turn tough.
The pastry cream. It’s a stovetop custard thickened with egg yolks and cornstarch. The mistake is stopping too soon. Cornstarch needs to actually bubble before it thickens fully, and the egg yolks contain an enzyme that can thin the cream again unless it’s cooked for about a minute at a gentle boil. Keep whisking the whole time so it doesn’t scorch, and strain it through a sieve if you see lumps.
The ganache. Chopped chocolate melted into hot cream. The mistake is using the wrong ratio or overheating it. This recipe uses 4 ounces of chocolate to ½ cup of cream, which is a pourable glaze. Let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes before spooning it on, so it clings instead of sliding off.
Boston Cream Cupcakes Recipe Ingredients
Cupcakes: 1½ cups all-purpose flour; 1½ teaspoons baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; ½ cup unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ½ cup whole milk.
Pastry cream: 1½ cups whole milk; 3 large egg yolks; ½ cup granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Ganache: 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped; ½ cup heavy cream; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter.
Equipment: a 12-cup muffin tin with liners, a saucepan, a whisk, a heatproof spatula, a piping bag (or a spoon), a sharp knife and a cooling rack.
The Order of Work
Make the pastry cream first, because it needs at least an hour in the fridge. While it chills, bake the cupcakes. Make the ganache last, so it’s fresh and pourable.
- Pastry cream. Heat the milk in a saucepan until just steaming. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth and pale. Slowly pour about ½ cup of the hot milk into the yolks, whisking constantly, to temper them, then whisk the mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and bubbles, then keep cooking for 1 minute. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface so no skin forms, and chill for at least an hour.
- Cupcakes. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line the tin. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Cream the butter and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Fill the liners about two-thirds full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the tin, then on a rack until completely cool.
- Ganache. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it just starts to simmer, pour it over the chocolate, wait 1 to 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth and glossy. Stir in the butter and let it cool slightly.
- Fill. Cut a small cone out of the top of each cooled cupcake with a sharp knife. Spoon or pipe in the pastry cream until level, without overfilling. You can also push a piping tip into the top of an uncut cupcake and squeeze in the filling.
- Top. Spoon the ganache over each cupcake, letting it run a little down the sides. Let it set for about 15 minutes before serving.
Boston Cream Cupcakes Recipe Card
Boston Cream Cupcakes
Equipment
- Muffin tin (12-cup capacity)
- Cupcake liners
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Saucepan
- Heatproof spatula
- Piping bag or pastry bag
- Cooling rack
- Sharp knife (for hollowing out cupcakes)
Ingredients
- For the Cupcake Batter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- For the Vanilla Pastry Cream Filling
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the Chocolate Ganache Topping
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Make the Batter: Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, then mix in flour, baking powder, salt, and milk.
- Bake the Cupcakes: Fill liners and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely.
- Make Pastry Cream: Heat milk, whisk with sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch, cook until thick, then stir in butter and vanilla. Chill.
- Make Ganache: Heat cream, pour over chopped chocolate, stir until smooth, and add butter.
- Assemble: Hollow out cooled cupcakes, fill with pastry cream, top with ganache, and let set..
Notes
Fixing Common Problems
The pastry cream is runny. It wasn’t boiled long enough. Return it to the pan and cook, whisking, until it bubbles for a full minute. It’s lumpy. The eggs scrambled slightly. Strain it through a fine sieve while hot. It tastes starchy. The cornstarch wasn’t cooked through, so cook it a bit longer. The ganache is too thin. Let it cool, or stir in a little more chopped chocolate. It’s too thick. Warm it gently and whisk in a teaspoon of cream. The cupcakes sank. Underbaked, or the oven door was opened too early. They’re dry. Baked too long, so start checking at 18 minutes.
Variations
Chocolate cake base: replace ¼ cup of the flour with cocoa powder. Fruit filling: spoon in a little raspberry or strawberry jam before the pastry cream. Lighter topping: use whipped cream instead of ganache. Coffee version: stir 1 teaspoon of instant espresso into the ganache. Shortcut: a boxed vanilla cake mix works for the cupcakes, and you can use instant vanilla pudding mix made with less milk for a quicker filling, though the flavor won’t be as rich. Gluten-free: use a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend for the cupcakes, and the filling is already gluten-free. Dairy-free: plant-based butter, a non-dairy milk and coconut cream for the ganache can work, though the pastry cream texture may differ.
What to Serve With Them
Strong coffee or tea is the natural partner, and the coffee crunch cake is a good match if you want a second dessert at the same table. For something fruitier, add a plate of blueberry lemon mascarpone cake, or serve a warm Cuban bread pudding for a more rustic option. Leftover pastry cream is also excellent spooned into Bisquick crepes with sliced bananas or berries.
Making Ahead, Storing and Staying Safe
Because the filling is an egg-and-milk custard, filled cupcakes need refrigerating, and shouldn’t sit out for more than about 2 hours. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, and take them out 15 minutes before serving. Don’t leave filled cupcakes at room temperature, since they contain an egg-and-milk custard.
- Pastry cream: keeps in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap on the surface, for up to 2 days.
- Cupcakes: bake a day ahead and store, unfilled, in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw before filling.
- Ganache: keeps in the fridge for about a week. Warm it gently before using.
- Don’t freeze filled cupcakes. The pastry cream turns watery when thawed.
The recipe card lists about 350 calories per cupcake, which is close to my estimate of 380 for this size. They contain wheat, eggs and dairy. This is a rich dessert, so one is plenty for most people.
Questions About This Boston Cream Cupcakes Recipe
Can I make them without a piping bag? Yes. Cut out a small cone and fill the hole with a teaspoon, or use a zip-top bag with a corner snipped off.
Can I use a different chocolate? Semisweet or dark gives the classic balance. Milk chocolate makes a sweeter, softer ganache that may need a little less cream.
What if I’m short on time? Make the pastry cream the day before, and use a mix for the cupcakes.
Why did my filling make the cupcakes soggy? The cupcakes were still warm, or the filling was overfilled. Cool the cupcakes completely, and fill them just before serving or the same day.
If you bake these, tell me how your pastry cream turned out and whether you changed the chocolate. Those details help other bakers more than any rule I can give.
Related reading: Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes on Allrecipes