Boston cream pie cupcakes are homemade yellow cupcakes filled with pastry cream and topped with an easy chocolate ganache.
Boston cream pie cupcakes are delicious! I mean, what’s not to love?
Boston cream pie isn’t really pie. It’s actually made of sweet yellow cake, vanilla pastry cream, and rich chocolate ganache.
And it’s hard to go wrong with a combo like that! This recipe will leave you with several extra egg whites. Making homemade angel food cake is a great way to use up those extra egg whites.
How to make Boston cream pie cupcakes
Some Boston cream pie cupcake recipes use vanilla pudding for the filling and a yellow cake mix for the cupcakes.
This recipe takes a little more time because there are three homemade components: the cupcakes, the pastry cream, and the chocolate ganache.
MAKING THE PASTRY CREAM
Heat milk until hot and bubbly at the edges but not boiling.
While the milk it heating, whisk together sugar, flour, and salt in a small bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg yolks, whisking until incorporated before the next addition.
Stream milk into egg yolk mixture, whisking as you go (otherwise you will end up with scrambled eggs if you add it too quickly or all at once).
Once all of the milk is incorporated, return mixture to saucepan.
Cook, whisking continually, until it bubbles when you stop whisking it, about 4-5 minutes.
Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract.
Place pastry cream in a dish, and cover with plastic wrap. Press plastic wrap to the pastry cream (otherwise you’ll get a pudding skin on it).
Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
MAKING THE CUPCAKES
Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin (pan release works well) or use a cooking spray like Baker’s Joy that is a combo nonstick spray and flour.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, sour cream, and sugar until well-combined.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Beat in milk and vanilla until well-combined.
Add flour mixture, and stir until just incorporated.
Divide batter between prepared muffin tins.
Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed.
Cool cupcakes in the pan about 5 minutes, and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Once you’re ready to assemble the cupcakes, make the chocolate ganache.
MAKING THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Place the chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl.
Heat the cream over low heat until just simmering. Do not boil. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate chips.
Place a piece of aluminum foil over the bowl and seal. Let the cream/chocolate chips sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
Remove the foil. Stir until the chocolate chips have melted and mixture is smooth and well-combined.
Let the ganache sit, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to set up before using.
TO ASSEMBLE
Cut top off of cupcake (the domed muffin top).
Using a small (1 tablespoon) cookie scoop, scoop out a piece of cake. Discard, eat, or otherwise use the cake.
Using the cookie scoop, scoop out a scoop of pastry cream, and place it in the scooped out portion of the cupcake.
Replace top of the cupcake, gently pressing the top onto the cream.
Top cupcake with some chocolate ganache.
Storing
The cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The cupcakes will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored.
I don’t recommend freezing the assembled cupcakes. If you would like to make the cupcake portion ahead of time and freeze them, you can. However, I recommend making the filling and ganache just before serving.
More cupcake recipes!
- Easy Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
- Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes
- Texas Sheet Cake Cupcakes
- Chocolate Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
If you’ve tried this Boston Cream Pie Cupcake recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
You can SUBSCRIBE to receive my latest recipe newsletters or FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for even more delicious food.
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
Equipment
- Muffin tin
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 egg yolks from large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cupcakes
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk Whole milk is preferable.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped in small pieces
- 2/3 cup cream
Instructions
For the Pastry Cream
- Heat milk until hot and bubbly at the edges but not boiling.
- While the milk it heating, whisk together sugar, flour, and salt in a small bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg yolks, whisking until incorporated before the next addition.
- Stream milk into egg yolk mixture, whisking as you go (otherwise you will end up with scrambled eggs if you add it too quickly or all at once).
- Once all of the milk is incorporated, return mixture to saucepan.
- Cook, whisking continually, until it bubbles when you stop whisking it, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla extract.
- Place pastry cream in a dish, and cover with plastic wrap. Press plastic wrap to the pastry cream (otherwise you’ll get a pudding skin on it).
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin or use a cooking spray like Baker’s Joy that is a combo nonstick spray and flour.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, sour cream, and sugar until well-combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Beat in milk and vanilla until well-combined.
- Add flour mixture, and stir until just incorporated.
- Divide batter between prepared muffin tins.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed.
- Cool cupcakes in the pan about 5 minutes, and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
- Once you’re ready to assemble the cupcakes, make the chocolate ganache.
For the Chocolate Ganache
- Place the chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat the cream over low heat until just simmering. Do not boil.
- Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate chips.
- Place a piece of aluminum foil over the bowl and seal.
- Let the cream/chocolate chips sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
- Remove the foil. Stir until the chocolate chips have melted and mixture is smooth and well-combined.
- Let the ganache sit, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to set up before using.
To Assemble
- Cut top off of cupcake (the domed muffin top).
- Using a small (1 tablespoon) cookie scoop, scoop out a piece of cake. Discard, eat, or otherwise use the cake.
- Using the cookie scoop, scoop out a scoop of pastry cream, and place it in the scooped out portion of the cupcake.
- Replace top of the cupcake, gently pressing the top onto the cream.
- Top cupcake with some chocolate ganache.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Share it with me on Instagram @i_heart_eating and follow on Youtube @katedean and Pinterest @katedean for more!
Originally published 4/3/13. Updated with additional photos, tips, and information 7/20/21.
Pastry cream adapted from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe
Reader Interactions
Love this recipe?
Share your thoughts below and let’s chat! Make sure to connect with me on your favorite social platform below and show me what you made!
Comments & Reviews
Eden Passante says
These look amazing! I love Boston Cream Pie, but I’ve never tried making it in cupcake form! Yum!
Kate says
Thanks so much!
Alex says
These look delicious but i was wondering how many cupcakes the recipe?
How much of the ingredients do i need if i only want to make 4 cupcakes?
Kate says
Thanks! The recipe makes 12 cupcakes. You would need 1/3 of each ingredient if you only wanted to make 4 cupcakes; however, I haven’t tried cutting the recipe down that way, so I’m not sure how well it will turn out. Good luck! =)
Katie says
Do the cupcakes get soggy if you fill them the night before then serve them the next day?
Kate says
The cupcakes may get a little soggy if you fill them the night before. Good luck!
Kristen says
I’m about to go to the store to buy the needed ingredients for these cupcakes. I was just wondering what brand of Greek yogurt you used in your cupcake batter.
Your cupcakes look wonderful though! I love how your ganache doesn’t need corn syrup to thicken in up! Thanks for the recipe!
Kate says
Thanks!! That’s nice of you to say! I use Chobani’s 0% plain Greek yogurt. I’ve tried a couple brands, and it works really well as a butter/oil/sour cream substitute for baking. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
Barbara says
This is wonderful.
kateheartseating says
Thank you so much!! =)
angela larson says
Do these need to be refrigerated after assembly? I hope not!!! Just made 72 of them!!
kateheartseating says
I haven’t refrigerate my leftovers, but it depends on your comfort level with leaving the pastry cream out. I hope you enjoy them!! =)
Beth says
I’m not a fan of baking…could I take a shortcut and use cake mix for the cupcakes instead?
kateheartseating says
Sure! I don’t see any reason why a butter or yellow cake mix wouldn’t work. =)
Dianne Thull says
that’s what I would do and use vanilla instant pudding for the inside.
Kate says
Certainly an option! =)