The Velvety Boston Cream Pie Cupcake

Cupcakes have always been a simple dessert and pastry solution. It is about making a cake mix but putting it in small containers with its unique decoration. It is a classic recipe easy to make for children because of its effortless construction but primarily because of its versatility. There are so many varieties of cupcakes, plain, frosting, and filling, and there is always something for everyone. Let’s put it this way: The original cupcake would be the vanilla bread cupcake with colored frosting. However, cupcakes have been gaining popularity and complexity over the years, especially when they started appearing as fashion items in popular TV series.

How can we forget Carrie and Miranda, eating cupcakes from the famous Magnolia Bakery in New York while discussing their love lives in Sex and The City?

Or the ingenious 2 Broken Girls who sought to open their own cupcake store throughout the series? Finally, it has been shows like Cupcake Wars that have shown us the versatility and creativity behind making this little dessert.

Making cupcakes was a Christmas tradition that I hope I can make with the twins at some point. I used to invite my niece and nephews to make cookies or cupcakes together and to decorate them with Christmas figures like Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

I was so excited when I saw the challenge to make the Boston Cream Pie Cupcake, which I would describe as a miniature cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate crunch decoration. This one is an example of a complex cupcake. It takes several steps, not difficult ones, but you need to be patient when preparing each item.

To make this recipe, I used:

Sponge cake

· All-purpose flour

· Baking Powder

· Salt

· Whole Egg

· Sugar, granulated

· Vanilla

· Canola Oil

· Butter, melted

· Milk

Pastry cream

· Milk

· Sugar, granulated

· Egg Yolks

· Eggs, whole

· Cornstarch

· Sugar, granulated

· Butter, unsalted

· Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Glaze

· Semi-Sweet Chocolate

· Butter, unsalted

· Corn Syrup

· Vanilla Extract

Chocolate Garnish

· Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350oF

Prepare the muffin tin with liners

For the Hot Milk Sponge Cake:

• Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt)

• Mix the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract at medium speed until getting a creamy and soft pale-yellow texture.

• Add the canola oil and mix until combined.

• Heat the butter with the milk until a scald (before boiling).

• Add the sifted dry ingredients at once at low speed until combined.

• Add the liquid mixture, still hot, to the batter and mix until a smooth dough, stopping and scraping the bowl and the attachment to combine everything well.

• Place the dough in a small pitcher and pour the batter into the muffin tin.

• Bake for about 20 minutes

For the pastry cream:

• Prepare a sheet pan with plastic at the bottom and have additional plastic paper ready to cover the cream once it is prepared.

• Place the milk and first sugar in a medium saucepan and bring the liquid to a scald.

• When the milk is almost ready, mix the cornstarch with the second sugar, add the eggs (yolks and whole), and stir them well.

• Add the hot milk and mix well until soft and very liquidly

• Take the mixture back to the saucepan and cook at medium heat, stirring continuously with the whisk.

• As the cream starts to thicken, you might get some lumps; don’t worry; keep stirring until most of them are softened.

• Once ready, add the butter and vanilla until well incorporated, and pour the cream on the sheet pan.

• Place the plastic on top to avoid the formation of skin and let it cool. It might take 30 minutes.

Chocolate Glaze

• Place the ingredients over a bain-marie

• As the ingredients melt, stir them well

• When the texture is right, add the vanilla extract and keep stirring

• Put back over bain-marie as needed if the glaze thickens.

Chocolate Garnish

• Place the chocolate over a bain-marie until melted

• Stir well

• Prepare a sheet pan with a silicone mat

• Place the liquid chocolate over the mat, spreading it evenly

• Let it cool and then place it inside the fridge

• Take the chocolate out of the refrigerator when hard

• You can use cookie cutters to make some designs or cut the chocolate in half and small pieces for modern decoration.

The final result is well worth all these steps. You’ll get soft and crumbly cupcakes with a velvety sensation from the pastry cream and chocolate glaze.

Nothing else to do now but enjoy them!

What’s your favorite type of cupcake?

Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to get more recipes, tips, and tricks from The Maple Tree Project.