Ingredients you’ll need
Cupcakes
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
Many Boston cream cupcake recipes start with a yellow cake mix because it bakes up soft, tender, and sturdy enough to hold a filling. The added eggs, oil, and water follow typical box instructions and ensure a moist crumb that holds together when you core and fill it.
Vanilla cream filling
- 1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 1/2 cups cold milk
Instant vanilla pudding is a popular shortcut for cupcake fillings; whisked with cold milk, it thickens quickly into a smooth, spoonable cream that mimics pastry cream with far less effort. Using slightly less milk than the box sometimes calls for makes the pudding thicker and more stable inside the cupcakes.
Chocolate ganache topping
- 1 cup semi‑sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Ganache made from equal parts (by volume) cream and chocolate chips yields a pourable, glossy topping that firms up into a soft, fudgy layer—just right for Boston cream desserts. You can slightly adjust the cream for a thinner or thicker finish depending on your preference.
Step‑by‑step: baking the cupcakes
- Prep the pan and oven
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line a 12‑cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. If you have extra batter, you may get a few more cupcakes; line a second pan or bake in batches.
- Make the batter
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the yellow cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs.
- Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until the batter is smooth and slightly thickened, scraping down the sides once.
- Fill and bake
- Divide the batter into the liners, filling each about 2/3 full so they have room to rise but won’t overflow.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly when touched.
- Cool completely
- Remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack.
- Let them cool completely before filling; warm cupcakes will melt and thin the pudding.
Box‑mix cupcakes are forgiving, but accurate bake time and full cooling are key so they don’t collapse when cored.
Making the vanilla pudding filling
- Whisk the pudding
- In a medium bowl, add the instant vanilla pudding mix and cold milk.
- Whisk for about 2 minutes until the mixture thickens and no dry mix remains.
- Let it set
- Allow the pudding to sit for about 5 minutes to fully set. It should be thick, creamy, and able to sit on a spoon without running.
If you’d like to lean more traditional, some Boston cream cupcake recipes swap the pudding for pastry cream, but pudding is the go‑to choice for speed and simplicity.
How to fill Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
- Core the cupcakes
- Use a cupcake corer, small round cutter, apple corer, or paring knife to remove a small plug from the center of each cooled cupcake, cutting about halfway down but not through the bottom.
- Reserve the plugs on a plate; you’ll use part of each piece as a “lid.”
- Add the filling
- Spoon or pipe vanilla pudding into each cavity until it’s nearly full, leaving a little space at the top for the cake lid.
- Trim the reserved cake plugs if needed and gently press a piece back on top of each filled cupcake to close the hole and create a relatively flat surface.
Filled cupcakes should still feel stable when picked up—if they seem overly soft, chill them briefly before topping with ganache.
Making rich chocolate ganache
- Heat the cream
- Add the heavy cream to a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until it begins to simmer around the edges. Do not let it boil.
- Melt the chocolate
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in the chocolate chips.
- Let sit undisturbed for about 2 minutes to soften the chocolate, then stir slowly until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and fully combined.
- Adjust consistency (if needed)
- If the ganache is too thin for your liking, let it cool for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly.
- For an even thicker cap, some recipes suggest using a bit less cream, but your 1:2 ratio (cream:chocolate by volume) is a classic starting point.
Ganache thickens as it cools, so there is a comfortable window where it’s perfect for dipping cupcake tops.
Finishing the cupcakes
- Dip the tops
- Hold each cupcake by the base and gently dip the top into the ganache, twisting slightly to coat the surface. Let the excess drip back into the bowl.
- Turn upright and place on a rack or tray.
- Set the ganache
- Allow the cupcakes to sit at room temperature until the ganache sets to a soft, touch‑dry finish, or refrigerate briefly to speed things up.
You’ll end up with cupcakes that look like mini Boston cream pies: golden vanilla cake, hidden creamy center, and that signature glossy chocolate lid.
