Boston Cream Cupcakes

Matt's birthday is tomorrow and when I asked him what yummy dessert he'd like me to make in his honor, I figured he'd either request some sort of German chocolate concoction or a yellow cake with chocolate icing.  Imagine my surprise when he asked for Boston Cream cupcakes (though they are in the same vein as yellow cake with chocolate icing).  So, I turned to the ever handy Pinterest to find a recipe that sounded good and whipped him up some birthday cupcakes.  I ended up with about 26 cupcakes which is way more than either of us needs to eat, so Matt will be taking them with him to work tomorrow--sort of like the good old days when you brought a treat to school on your birthday. :)

Boston Cream Cupcakes
Recipe from Will Cook for Smiles

Cream Filling:

1 cup of milk

2/3 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

4 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (though I believe I added more like 1 tablespoon)

Make the filling first as it needs to cool before it can be used.

1.Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until completely combined.

2. Add flour and whisk very well--set aside while heating the milk.

3. Heat the milk, heavy cream, butter and salt until simmering and then slowly add the heated milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture stirring constantly. 

4. Return the mixture into the pot and bring to simmer while stirring constantly.  The mixture will begin to thicken and at this point, take it off the heat.

5. Whisk in the vanilla and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Vanilla Cupcakes:

3/4 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla (Again, I used more like a tablespoon)
1 1/4 cups milk

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚ F and line the cupcake pan with liners. 

(**Because we live at high altitude, I have had some issues with cupcakes turning out properly and find it works better for me if I reduce the heat to 325˚ F)

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large mixing bowl for 1 minute until fluffy, then add sugar and beat until well mixed, approximately another minute.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Then, mix in the vanilla until smooth.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the mixture, making sure the ingredients are well mixed.

5. Add the milk and beat until well incorporated, approximately 1-2 minutes.

6. Pour the batter into the liners, filling them about halfway and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

(**I found that 18 minutes worked well for me, and I rotated the pan halfway through.)

The original recipe says to fill a decorating bag with the cream filling and using a long thin decorating tip, insert the tip into the baked cupcakes while they are still hot and pipe in the cream filling.  I followed this technique and both Matt and I agreed that the cupcake could stand to have more filling in the center.  Next time, I think I will core the center of the cupcakes once they have cooled and pipe the filling in as I've had better success with that method in the past.  

Ganache Frosting:

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream

1. Place the chocolate chips into a medium sized bowl.  Bring the heavy cream just to a boil and then remove from heat.

2. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate chips, continuing to stir until melted.  Cool to a little warmer then room temperature.

3. When the cupcakes are completely cooled, spoon the ganache frosting on top of the cupcake, letting it slowly spread. If it does not spread too easily, you can carefully spread it out using the edge of a rubber spatula.

Enjoy!! :)