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Don’t feel like dealing with a yeast dough and frying up donuts? Really want some Boston cream flavor? Eheh heh heh heh, I’ve got the recipe for you my dear.
A fudgy chocolate frosting on top of a little cake filled with pastry cream. So delicious, so satisfying.
PLAYING ON EASY
If you are intimidated by all the different components you could always hack it by making a box cake, buying the icing or making a vanilla pudding filling. I would recommend trying to make the pastry cream though. When done well it is soooo good and you’ll have leftovers to eat as pudding. Or you know…. dip your cupcakes in, like I do. WHAT? Oops…
To get the most pastry cream in the middle, cut a hole on a bias in the middle, like a pumpkin top. Cut off the bottom of the top. Core out the insides a bit to make room for the filling, but not too much that the structural integrity is lost. Fill with a pastry bag with a tip and place the little top back on. Frost on top and no one will be the wiser.
This would also be delicious with a ganache top, if you want it to be even more donut like! Or maybe a little added ganache drizzle :O
Basic Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a mixer using the paddle, cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffly.
- Slowly mix in eggs one at a time.
- Mix in vanilla.
- Sift flour into a separate bowl, add salt, and baking powder. Mix well.
- Alternate adding flour and milk. Add flour, then milk, then flour, then milk.
- After batter is smooth drop into liners. Fill about ¾ way up.
- Bake 20 – 25 minutes, till they pass the clean toothpick test.
- Let rest till cool before frosting.
Pastry Cream
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk 2% or whole
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp flour
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 tbsp butter
- ½ cup whipped heavy cream optional
Instructions
- In a saucepan stir 2 ½ cups milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir till simmering.
- In a separate bowl whisk cornstarch, flour, egg yolks with the remaining milk. Temper with hot mixture and pour back into saucepan.
- Stir constantly while bringing it to a boil and mixture thickens.
- Take off heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
- Pour through a sieve for a smooth finish.
- Store in fridge with plastic wrap touching the top to prevent a skin from forming.
- Optional: Fold in whipped cream before using.
Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup butter softened 1 stick
- 3 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 – 4 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In a mixer with paddle attachment, whip butter till light and fluffy.
- On low, slowly add powdered sugar.
- Add milk, salt, and vanilla.
- In a microwave melt chocolate in 2 30 seconds blasts. It might not look melted, but try stirring before cooking longer.
- After the chocolate has cooled to lukewarm, but is still runny, drizzle into frosting and mix well.
- If frosting looks rough after chocolate, add an extra ½ tbsp milk and mix again.