Week 13: Boston Creme Cupcakes!

This week I was stuck in a rut of what to make.  I have I don’t know like 175 cupcake pins on Pinterest, you think picking one would be easy!  While trying to decide I got an idea while thinking about my weekend plans.  I decided to make Boston Crème Cupcakes in honor of my girl’s weekend with my college roomies in Boston.  Here is the one and only picture of us girls (and I of course have devil eyes):

I quick looked at the recipe, well glanced and made my shopping list prior to my weekend away so I could stop at the store on my way home.  I got everything and then when I got home, really really looked at the recipe.  I didn’t realize however that I would be making a homemade pudding/crème that wasn’t out of the box.  It was definitely something new, but didn’t realize how easy it was! 

I got the original recipe from: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-boston-cream-cupcakesrecipes-from-the-kitchn-168053

Boston Cream Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
For the cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour
3 teaspoon baking powder
1teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cup white sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup buttermilk

Heat the oven to 375°F. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Spray the top of the muffin top with non-stick coating.Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

With a standing mixer fit with a paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until they turn light yellow and look like frosting. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour until the flour is just barely combine. Beat in half of the buttermilk. Continue alternating between the flour and the buttermilk, ending with the last of the flour.  It should look like this: 

Divide the batter between the cupcake liners. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cupcakes are domed and beginning to turn golden. Let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes, and then turn them out onto a wire rack. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before assembling.

For the pastry cream filling:
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
1 1/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Have a strainer over a heat-proof bowl standing ready near the stove.

Whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks to form a sticky paste.
Warm the milk in a small sauce pan just until you see it beginning to steam. Remove it from heat and pour a little into the egg mixture. Quickly whisk the eggs to thin out the paste. When you see no more lumps, slowly pour the rest of the milk into the eggs while continuing to whisk.

Pour the milk and egg mixture back into the saucepan and set over medium heat. Whisk constantly. At first, the mixture will feel very loose and liquidy, but it will start to thicken in a few minutes. It's important to keep whisking so the eggs on don't cook. When the pastry cream has thickened to the consistency of pudding, stop whisking and check for bubbles. If you see large bubbles plopping on the surface, the pastry cream is done.
Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the vanilla.

 Pour the pastry cream through the strainer set over the bowl, stirring until it has all fallen through. The strainer will catch any eggs that started to curdle. Press a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper directly to the surface of the pastry cream and refrigerate until completely chilled.

For the chocolate ganache:
2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream

Use a paring knife or cupcake corer cut cones or holes from the center of each cupcake.*I would recommend making bigger holes than I did to balance out the cupcake.  This however will mean you need to make more filling! 

Fill the hole with a tablespoon or two of cooled pastry cream:
 

To make the ganache, set the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Warm the milk until it's steaming and pour it over the chocolate. Let this stand for a minute, then mix until they form a thick, glossy paste. Pour a generous spoonful of ganache over each cupcake, spreading it with the back of the spoon to even out the top.

The cupcakes can be eaten immediately while the ganache is still warm, or you can wait an hour or two until the ganache has set.  Keep refrigerator if not eating right away, but allow them to reach room temperature before serving.

Love always, aloterella :)