Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) and with paper liners, line a muffin tin. For added assurances, spray the flat surface of the pan with cooking spray.

Add the cake flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda to a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl and shake to sift.

In a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar and beat until fluffy on a higher speed, about 3-5 minutes. Turn the machine off, scrape it down, and add one egg with the mixer on stir until combined. Add the second egg, combine, then add the vanilla.

Sprinkle in about a third of the dry ingredients and stir until barely mixed, then add half of the buttermilk. Alternate dry with wet, ending with dry, and stir until just mixed. Remove the bowl and give a final few stirs by hand with a large spatula, scraping all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

Split the batter between the wells of the muffin tin and bake until slightly golden and a toothpick tester comes out clean, around 22-25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for about five minutes then remove to a baking rack to cool completely before final assembly.

For the cream filling:

In a small saucepan, begin warming the milk over medium heat until it begins to steam.

Add the dry ingredients, the sugar, the flour, and salt, to a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Once the milk has warmed, add the egg yolks to the dry ingredients and whisk strongly until a paste forms. Slowly add a portion of the milk to the egg/sugar combo while whisking to loosen the paste and temper the eggs. Pass this mixture through a fine mesh strainer and return it to the sauce pan.

Turn the heat to just over medium and while continuously whisking, cook the liquid until it turns to a slightly thicker pudding. If when you stop whisking you see big bubbles forming, it is ready. Remove from the heat and blend in the vanilla.

Pour the cream filling into a small bowl, cover the top directly with plastic wrap, then chill in the refrigerator.

Final Assembly:

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream and chocolate at 30 second intervals until the chips have melted completely. Stir until thoroughly smooth, glossy, and it becomes thick.

With a sharp paring knife and tilting it, carve out a cone shaped piece of cake from the middle of the cupcake at least about halfway down the cupcake interior and around an inch in diameter at the top. Fill each cupcake with about a slightly heaping tablespoon of cream, splitting the cream evenly between all the cupcakes.

Either trim the cone shaped plugs of cake or place them back whole in the cupcakes. The latter will result in cream being pushed out slightly.

Top each cupcake with about a tablespoon of the chocolate ganache topping, splitting the chocolate evenly between the cupcakes, and spread across the tops.

Serve immediately or store in containers to serve later.