ATK's Boston cream cupcakes

NOTES:

1. Custard filling can be made a few hours or a full day ahead of time. It requires a few hours of refrigeration.

2. The custard filling can stand on its own as a yummy vanilla pudding!

3. The recipe makes enough batter, custard, and chocolate glaze for 12 regular cupcakes PLUS two large cupcakes.

4. The extra chocolate glaze can be used for hot fudge sauce, though it hardens on ice cream.

5. Much of the butter needs to be "softened but still cool" ahead of time.

6. Have a medium-small bowl ready when preparing the custard so it can be refrigerated quickly.

7. For adding the butter to the cupcakes' flour mixture, I did this initially by hand before using the handheld mixer to get things into a "coarse sand" texture.

INGREDIENTS:

Pastry cream filling (aka "the custard")

1-1/3 cups heavy cream 

3 egg yolks 

1/3 cup sugar 

pinch of salt 

4 tsp cornstarch 

2 Tbl butter, cold 

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Cupcakes

nonstick cooking spray 

1-3/4 cup flour, plus extra for muffin tin 

1-1/2 tsp baking powder 

3/4 tsp salt 

1 cup sugar 

12 Tbl butter (1-1/2 sticks), softened 

3 eggs 

3/4 cup milk 

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Chocolate glaze

3/4 cup cream 

1/4 cup light corn syrup 

8 oz bittersweet choc chips, or chopped bittersweet pieces

1/2 tsp vanilla

PREPARATIONS:

Pastry cream custard

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a simmer, stirring occasionally. 

2. While the cream is heating, in a medium bowl, combine with a strong wisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt. 

3. Add the cornstarch to the egg mixture and whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 15 secs. 

4. When the cream reaches a full simmer--which can occur very suddenly!--slowly whisk it into the yolk mixture. 

5. Return the whole thing to the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat for just over a minute, whisking constantly in a "circle 8" pattern and around the edges. The custard is done when it suddenly gets thick and glossy. 

6. Immediately remove custard from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla. 

7. Transfer the custard to a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap pressed flush against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until it is cold. 

8. While the custard is setting and cooling, prepare the cupcakes.

Cupcakes

1. Put oven rack in middle position. Prepare muffin tin by spraying cooking spray into each cavity and dusting each with flour. 

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Turn the oven on at 350. 

3. Cut the softened 1-1/2 sticks of butter into 12 pieces and add them one piece at a time, creaming them into the flour mixture. When all pieces are added, use the hand-held mixture on medium-low to get a consistent texture like coarse sand. 

4. Add the eggs one at a time on medium-low, mixing each until it is combined. 

5. Add the milk and vanilla, and increase the speed to medium, mixing until light and fluffy without lumps, about 3 min. 

6. Fill the muffin cups only three-quarters full. Bake at 350 about 18-20 min, until a toothpick comes out of a cupcake clean. 

7. While baking, prepare a cooling rack by placing a piece of parchment paper onto a rimmed baking sheet; then place the cooling rack on the parchment paper. This will allow a place for the chocolate glaze to drip and will make it easier to move the filled cupcakes to the fridge after they are glazed. 

8. Cool the cupcakes for 5 min in the muffin tin, then use a plastic knife to loosen them from the edges before turning them onto the cooling rack. Cool completely before removing a cone-shaped center piece from each, which can be done while the chocolate glaze is cooling (for how to cut out the center piece, watch the first part of this video; or look at the end of this recipe for a description). 

9. When the cupcakes are nearly cooled, begin making the chocolate glaze.

Glaze

1. In a small saucepan, cook the cream, corn syrup, chocolate, and vanilla over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. (NOTE: Need some tips on how to judge when this--the first time, it looked smooth in the pot but grainy when it was dished out onto the cupcakes.) 

2. Remove the saucepan from the stove and let the chocolate cool for 30 min. 

3. While the chocolate is cooling, remove a cone-shape piece from the center of each cupcake and prepare each cupcake's "cap" (see end of recipe for details). Be sure to keep each "cap" next to its cupcake base for a better fit after filling. 

4. Fill each cupcake's hole with 1-1/2 to 2 heaping teaspoons of custard and replace each cupcake's cap. 

5. When the glaze is ready, spoon about 2 teaspoons of it over each cupcake, allowing it to drip down the sides. 

6. Refrigerate until set, about 10 min.

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TIP: How to cut out the cone-shaped centers of cupcakes

1. Insert the tip of a small, sharp, straight-edged knife at a 45-degree angle about 1/8" from the edge of the cupcake and cut all the way around, carefully removing a cone of cake.

2. Cut away all but the top 1/4" of the cone, leaving a small disk or "cap" of cake.

3. Keep each cap near its cupcake.

For a video of this technique, click here.