Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes (Gluten Free)

Today’s Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are a smaller version of the classic dessert. Complete with vanilla cake, pastry cream filling, and chocolate topping, they are an absolute delight. They are fancy enough for dinner parties or fun for casual get togethers.

These cupcakes are a definite indulgence, but we are worth it!! I love the tender vanilla cake and creamy filling. And then there is the chocolate ganache topping … swoon!

Probably the strangest part of this dessert is its name. Why is it called a pie when it is a cream filled cake? You have to go way back in history and there are many ideas floating around. My favorite is that in the 1800s cakes and pies were baked in the same pans so the terms were used interchangeably.

Boston cream pie is the official dessert of Massachusetts and makes any trip you take to the state extra special. If you want to make a full cake, check out my recipe here.

In addition to a kitchen scale which makes baking so much easier, one tool I used that I think might be worth buying if you are going to be making filled cupcakes often is a cupcake corer. A simple little inexpensive gadget that makes your life much easier – boy do I love those!

The only drawback to this recipe is the time it takes to let everything cool and chill. Be prepared for a long day so be sure to start early. As long as I am prepared, I don’t mind long recipes. And note the parts of the recipe that can be made ahead to save you time!

These Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are luscious, tender vanilla cakes filled with delicious vanilla pastry cream and topped with totally decadent chocolate ganache frosting. These are game changers and will be a hit with everyone in your crowd. I hope you give them a try soon!

Key Ingredients for Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes:

• Semisweet chocolate chips, light corn syrup, heavy whipping cream
• Unsalted butter, sugar, sour cream, vanilla, eggs, gluten-free flour blend or all-purpose flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt
• Milk, water, cornstarch, milk, butter

PRO Tip:

Using a spring-loaded scoop makes filling the cupcakes really easy and clean. I like the scoops with the scraper arms because they help get the batter out without hassle. I keep several sizes to help me with all kinds of baking projects.

PRO Tip:

Using a kitchen scale seems intimidating and a pain in the beginning but you will quickly realize how much it helps making all your measuring much simpler and faster plus much more accurate. Your baking projects will turn out every time giving you beautiful results!  

PRO Tip:

One of the secrets to professional-looking piped cupcakes is the tips that you use. Work with large/jumbo tips for the easiest piping. I like a 1M or a 2D tip. Both will help you make beautiful roses on top of the cupcakes, hiding the pastry cream filling.

How to make Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes:

1. Make the Ganache: Heat the cream and pour over the chocolate chips and light corn syrup; let sit a few minutes then whisk until smooth and creamy; refrigerate an hour to firm up
2. Make the Cupcakes: Cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the sour cream and vanilla; scrape the bowl and beater(s) and mix in the egg whites
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl; combine the milk and water in a measuring cup
4. Alternate the dry ingredients with the milk/water mixture, beating well after each addition; fill the cupcake papers halfway and bake at 350°F for 15 to 17 minutes or until done
5. Cool completely on a wire rack
6. Make the Pastry Cream: Whisk the egg yolks; in a saucepan add the sugar, cornstarch and milk whisking until smooth, then cook stirring constantly until thick and bubbling and remove from the heat
7. Temper the egg yolks by adding a little of the hot sugar mixture and whisk constantly; then whisk the yolk mixture into the sugar/milk mixture, stirring constantly and return pan to the heat; boil for a couple minutes, stirring constantly
8. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth; set aside to cool to room temperature
9. Assemble the Cupcakes: Cut out the centers of the cupcakes to make a place to insert the pastry cream; pipe the cream into each cupcake just to the top
10. Top the cupcakes with the chocolate ganache, either piping it on or spreading it with an offset spatula; refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve, let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to warm up slightly before serving; store covered in the refrigerator

PRO Tip:

Whenever you are working with sticky ingredients like honey or today’s corn syrup, coat your measuring cup or spoon with oil and the syrup will slide right out with no sticking!

PRO Tip:

Use a small offset spatula to ease the delicate cupcakes out of the baking pan and onto a cooling rack. They will firm up as they cool but are very soft when hot. Don’t be surprised if the centers sink as they cool.

Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):

• Kitchen scale
• Large heatproof bowl
• Medium saucepan
• Cupcake pan 
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Spring-loaded scoop
• Small offset spatula
• Cupcake corer or paring knife
• Piping bags and large piping tips

Gluten-Free Tips:

You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.  

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Yield: 12 to 17 cupcakes

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes (Gluten Free)

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These Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are a smaller version of the classic dessert. Complete with vanilla cupcakes, pastry cream filling, and chocolate topping, they are an absolute delight. They are fancy enough for dinner parties or fun for casual get togethers.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Ganache

• 12 oz (338g) semisweet chocolate chips, no more than 55% cacao solids
• 2 tbsp (39g) light corn syrup
• 1 cup (227g; 237ml) heavy whipping cream!

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1-1/4 cups (150g) gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• Pinch xanthan gum (do not use if your blend already contains it)
• 6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
• 2 tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 tsp (7g) vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs (100g)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (150ml) milk

Pastry Cream Filling

• 2 (28g) egg yolks
• 6 tbsp (75g) sugar
• 1-1/2 tbsp (11g) cornstarch
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270ml) milk
• 1 tbsp (14g) salted butter
• 1 tsp (5g) vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Make the chocolate ganache: Place the chocolate chips and corn syrup in a large heatproof bowl.
2. In a heavy saucepan, bring the whipping cream to a strong simmer, with bubbles around the edges of the pan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to start melting, then starting in the center and working your way to the edges, whisk until all the chocolate is melted, the mixture is smooth with no streaks. Be certain that there are no pieces left unmelted – they can mess up your piping later on!
3. Cover the bowl and place the chocolate to the side until completely cool, about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Can be made ahead, cover and refrigerate before continuing with the recipe. Pull out of the refrigerator about 30 to 60 minutes to warm to cool room temperature before using.
4. Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
5. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl, whisk in the xanthan gum if using, and set aside.
6. Add the butter, sugar, oil and vanilla extract to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat together until lightened in color and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Be sure to give it the full creaming time. You can also do this with a hand mixer, but a stand mixer is much easier.
7. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined before adding the next one. Beat until smooth, then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure all ingredients are fully incorporated.
8. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add the milk and mix until well blended. Don’t be surprised if the batter looks curdled. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until completely combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater to be sure all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
9. Use a spring-loaded scoop to fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. There will be some coloring around the edges.
10. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, let them rest in the pan for a few minutes and then use an offset spatula to help you transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. The centers will sink as they cool.
11. Make the pastry cream: Put the egg yolks in a medium-sized heatproof bowl and whisk them together. Set aside.
12. Add the sugar, cornstarch and milk to a large saucepan and whisk until smooth. Cook, whisking continuously, over medium-high heat until mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes whisking constantly. Remove from the heat.
13. Whisk in a little bit of the sugar/milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together, warming them a bit. Then whisk the egg mixture into the remaining sugar/milk mixture. This process of warming the eggs is called tempering and helps make sure you don’t get scrambled eggs.
14. Place the pan back on the heat and bring to a low boil. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking continuously.
15. Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla. whisk until smooth, then set aside to cool to room temperature. Whisk occasionally as it cools to keep the pastry cream as smooth as possible. Transfer to a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate if made ahead.
16. Pull the ganache out of the refrigerator\ to warm to cool room temperature. Use a mixer and beat the ganache at medium speed until fluffy and you’ve got fairly stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. If piping the frosting, transfer to a piping bag with a 2D or 1M tip, both work well to pipe beautiful designs on top.
17. Once everything is ready, cut out the centers of the cupcakes, using either a cupcake corer or a paring knife. Don’t go too deep, you want to have a solid bottom on each cupcake!
18. Stir the pastry cream and put into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip or a resealable plastic bag. Cut a little piece off the point of the bag and you are ready to pipe the filling into the center of the cupcakes. Divide the pastry cream evenly between the cored cupcakes. You will probably have extra left over. Put the cupcakes in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to firm up the filling a little. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the leftover filling and refrigerate.
19. Top the cupcakes with the chocolate ganache. You can spread the tops with a knife or to make the fancier designs, start the piping in the center then create a swirl moving outward in concentric circles. Complete a couple of circles around the cupcake top until it is covered and you have a beautiful flower.
20. Refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve. Cupcakes are best for 2 to 3 days after baking. Keep covered in the refrigerator and return to room temperature before serving.
    
    Recipe Source: The Heritage Cook

Notes

Adapted from a recipe by Lindsay of Life, Love and Sugar and a second recipe that worked better with gluten-free flours.

You may be surprised that all the ingredients for the cupcakes call for being at room temperature. This is to help them create an emulsion that traps more air giving you fluffier, higher baked goods.

You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.

All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

17

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 201mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 3gSugar: 20gProtein: 6g

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is provided as a courtesy and these figures are only estimates.

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