Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

My husband loves Boston Cream Pie so when I saw these cupcakes on Pinterest, I was intrigued. However I was not satisfied with some of the recipe as it called for a box cake mix. I make all my cakes from scratch because cake mixes are loaded with artificial flavorings and trans-fats. A scratch mix takes no more time than a box mix to prepare and the results are out of this world better. If you have never made a scratch cake, this yellow cake recipe is a good place to start because it calls for few ingredients. Just make sure that you use real butter and vanilla extract it will make a difference.

Makes 24 cupcakes or 2 9 inch round cakes

2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 stick of butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
5 drops yellow food coloring-optional

Line 2 12 cup cupcakes pans with cupcake liners Preheat the oven to 375. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda together, set aside. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and the sugar. Add the vanilla and the food coloring. Add the eggs one at a time. Add half of the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk and finishing with the last of the flour. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Using an ice-cream scoop, place a level scoop of batter into each cup. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool.

Cream Filling
1 3.5oz box of instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk

In a large bow with an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until it just begins to thicken. Add the vanilla pudding mix, the sour cream and the milk. Whip until the mixture becomes soft and fluffy.
Place the pudding mixture into a large zip lock bag and store in the frig until ready to assemble the cupcakes.

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy whipping cream
12 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat the cream in a sauce pan until it comes to a bowl. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk the mixture until the chocolate has melted into the cream. Cool slightly before frosting the top of the cupcakes.

To assemble(The original recipe called for cutting each cupcake in half and putting the filling in the center. I thought this would make the cupcake too hard to frost and eat so I opted for the method I describe below.)
Scoop out a small amount of the center of each cupcake with a melon ball tool. Snip off a small amount of the corner of the bag with the cream. Pipe some of the cream into the center of each cupcake, stopping just as the cream comes level with the top of the cupcake. Frost the top of each cupcake by dipping the top into

the ganache.