Boston cream cupcakes

Boston cream cupcakes are very good. Those vanilla, super soft sponge cupcakes are filled with vanilla custard and coated with chocolate fluffy frosting. If you decide to make them for your guest they going to be a success. My children and we both couldn't not stop eating them. The recipe comes form 'Cake days. Recipes to make every day special. The hummingbird bakery.' cookbook.

Ingredients for 6 cupcakes:

• 40g soft unsalted butter
• 140g caster sugar
• 120g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 120 ml milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

In a electric mixer bowl whisk on a low speed the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. In a separate jug with a fork whisk the egg, milk and vanilla essence. Pour some of this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Pour the remaining mixture into the batter. Increase the speed to medium and keep whisking until smooth and thick, scraping sides if the bowl occasionally. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. When baked transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack to cool the down completely. 

In a meantime prepare the custard.

 

Ingredients for custard:

• 125 ml milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg yolk
• 25g caster sugar
• 1/2 tbsp plain flour
• 1/2 tbsp cornflour

Pour the milk an vanilla essence into the sauce pan and bring  to the boil. Meanwhile whisk the remaining ingredients together by hand  in a small bowl until smooth.

When the milk is boiling remove from the heat. Add 4-5 tablespoons of hot milk into egg mixture and stir immediately. Then return this mixture into the saucepan and stir to incorporate. Return pan to the heat and bring to the boil whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute. When thickened pour the custard into  a bowl and cover with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming. Then leave to cool completely.

In a meantime prepare the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:

• 200g icing sugar
• 50g cocoa powder
• 80g soft, unsalted butter
• 40 ml milk
• chocolate to decorate

To make a frosting use the electric mixer to slowly beat together the icing sugar, cocoa powder and butter until sandy in texture. Gradually pour in the milk, then increase the speed to high until soft and fluffy.

Now it is a time to put all pieces together. Take a cupcake and with a sharp knife make a hole in a centre. The hole should be about 2 cm in diameter and 3 cm deep. Put the cut off cake aside as you will need it later to cover the cake. Fill the hole with cold custard and cover with trimmed cake, so the hole and custard will not be visible. Then spread over the chocolate frosting, sprinkle with some chocolate and enjoy :)