Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

I found this recipe on The Harwood Podcast and subsequently it won my cupcake poll on facebook.  It's about time I try this one!

Harwood Podcasts The Cupcake Show says:  "Little sponge cakes filled with vanilla cream and topped with chocolate ganache. It's just like a big Boston Cream Pie, just smaller!"
- Recipe -

Cake:

● 1/2 c. cake flour

● 1/4 c. flour

● 1 t. baking powder

● 1/4 t. table salt

● 3 T. milk

● 2 T. unsalted butter

● 1 t. vanilla extract

● 5 eggs

● 12 T. granulated sugar (divided into two 6T. portions

Cream Filling:

● 1 (4.6 oz. package) ready to cook vanilla pudding

● 3 cups milk (2% or whole)

● 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

● 1/2 t. vanilla

● 2 T. sugar

Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

● 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

● 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

● 2 t. light corn syrup

For Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with cupcake liners.

1. Whisk flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Heat milk and butter in asmall glass measuring cup in the micro wave. Use 10 second bursts until the buttermelts. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

2. Separate 3 eggs, putting the whites in a bowl and the yolks in another bowl. Place thewhites in the mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until foamy. Slowlyadd 6 T. of the sugar & continue to beat whites to soft, moist peaks. Transfer the eggwhites to a large bowl.

3. To the egg yolks bowl, add 2 whole eggs. Place the yolk/whole egg mixture to themixing bowl. Beat yolk/whole egg mixture with remaining 6 T. sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until the eggs are very thick and a pale yellow color. Add thebeaten eggs to the egg whites bowl.

4. Sprinkle flour mixture over beaten eggs and whites; fold very gently 12 times with a large rubber spatula. Make a well in one side of batter and pour milk mixture into bowl. Continue folding until batter shows no flour and whites and milk is mixed in.

5. Scoop the batter into the cupcake pans. Bake 12 minutes.

6. Immediately run a knife around the cups to loosen the cupcakes. Remove the cupcakes and let them cool on a rack.

For Pastry Cream Filling:

1. Mix the pudding mix and milk in microwave for 15 minutes, stopping to stir every 5

minutes. Cool.

2. In mixer, whip cream with sugar and vanilla until cream is stiffened.

3. Once pudding is cooled, fold 2 cups into the whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to fill the cupcakes.

For Chocolate Ganache Glaze:

1. Heat cream, chocolate and corn syrup in small saucepan over low heat. Stir until

chocolate is melted.

Assembly:

1. Cut dime-sized circles out of the tops of the cupcakes. Fill a zip bag with the pastry cream filling and cut the corner off the end of the bag. Pipe the cream into the cupcakes. (If it will be a few minutes before you put the glaze on top, put the filled cupcakes in the refrigerator, until youʼre ready to finish them.)

2. Spoon the glaze over the tops of the cupcakes. Make sure to refrigerate the cupcakes until you're ready to serve them. When you are ready, let them sit out for 5-10 minutes to take the chill off.