I’ve always loved cupcakes. They are perfect for birthdays and holidays alike and can be decorated for truly any occasion. With graduation parties and Memorial Day festivities this past weekend, I knew I needed to whip up some fun treats to share. The inspiration for these cupcakes all started when I stumbled across this cupcake plunger in the checkout line at Marshalls one day. Wondering what I could do with it, I realized nothing could be better than experimenting with a variation of a classic – Boston Cream Pie!
Having trialed lots of vanilla cupcake recipes in the past, I am very critical of the finished product. I’ve made them too dense or too bland before, but most recently, I’m a fan of this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. The golden cakes come out of the oven with the perfect fluffy texture – I believe it has all to do with whipping the egg whites separately and folding them into the batter just before baking.
The cupcake plunger (silly name I know…) was a breeze to use. Actually it was so much fun to use! Not to mention that snacking on the bowlful of cupcake cores with my roommates afterward was a fun little bonus as well!
For the cream filling, I actually cheated a little bit. Given that everything else was made from scratch, I chose to use grocery store vanilla pudding mix to get these out the door in time for the party. Filling the cakes was easy and simple with a frosting squeeze bottle (without the attachment).
This chocolate ganache glaze could not have been easier to make with just two ingredients: semi-sweet chocolate chips and heavy cream. Keeping the proportions about equal, you can easily achieve the proper consistency for topping. Lastly, this vanilla frosting recipe has long been my absolute favorite for decorating.
I will definitely be experimenting with the cupcake plunger again soon. There are so many options, but I’m thinking ice cream cupcakes just might be up next!
