These adorable Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are miniature versions of the classic non-pie hailing from Beantown. Spongy vanilla cupcakes are split and filled with luscious vanilla pastry cream and finished with rich chocolate ganache to yield sweet morsels perfect for any occasion.

Closeup of Boston cream pie cupcakes with shiny chocolate ganache on top on a white plate.

(This recipe was originally published in July 2009, but was updated with new photos and content in 2021).

The Boston Cream Pie was invented in the Parker House Hotel in Boston in 1856 by Armenian-French chef M. Sanzian during a time when cakes and pies were baked in the same pans. Hence why it's called a pie when it's clearly a cake.

The traditional dessert features two layers of butter sponge cake, a custard filling, and a chocolate glaze on top. These delectable Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes are identical miniature replicas of the classic cake/pie. Enjoy them with your hands like any other cupcake or dig in with a fork. Because they are split and filled, you will not use paper cupcake liners for this particular cupcake recipe.

Unsurprisingly, the Boston Cream Pie was proclaimed the official Massachusetts State Dessert on December 12, 1996. Don't forget to bake these exquisite cupcakes in honor of Boston Cream Pie Day, which is celebrated annually on October 23rd!

Ingredient notes

Milk, flour, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and chocolate bars.

Milk & Cream: You'll need both milk and cream for these Boston cream pie cupcakes. The milk goes into the pastry cream and the cupcake batter, while the heavy cream is for the chocolate ganache. Whole milk is typically best for baking, but you can make this recipe with whatever kind of milk you have on hand.
Cornstarch: To thicken your pastry cream, use cornstarch. If you don't have cornstarch, potato starch is a good substitute.
Vanilla Extract: Always use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation vanilla extract. It really makes a difference in flavor, and a little goes a long way!
Chocolate: Use chocolate with 60-70% cacao for a good balance of sweet/bitter flavor (lower percentage for sweeter). Ideally chop your own chocolate bar(s) instead of using chocolate chips because chocolate chips contain stabilizers which prevent them from melting as smoothly as pure chocolate bars.

Six Boston cream pie cupcakes arranged in two rows on a white rectangular plate.

How to make it

Begin by making the pastry cream. Pour milk, vanilla, and salt into a heavy saucepan and heat over medium-high. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl whisk together eggs, sugar and cornstarch.

When the milk is hot, slowly ladle some into the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour the egg mixture back into the hot milk and continue whisking over medium heat until the custard is noticeably thicker.

Remove pastry cream from the heat and strain it into a clean bowl. Whisk the butter into the cream, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and press the wrap directly onto the surface of the cream. Refrigerate until completely cool.

Next, make the cupcakes. Brush muffin pans with softened butter, dust with flour, and tap out the excess.

A pink muffin pan with the cups dusted with flour.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Meanwhile, combine milk and butter in a saucepan and set over low heat until butter melts.

With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk eggs and sugar until fluffy, pale yellow, and thick. Reduce speed to medium, and gradually add flour mixture until just mixed.

Bring milk and butter to a boil. With mixer on low speed, add hot milk to batter in a slow, steady stream. Mix until smooth and beat in vanilla.

Divide batter evenly among muffin pans (they will be pretty shallow) (PHOTO 1). Bake until cupcakes are golden and a cake tester comes out clean (PHOTO 2). Turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely.

White cupcakes in a pink pan before and after baking.

To assemble, use a serrated knife to gently split cupcakes in half horizontally. Use a medium cookie scoop (about 1 ½ tablespoons) to distribute pastry cream among the bottom of the cupcake halves.

Closeup of halved white cupcakes topped with scoops of pastry cream on a wooden board.

Replace top halves and press down lightly to allow the pastry cream to carefully spread out to the edges.

Make the ganache next. Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to a simmer and then pour over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, for a couple minutes until chocolate begins to melt.

Gently stir chocolate into cream until the mixture is completely combined, then spoon about 1 tablespoon ganache over each Boston cream pie cupcake.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Six chocolate glazed cupcakes on a white rectangular plate next to a couple chocolate bars.

Expert tips and FAQs

Buttering and flouring a muffin pan may seem intimidating at first with all the cavities, but it's really quite simple. Here's how to do it:

First use a pastry brush to brush softened butter inside all of the cups (the bottoms and all the way up the sides).
Next, add a small spoonful of flour into each cup. The exact amount doesn't matter, but you won't need a lot.
I recommend doing this next part over the sink to catch all the excess flour. Give the pan a good shake to coat the bottom of the cups in the flour, then tip the pan on its side about 90-degrees and gently tap the side of the pan with your hand to knock the flour down onto one of the inside edges of the muffin cups.
Slowly turn the pan clockwise or counter-clockwise while tapping the pan to keep knocking the flour down until the entire cavity of each cup is dusted.
Flip the muffin pan upside down and knock the excess flour into your sink.

Making the chocolate ganache is perhaps the easiest step in making these Boston cream pie cupcakes! Note that the longer the ganache sits, rests, and cools, the thicker it will get. Use it immediately to yield a thinner glaze that can even drip down the sides a bit. Allow the ganache to slightly cool in order to yield a thicker more textured topping like the one in the photos. You'll need to slightly spread it out with the back of a spoon for it to reach the edges.

Closeup of a cupcake with a layer of custard in the middle and chocolate ganache on top.

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