Boston Creme Cupcakes
The donut or pie turned into an individual cupcake!

Whipping cream icing:

*Note: Rarely do I use the store bought pudding mix (for me the scratch version just tastes better), but it is a shortcut and these days, I can appreciate saving time. Half of the time I've made the cupcake mix from scratch, but half of the time I've used boxed mixes, bc today's boxed cakes are pretty good! It simply depends on my time limitations. "From scratch recipes" are at the end.

List of Ingredients for cupcakes:
1 1/4 C's cold whole milk
(3-4 oz) box vanilla pudding mix or filling recipe (scroll to bottom for the recipe)
1 Tbl vanilla extract
12 cupcakes made from yellow cake recipe (scroll to bottom for the recipe) or a box of yellow cake mix
1 C heavy cream
(12 oz) pkg semisweet chocolate morsels
1/4 C powdered sugar, sifted (optional; I made some w/o chocolate for my son, who doesn't like chocolate)
Optional: 1/4 C whipping cream
Directions:
1. Bake cupcakes:

Directions Continue; while cupcakes are cooling:
2. Combine milk, pudding mix, and vanilla extract in a Lg bowl. Beat mixture with a hand mixer.
3. Place mixture in refrigerator for 15 min's.
4. Spoon filling or use plastic wrap method for filling into a pastry bag fitted with a tip (I used a 230 Wilson tip)
5. Fill cupcakes w vanilla filling by inserting tip into top of cupcake and squeezing a couple of Tbls of filling into ea cupcake. Note: don't over fill, or cupcake will fall and lay lop-sided or go flat once it cools.

The cupcakes now have filling in them.

6. Heat cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium-heat until bubbles appear around the edges. (Don't let it get too hot, do not boil, or it will change the chocolate). Remove from heat, add chocolate morsels to pan, and whisk until smooth.
Note*: If you prefer a thicker icing, (the kind that does not drip over the sides of the cake), you can add 1/4 C of whipping cream that has been whipped. Gently fold it into your semi-cooled chocolate. Or if you wait for your chocolate to completely cool, it can be spread instead of dripped (even w/o the whipping cream). ;0) So many choices, --I admit: I usually make a whipping cream chocolate and a drizzled one too. Both options are so yummy, and both are too rich, lol... that is a good thing. ;0) [The difference btwn the two: one is more like the drizzle you find in a Boston Creme Pie (see last image of this post), the whipping cream icing is more like you would find on a regular cake (the first image of this post)].
7. Spoon or drizzle glaze over cupcakes, or you can spread with a knife.
8. Refrigerate until set, at least one hour.
9. Optional: Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

An easy way to fill pastry bag with filling:

Tip #1:

Take plastic wrap:

Place filling (vanilla pudding) in middle of wrap, fold plastic wrap around the filling:

Before Twist:

After twist, don't twist too hard, or it will explode, wanna know how I know that? Lol:

Enter twisted plastic wrap through tip whole and cut to tip. Or cut short and pastry bag will hold cream.

If you use a real pastry bag, clean-up is a snap, just throw away the plastic wrap and the bag is clean. ;-)

Hint #2:

Or just drape pastry bag over glass to fill. *(Put your Wilson tip at the end of the bag before filling). This is so much easier than spooning into a hand-held pastry bag! This is a disposable pastry bag, but I've used regular bags this way too. 

Fill cupcakes with filling:

Add optional powdered sugar over 'chocolate drizzled' cupcakes:

Enjoy ;0)

 Optional yellow cake recipe:

2 eggs

1/2 C butter, softened

1 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 C's (sifted before you measure) cake and pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 C milk

Hand mixer/beat sugar and butter together, add eggs. Add vanilla and milk to wet ingredients' bowl; Mix dry ingredients into a bowl. Combine the two. ;0)

Optional homemade filling/pudding:

1/2 C sugar

1/4 C all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 C's whole

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine first four ingredients. Slowly stir in milk. Place over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring just to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Place plastic wrap over, touching the top of filling to prevent a film from forming.