Most of the big snack companies sell some variation on a cream-filled, chocolate-covered cupcake. We love the concept, just not the artificial, bland flavors. Could we make cream-filled cupcakes from scratch at home? Here’s what we discovered:
Test Kitchen Discoveries
- Use the reverse creaming method, which means cutting the butter into the dry ingredients (as with biscuit dough), to achieve a tender, close-crumbed cupcake. A more traditional large-crumbed cake wasn’t sturdy enough to hold the cream and support the thick frosting.
- To fill the cupcake, cut a cone-shaped hole in the top of the cupcake, remove a portion of the interior, and fill the hole with cream. The frosting will cover any evidence of the hole.
- Add light corn syrup to the glaze so that it clings tightly to the cupcake and has a glossy texture.
Bake the cupcakes in a greased and floured muffin tin rather than paper cupcake liners so the chocolate glaze can run down the sides of the cooled cakes.
- Pastry Cream
- heavy cream
- large egg yolks
- sugar
- table salt
- cornstarch plus 1 additional teaspoon
- vanilla extract
- Cupcakes
- baking powder
- table salt
- sugar
- large eggs
- milk
- vanilla extract
- Chocolate Glaze
- heavy cream
- light corn syrup
- vanilla extract
Most of the big snack companies sell some variation on a cream-filled, chocolate-covered cupcake. We love the concept, just not the artificial, bland flavors. Could we make cream-filled cupcakes from scratch at home? Here’s what we discovered:
Test Kitchen Discoveries
- Use the reverse creaming method, which means cutting the butter into the dry ingredients (as with biscuit dough), to achieve a tender, close-crumbed cupcake. A more traditional large-crumbed cake wasn’t sturdy enough to hold the cream and support the thick frosting.
- To fill the cupcake, cut a cone-shaped hole in the top of the cupcake, remove a portion of the interior, and fill the hole with cream. The frosting will cover any evidence of the hole.
- Add light corn syrup to the glaze so that it clings tightly to the cupcake and has a glossy texture.
Bake the cupcakes in a greased and floured muffin tin rather than paper cupcake liners so the chocolate glaze can run down the sides of the cooled cakes.
- Pastry Cream
- heavy cream
- large egg yolks
- table salt
- cornstarch plus 1 additional teaspoon
- vanilla extract
- Cupcakes
- baking powder
- table salt
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- Chocolate Glaze
- heavy cream
- light corn syrup
- vanilla extract
12 cupcakes
- buttermilk
- vanilla extract
- vegetable oil
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- vanilla extract
9 cupcakes
- vanilla extract
- flour
- baking cocoa
- milk chocolate candy kisses
5 dozen
- yellow cake mix
- instant lemon pudding mix
- vegetable oil
- Glaze:
- confectioners' sugar
- fresh lemon juice
- vegetable oil
- water
Per serving (1 cupcake): 108 calories, 2g fat, 188mg sodium, 21g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 12g sugars, 2g protein
- maple syrup
- sugar-free
- liquid egg substitute
- fat-free
- canned pure pumpkin
- moist-style
- light vanilla soymilk
- all-purpose flour
- soda
- buttermilk
- liquid food coloring
- eggs
- sugar
- salt
- vanilla
- orange extract
- vinegar
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- coarse salt
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
- ground nutmeg
- allspice
- packed light brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- pureed pumpkin
- For Cake
- vanilla extract
- large eggs
- nonfat Greek yogurt
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- sugar
- baking powder
- baking soda
- distilled white vinegar
- For Frosting
- low-fat cream cheese
- confectioners' sugar
- honey
12 cupcakes
- ground allspice
- vanilla extract
- sour cream
- Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting:
- vanilla extract
- honey