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.

Very easy, start night before

32 bars

24 bars