Boston Cream Cupcakes

Description
While Boston Cream pie is a classic, it can be time consuming to make. This recipe incorporates the Boston Cream pie flavors we all know and love—the contrast of creamy vanilla with rich, dark chocolate—into cupcake form.
 * Cook Time: Approximately 1 hour
 * Serves: 24

Ingredients

 * 1 box cake mix, including ingredients required to prepare cake mix (see directions on package)
 * 1 x 4-ounce box vanilla flavored instant pudding mix
 * 1¼ cups cold, whole milk
 * 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
 * 1 x cup heavy cream
 * 1 x 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips
 * ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

 * 1) Bake cupcakes according to directions on cake mix box.
 * 2) In a large bowl, combine milk, pudding mix and vanilla extract.
 * 3) Blend for two minutes using a hand blender.
 * 4) Refrigerate the mixture for 15 minutes.
 * 5) Fill the pastry bag with pudding mixture.
 * 6) To inject vanilla pudding mixture into cupcakes, insert a pastry bag tip into a cupcake, squeezing a tablespoon of filling into each cupcake.
 * 7) To make the ganache topping, heat cream in saucepan until bubbles form around the edges. This should take less than five minutes.
 * 8) Once bubbles form, quickly remove the saucepan from heat and add the chocolate chips.
 * 9) Whisk the chocolate cream mixture until it is smooth.
 * 10) Glaze the cupcakes by spooning or drizzling the ganache over them.
 * 11) Alternately, you can also dunk cupcake tops directly into the ganache. Serve cold and plain or with other desserts.

Tips

 * If you are running low on cream, a mixture of cream and half and half will also work.
 * If you do not have a pastry bag, you can use a mustard bottle to fill the cupcakes instead. Just empty the mustard bottle (to refill later), clean it out and use it in place of the pastry bag.

Warnings

 * Make sure you buy instant pudding mix, or else you may end up with a drippy mess for a filling.

Things You'll Need

 * cupcake liners
 * 2 cupcake pans
 * large bowl
 * hand mixer
 * pastry bag with medium-sized tip
 * small heavy saucepan