Description
These soft vanilla cupcakes are filled with creamy custard and topped with rich chocolate ganache—perfect for parties or indulgent treats.
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1 box vanilla cake mix
3 large eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pastry Cream Filling (choose one):
From scratch: 1 cup whole milk + 1 cup heavy cream, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch
Quick version: 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix + 2 cups cold milk
Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream
2 tbsp light corn syrup or butter (for shine)
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix cake mix, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Fill liners ¾ full. Bake 17–19 minutes. Cool completely.
Make the Filling:
From scratch: Prepare pastry cream by whisking egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch; temper with hot milk/cream. Cook until thick, then chill.
Quick: Whisk pudding mix with milk, chill until thick.
Ganache: Heat cream with corn syrup or butter. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Let cool to a pourable consistency.
Fill the Cupcakes: Core cupcakes, pipe in 1–1½ tbsp of pastry cream or pudding.
Top with Ganache: Spoon or dip cupcake tops in ganache. Let it drip slightly.
Chill: Refrigerate cupcakes 30–40 minutes to set ganache. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Corn syrup adds extra shine to ganache.
Dark or milk chocolate can be used for variation.
Finish with whipped ganache, berries, or cocoa powder for a decorative touch.
- Prep Time: ~30 minutes
- Cook Time: 18–20 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
