It Takes the Cake

Boston Cream Pie (which was invented by  chef M. Sanzian at Boston's Parker House Hotel in the mid 1800's)  is one of my all-time favorite desserts. I always have it for my birthday and make it myself because I just hate the store bought version that doesn't really have vanilla pudding for filling but uses some strange whipped substance instead. Oddly, I seldom make it when it isn't my birthday, but I have a hankering for its marriage of moist cake and fudgy icing.

Over the years I have, on occasion, had trouble with the layers sliding around on top of all that pudding, so I've discovered that Boston cream cupcakes are the way to go. I've also realized that pre-made pudding is just as tasty as making my own and saves some clean up. Generally, four of the pudding cups will make an entire cake, which should be one of the golden butter recipe cake mixes. (I know...everyone thinks that cake from scratch is better, but trust me - it isn't.) So here's the process: make the cupcakes as directed on the box. Then, use a pastry bag with a large round tip to insert pudding into the center of the cooled cupcakes. (Just push in the tip and squeeze; no need to complicate it.)

The real to secret to making Boston cream pie (or cupcakes) super good is in the frosting. (Isn't that the secret to all cakes?) I like something akin to fudge on top of mine, so I use Sandra Lee's chocolate fondue recipe that hardens when its cold. It makes plenty of extra, so you can either cut the amount in half or save some for another use (like eating it with a spoon). Combine a cup of heavy cream (or half and half, if that's what's in your fridge) with half a stick of butter over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring this to a low boil and remove it from the heat. Stir in a 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chips and another bag of milk chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is a good brand, as is Kroger's Private Selection label). When the chocolate is all melted, spoon some over the top of each cupcake. Sometimes it is easier to dip the cupcakes, but be sure to use a separate bowl for the topping so you don't contaminate all of it with crumbs. Once topped, just put the cupcakes in the fridge to chill the pudding and the icing. These are deluxe and never last long at our house.

I used to not really like the idea of making cupcakes because they seemed somehow childish, but in recent years the wisdom of this miniature version has grown on me. After all, they are easy to transport in a lunch box; they are automatically portion controlled (though I have been known to eat more than one); and they are easy to store in the freezer for future eating. Besides the Boston cream cupcakes, I also like red velvet cake and carrot cake in this form because you can slather on enough cream cheese icing to enhance every bite. Playing with the fillings can be satisfying, too. Chocolate cupcakes with cherry or blackberry jelly in the middle are especially good and not the run-of-the-mill cupcakes your mom brought to school for class parties when you were ten. Cupcakes have grown in popularity across the country as well, as evidenced by Food Network shows like Cupcake Wars and the plethora of cupcake cook books on bookstore shelves. Flipping through the pages of such a book, I am confronted with tons of cutesy decorations and grouped cupcakes making a centerpiece, but they all look like something from a stepford wife's baby shower. So my rule of thumb is to make cupcakes only in flavors and fillings I would serve to company in a full-scale cake. Luckily, this leaves me plenty of choices.