Boston cream pie cupcakes are a fun twist on a favorite traditional dessert. This recipe is an easy way to dress up a boxed cake mix.

Cupcake split in half on a plate in front of a wire rack of cupcakes.

Boston cream pie isn't actually a pie at all. It's is a spongey yellow butter cake filled with custard and topped with a chocolate glaze. What's Cooking America has a post with a brief history of the Boston cream pie. My cupcake recipe deviates a bit from an absolute traditional recipe because I use chocolate fudge frosting as a shortcut instead of a glaze.

I love baking from scratch, but I usually keep a few boxed cake mixes on hand. It's easy to dress up a boxed cake mix and make more unique cupcakes. Many of my recipes in my cupcake collection can be made using a boxed mix. Nobody has to know!

Adding a filling to cupcakes adds a nice dimension, and it's not hard to do. I use an apple corer to remove the centers of the cupcakes.

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Boston cream pie cupcakes are a fun twist on a favorite traditional dessert. This recipe is an easy way to dress up a boxed cake mix.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Cooling Time 30

Total Time 1 20

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings cupcakes

Equipment

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs (or number on box instructions)
1 cup water (or amount on box instructions)
⅓ cup vegetable oil (or amount on box instructions)
Any other ingredients listed on cake mix box
1 container chocolate frosting

Filling

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups milk cold

Instructions

Bake cupcakes per package instructions. Allow to cool completely.
Prepare pudding according to package instructions.
Use an apple corer to remove the centers of each cupcake.
Transfer filling to a piping bag with a large tip. Fill each cupcake with pudding.
Frost the cupcakes with the chocolate icing.

Notes

Use the ingredients your cake mix calls for. I used a Duncan Hines mix. Other brands might call for different ingredients than the eggs, water, and vegetable oil listed.

Keyword cupcakes, easy dessert, filled cupcakes

Step by Step Photos and Recipe Notes

Bake cupcakes per package instructions. The ingredients listed in the recipe section of this post are for Duncan Hines cake mix. If you use a different brand, use the ingredients that your box calls for instead of what's listed in the recipe card.

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before filling. If you don't, you will have regrets!

Prepare the pudding according to package instructions. Use an apple corer to remove the center of each cupcake.

Cupcakes with centers removed on a wire rack.

Transfer the filling to a piping bag with a large tip. Fill each cupcake with the pudding.

Cupcakes with filled centers on a wire rack.

Frost the cupcakes (using a piping bag with a tip is highly recommended!) Store in an airtight container.

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes