Ingredients

Scale

(Makes 12 cupcakes)

Yellow cupcakes:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup almond flour + ¼ cup coconut flour for GF)
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened (you love buttery richness!)
¾ cup granulated sugar (or monk fruit blend for blood sugar friendly)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk (or unsweetened almond milk)

Vanilla pastry cream filling:

1 cup whole milk
3 egg yolks
¼ cup granulated sugar (or monk fruit blend)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate ganache topping:

½ cup sugar-free dark chocolate chips (you love blood sugar friendly!)
¼ cup heavy cream (or full-fat coconut milk for dairy-free)
1 tsp butter (optional—for extra shine)

Instructions

1. Bake cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line muffin tin with liners.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
Beat butter and sugar until light (~2 min). Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk; mix until just combined.
Fill liners ⅔ full. Bake 18–20 minutes until golden. Cool completely.

2. Make pastry cream:

Heat milk in a saucepan until steaming (not boiling).
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Slowly pour hot milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
Return to saucepan; cook over medium heat 2–3 minutes until thick.
Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cover surface with plastic wrap; chill at least 1 hour.

3. Fill cupcakes:

Use a paring knife to cut a small cone from the center of each cupcake. Fill cavity with chilled pastry cream; replace cone top.

4. Make ganache:

Heat cream until simmering. Pour over chocolate chips; let sit 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Add butter if using. Cool 5–10 minutes until slightly thickened.

5. Top & serve:

Spoon or pipe ganache over filled cupcakes. Chill 15 minutes to set.

💡 Pro Tips for Perfection:
✅ Don’t overbake cupcakes—they should spring back lightly when touched.
✅ Chill pastry cream thoroughly—warm filling melts ganache!
✅ Blood sugar friendly (you love this!):
→ Use monk fruit blend + sugar-free chocolate
→ Net carbs: 8g per cupcake
✅ Keto version:
→ Almond/coconut flour base + erythritol
→ Add 1 scoop unflavored collagen peptides to batter (+20g protein total)
✅ Make ahead:
→ Bake cupcakes 2 days ahead
→ Pastry cream keeps 3 days refrigerated
→ Fully assembled cupcakes keep 2 days refrigerated

Prep Time & Nutrition (per cupcake, blood sugar friendly version):