Soft, with pastry cream filling and chocolate ganache glaze - these homemade Boston cream donuts are the most delicious, satisfying desserts out there. Despite the look, this donut recipe is made from simple ingredients you might already have at home.
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Ingredients and substitutes
Flour - Use bread flour to make this Boston cream donut recipe.
Yeast - I use instant yeast but you can replace it with active dry yeast that you'll need to wake up in lukewarm milk before adding to the flour.
Salt and sugar - The dough itself should not be very sweet but it should have a nice flavor, so we add our basic flavorings: white granulated sugar and salt.
Milk - Alternatively, you can replace our whole milk with the same amount of water.
Eggs - We will need eggs for the dough as well as for the custard cream filling. Eggs for the cream can be cold but you'll need one room-temperature egg for the dough.
Butter - Use unsalted butter for the cream and dough. Butter for the cream can be cold but butter for the dough should be softened so it can be easily incorporated into the dough.
Vegetable oil - Any odorless and flavorless oil that is suitable for deep frying will work for our Boston cream doughnuts.
Cornstarch - It is used to thicken the pastry cream. I would not recommend using potato starch instead because it can give an unpleasant aftertaste to our delicate cream.
Vanilla extract - You can choose not to add vanilla extract to the dough and use it only in the pastry cream, but I like to add it everywhere.
Chocolate - I prefer using semi-sweet chocolate chips for convenience, but you can buy a chocolate bar and chop it up before pouring hot cream on top. You can also use another type of chocolate such as milk chocolate. However, you might need to add a bit less cream to achieve a thick but still pourable consistency.
Heavy cream - Use heavy whipping cream to make the chocolate ganache glaze.
Cooking tips
Use a digital kitchen scale. Adding too much flour or too little milk will make your donuts dry and tough. Adding too much cornstarch to your cream will make it impossible to pipe and the cream will have a weird, starchy taste. On the other hand, adding too little cornstarch won't thicken your cream enough. Don't experiment with cups: use the only real measurement device!
Make the cream in advance. The cream takes time to cool down, so it's a good idea to make it one day ahead of your donuts. It can be easily stored in the fridge!
Pass the custard cream through a sieve for an extra smooth texture. Adding hot milk to the eggs and starch mixture can curdle the eggs. Even if you do it very slowly, a few pieces of cooked eggs can appear here and there. To remove them, just use a fine mesh sieve after you’ve added all the hot milk to the eggs, then return the mixture to the saucepan for further cooking.
Cover the cream with plastic wrap so it touches the surface. If you leave air between the plastic wrap and the cream, condensation will appear on the wrap and, eventually, water drops will drip onto the cream, creating a perfect environment for bacteria to spread. If you don’t use plastic wrap at all, a thick crust will form on top of the cream (which will get into the cream underneath when you start whisking it before filling the donuts).
Fry your doughnuts in batches. Don’t overcrowd your cooking pot: the donuts need some space to float and expand a bit. It’s better to cook in several batches.
Step by step directions
For the pastry cream
1. In a bowl, combine the eggs, cornstarch, and half of the sugar until smooth and no lumps are visible. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, add the milk and the rest of the sugar. Heat just until it starts boiling. Remove from the heat and slowly pour into the cornstarch and egg mixture, whisking vigorously to prevent the eggs from curdling.
3. Pour the end mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils.
4. After, cook for 2 minutes or until pudding-like in consistency and no raw taste of cornstarch is left.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until completely incorporated.
6. Pour the mixture into a clean shallow dish and cover it with plastic wrap so it touches the surface of the cream. Leave to cool down to room temperature, or place in the fridge until needed.
For the donuts
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix to combine.
2. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and egg and knead on medium-low until the dough has formed and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the butter in two parts, kneading in between until it fully disappears in the dough.
4. Knead the dough for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and you can stretch it without ripping it apart, so the light passes through it.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to proof for 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume and jiggly.
6. Punch down the dough and remove it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it so it’s ¾” (1.5cm) thick. Cut out rounds and collect dough leftovers into a dough ball again. Roll it out and cut out more rounds. In total, you should have 16-18 donuts.
7. Place the rounds on a working surface, large board, or baking sheet and cover them with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 30-40 minutes.
8. Heat the oil in a pot to 340F (170C) and prepare enough space lined with paper towels.
9. When the dough rounds are puffy, carefully place the first batch of the donuts in the hot oil so they float on one side. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Then, flip on the other side and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the donuts onto the paper towel to cool down and start cooking the next batch.
Preparing chocolate glaze and assembling the donuts
1. When the cream is at room temperature, whisk it to make it smooth again. Place it in a piping bag.
2. Pierce each donut on the side halfway through with a small knife.
3. Cut off the tip of the piping bag so it has ¼” (0.5cm) opening. Insert the tip of the bag inside each donut and fill it with cream.
4. In a bowl, place the chocolate.
5. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until it starts simmering. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes. Then, stir until homogenous in consistency.
6. Dip the top of each doughnut into the glaze and shake the excess off. Place donuts on a plate to set for 10 minutes before serving.
Possible variations
Powdered sugar - The easiest way to decorate your donuts is to dust them with powdered sugar instead of making a chocolate glaze.
Another cream - If you don't like pastry filling then you can make this easy Boston cream donuts recipe with any other cream of your choice. Use Chocolate ganache, cream cheese frosting, lemon curd, or any fruit or berry jam you like.
Sugar glaze - You can also finish these donuts with a simple sugar glaze.
Fresh berries - Make the cream cheese filling from my Cream puffs recipe post and fold in cubed strawberries. Then, you can pipe the mixture inside your donuts and enjoy!
FAQ
Let the glaze set before placing the donuts into a deep baking dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Pastry cream can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Don't forget to cover it with plastic wrap so it touches the surface of the cream and prevents the crust from forming.
Yes, you can knead the dough and place it in the fridge overnight to proof it instead of leaving it at room temperature. The next morning, you can continue making your donuts by punching down the dough and rolling it out.
More dessert recipes
Recipe card
Boston cream donuts
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Stand mixer or hand mixer with a hook attachment and a large mixing bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Round cookie cutter
- Saucepan
- Pot for deep frying
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 400 g bread flour
- 7 g instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 55 g white granulated sugar
- 220 ml whole milk lukewarm
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 40 g unsalted butter melted
- 1 l vegetable oil for deep frying
Cream
- 2 large eggs can be cold
- 30 g cornstarch
- 400 ml whole milk can be cold
- 120 g white granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 20 g unsalted butter can be cold
Glaze
- 100 g semi-sweet chocolate
- 100 ml heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the cream
- In a bowl, combine the eggs, cornstarch, and half of the sugar until smooth and no lumps are visible. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, add the milk and the rest of the sugar. Heat just until it starts boiling. Remove from the heat and slowly pour into the cornstarch and egg mixture, whisking vigorously to prevent the eggs from curdling.
- Pour the end mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils.
- After, cook for 2 minutes or until pudding-like in consistency and no raw taste of cornstarch is left.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until completely incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into a clean shallow dish and cover it with plastic wrap so it touches the surface of the cream. Leave to cool down to room temperature, or place in the fridge until needed.
For the donuts
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment (or use a hand mixer with hook attachments), add the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Mix to combine.
- Then add the milk, vanilla extract, and egg and knead on medium-low until the dough has formed and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Then add the butter in two parts, kneading in between until it fully disappears in the dough.
- Then, knead the dough for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and you can stretch it without ripping it apart, so the light passes through it.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to proof for 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume and jiggly. I place my dough in the oven with the light on.
- When the dough has risen, punch it down and remove onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough so it’s ¾ “ (1.5cm) thick. Cut out rounds (I use a 2.5” or 6cm round cutter) and collect the dough leftovers into a dough ball again. Roll it out and cut out more rounds. In total, you should have 16-18 donuts.
- Place the rounds on a working surface, large board, or baking sheet and cover them with plastic wrap. Let them rest for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pot to 340F (170C) and prepare enough space (can be a large board or baking sheet) lined with paper towels.
- When the dough rounds are puffy, carefully place the first batch of the donuts in the hot oil so they float on one side. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Then, flip on the other side and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove the donuts onto the paper towel to cool down and start cooking the next batch.
Filling the doughnuts
- When the cream is at room temperature, whisk it to make it smooth again. Place in a piping bag.
- Pierce each donut on the side halfway through with a small knife.
- Cut off the tip of the piping bag so it has ¼” (0.5cm) opening. Insert the tip of the bag inside each donut and fill it with cream.
Glazing the donuts
- In a bowl, place the chocolate.
- Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until it starts simmering. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Then, stir until homogenous in consistency.
- Dip the top of each doughnut into the glaze and shake the excess off. Place donuts on a plate to set for 10 minutes before serving.
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