Custard-Filled Boston Cream Donut Recipe

Light, airy, and delicious custard-filled Boston cream donuts are a classic dessert for a reason. A soft tender yeasted donut filled with creamy custard is perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee or black tea. And nothing beats a freshly-made version, with vanilla bean-infused milk in the pastry cream and a velvety dark chocolate ganache on top. The combination of a pillowy, sweet donut and luscious vanilla custard creates a dessert that is both rich and light at the same time.

The pastry cream (also called crème pâtissière) is a surprisingly easy recipe — quick to make but so creamy and flavorful. It's almost a fool-proof process, with the cornstarch helping to thicken the mixture and lessening the chance of curdling or breaking. No wonder it's used in so many other recipes, such as eclairs, profiteroles, cakes, and tarts. Because of its versatility, it pairs well with many other flavors like chocolate, citrus, or berries. "You might feel intimidated making this recipe but fear not, these donuts are actually not difficult to make. It does require some extra time for proofing the dough, but other than that, each individual step is pretty simple." says the recipe developer, Milena Manolova. This would be a perfect recipe to make over the weekend when you have some extra time to spare. You can even do some extra chores while proofing the dough.

You don't need too many ingredients to make these tasty custard-filled Boston cream donuts. With only a few simple ingredients you can make delicious bakery-quality pastries in the comfort of your home. The ingredients you need for the donuts are milk, granulated sugar, dry yeast, eggs, salt, all-purpose flour, butter, and vegetable or canola oil for frying. The ingredients for the pastry cream are vanilla bean, milk, egg yolks, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. And you only need two ingredients for the chocolate sauce: semi-sweet chocolate and milk.

In a bowl, combine 1 cup lukewarm milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the yeast.

Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, until foamy.

Add 2 eggs, salt, and flour. Mix on medium speed with the dough hook attachment for about 5 minutes until the dough starts to come off the side.

Start adding butter, one tablespoon at a time, until all 6 tablespoons are added in, about 10-15 minutes. Before adding each portion of butter, make sure the previous one is fully incorporated into the dough.

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it sit in a warm place until it's double the size, about an hour.

Meanwhile, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds.

Add 2 cups milk, the vanilla seeds, and the bean to a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth. 

Pour some of the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs, whisking constantly.

Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the rest of the milk and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick, about a minute.

Take the mixture off the heat and mix in 3 tablespoons of butter until fully incorporated.

Run the cream through a sieve.

Cover the cream with plastic wrap, touching the surface of the cream to prevent it from forming a skin. Transfer to the fridge to cool.

On a floured surface roll the dough to ¾-inch thickness.

Cut out the donuts using a glass or a donut cutter about 3 inches in diameter.

Place the cut-out donuts on parchment paper and cut out the paper around each one for easier transfer to the hot oil.

Cover the donuts and let them rest for 30-60 minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep large saucepan until it reaches 350 F.

Place no more than 3 donuts at a time in the oil.

Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the donuts.

Let the donuts cool completely.

Make the chocolate sauce by melting the chocolate over a double boiler.

Mix in ¼ cup milk.

Cut off the end of a pastry bag or a zip-top bag and place a round piping tip in it.

Fill the bag with the cooled pastry cream.

Make a hole in each donut, using a knife. Make sure not to cut through the other end.

Fill each donut with the cream.

Dip the tops of each donut in the chocolate sauce.

Let the sauce set and serve the donuts.

This recipe may seem very involved, but there's nothing particularly difficult about any of the steps, and with a few simple tips you can achieve perfect Boston cream donuts. To ensure success, have all the ingredients (eggs, milk, and butter) at room temperature. This will help everything combine more evenly, resulting in a smoother dough. Don't rush the proofing time, both when you proof the dough and when you proof the individual donuts before frying. A good rise will ensure the donuts are light and airy. For a smooth pastry cream, we highly suggest running the cream through a fine mesh strainer to collect any unwanted lumps. Make sure the pastry cream and the donuts have cooled completely before filling.

Use a food thermometer suitable for deep frying. The thermometer will help maintain the correct oil temperature, which will ensure the donuts are cooked through and you'll know exactly how long to cook each batch. If the oil is too hot, the donuts will cook too fast, causing them to burn on the outside but still be raw on the inside. If the oil is not hot enough, the donuts will turn out too greasy. Test the first donut to make sure it's cooked right before adding the next batch.

If you would like to introduce some fresh elements to these donuts but remain faithful to the classic Boston cream profile, you have a few options. For the filling, you could play around with a few variations on custard/pastry cream. Bavarian cream is similar to crème anglaise with a base made of egg yolks, sugar, and milk or cream, but with the addition of gelatin for body and whipped cream for lightness. Crème légère is another option very similar to pastry cream, but with the addition of whipped cream, making it lighter and much more creamy. Creme Diplomat is also a great choice, which is crème légère with added gelatin for stability. Mousseline cream is pastry cream whipped with soft butter, creating a creamier, richer filling. 

Those are some wonderful options that will give you that lovely creamy vanilla flavor, but you can take it even further and introduce new flavors into the pastry cream. A little chocolate melted into the cream, lemon zest, fruity jams (raspberry, strawberry, or blueberry), or nut butters (pistachio, peanut, or almond) would add a fun twist to the classic recipe. You can also sprinkle some chopped nuts on top of the chocolate glaze for added texture and crunch.