Above freezing, clouds and Boston Cream Pie cupcakes

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have partly cloudy skies giving way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High will rise to 35°F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight we’ll have clouds giving way to generally clear skies overnight. Low near 20°F. Winds light and variable.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 34%, the Dew Point is 7.0°F and the outdoor temp is 32.2°F.

The wind direction is   North between 3.6 MPH and 4.9 MPH, generating a wind chill of 26.6°F.

The Relative pressure is 30.46, the Absolute pressure is 30.26 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 6:27 a.m. Sunset is 5:17 p.m., Moonrise is 10:08 a.m., Moonset is xx:xx p.m. and the moon phase is Waxing crescent being 41% illuminated.

The RAW METAR readings from Augusta’s airport are:

METAR KAUG 221153Z AUTO 36007KT 10SM OVC120 M01/M12 A3062 RMK AO2 SLP372 T10061117 10033 21006 53022

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with overcast to 12,000 ft / 3,657 m.

We didn’t receive any rain or snow here over the past 24 hours, but we sure picked up a lot of snow melt from yesterday’s record warm temps.

Space weather for today is:

Today’s Solar flux is 70, the solar wind speed is 400  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Time to get back to some of the “grab ‘n go” desserts, handy for watching the Boston Red Sox spring training games. Why not  a cupcake form of Boston Cream Pie?  You New York Yankees fans are excused. 

BOSTON CREAM PIE (and cupcakes)

Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg plus 3 egg yolks, at room temperature

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the filling: In a medium saucepan off-heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in the whole egg and the 3 yolks, and then stir in the milk. Turn the heat on to medium high and cook the mixture, uncovered, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens, 12 to 15 minutes. It will feel very thick.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the cake. Be sure to place the plastic wrap directly onto the custard to prevent a skin from forming.

Make the Cake: 

Prepare any white or yellow cake mix as directed.  For a whole pie, spread batter into 2 round cake pans.  For cupcakes, line a muffin tin with paper or foil liners.  Bake as directed on package.

Make the Ganache Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

To make the chocolate ganache, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat. Add the chocolate chips to the cream and stir until completely melted.

Now you Assemble them:

To assemble, place one cake layer on a plate.  Spread the custard filling over the cake, then top with the second layer of cake. Spread the ganache over the top of the cake, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.

For cupcakes, make a deep hole in each cupcake with a cupcake corer or a spoon.  Spoon custard into a zip lock bag, pushing it into a corner.  Snip off the corner and squeeze the custard into the hole in each cupcake.  Spoon the chocolate ganache over each top.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.