MINI BOSTON CREAM PIES

Steps:

• 1. HEAT oven to 350ºF.
• 2. PREPARE cake batter and bake as directed on package for 24 cupcakes. Cool the mini cakes completely.
• 3. BEAT pudding mix and milk (1 cup) with a whisk 2 min. Let stand 5 min.
• 4. MEANWHILE, use serrated knife to cut cupcakes horizontally in half. Whisk 1/2 cup COOL WHIP into pudding;
• 5. SPOON the pudding/custard mixture onto bottom halves of cupcakes, using about 1 Tbsp. for each. Cover with cupcake tops.
• 6. HEAT whipping cream in a 1-quart saucepan,over low heat just to boiling. REMOVE from heat; stir in chocolate chips until melted.
• 7. LET STAND about 15 minutes or until mixture coats a spoon.
• 8. SPOON about 2 teaspoons chocolate Ganache onto each mini Boston Cream Pie top. This is a simple Ganache -there are more involved ones you can make; for these minis, this works great and is good! ENJOY!!
• 9. NOTE: You can bake the mini cakes in paper cupcake liners and instead of cutting the cakes in half, you can cut out a small plug down from the middle top of the cake (don't go all the way to the bottom); remove the cut out section and pipe the pudding mixture down in the hole; replace the cut out piece of cake and then spoon on the ganache. Even though it won't look like a mini Boston Cream Pie (and you won't be able to get as much filling in it), it is just another way of making the little cakes.