Heavenly Boston Cream Cupcakes

So these cupcakes are not meant to be anything diet, skinny, nutritious or low fat. But these heavenly Boston Cream cupcakes from Woman's Day make excellent comfort food for the soul!
Confession: I did a few substitutions just to see how they would taste....and yum! Still were fabulous! So my alternate ingredients will be in ( ).

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp each baking powder and salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (1 stick only)
1 1/4 cups sugar (1 cup)
3 large eggs (2 eggs)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Filling
1 package (3 oz) cook & serve vanilla pudding
1 1/4 cups milk (low fat milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze
8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup each sugar and water
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

DIRECTIONS

1. Cupcakes: Heat oven to 350ºF. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Combine and stir until blended the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Beat in vanilla extract.

4. With mixer on low speed, alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just blended.

5. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

6. Filling: Prepare pudding as package directs, using 1 1/4 cups milk. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into a bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.

7. Glaze: Place chocolate, sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter until it melts and mixture is smooth. Let cool.

8. To assemble: Slice off top of cupcakes to come to top of paper liners. Spread cut surface with about 1 Tbsp filling. Top with cupcake top. Spoon about 1 Tbsp glaze onto top center of each, easing it over top.