The Ultimate Guide to Boston Cream Pie

History of the Boston Cream Pie

Boston cream pie is, in fact a cake. The cake was named after the style of pie tin it was originally prepared in during the mid-1800’s.

Boston’s Parker House Hotel made the dessert famous. There, the dish was created and named the “Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie.” It came to be known as Boston Cream Pie and is now the official state dessert of Massachusetts.

The Anatomy of a Boston Cream Pie

Boston cream pie has three components.

Cake: This recipe uses a hot milk cake-or hot milk sponge-really a far more forgiving creature than its finicky cousin, The Genoise

Pastry cream: is a cooked custard made with milk, sugar, eggs, corn starch or flour and vanilla. My recipe is greatly simplified from most; simply whisk the ingredients together in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then cook, stirring, for one minute. Finishing it with butter gives it sheen and flavour.

Chocolate ganache: I keep this straightforward, taking just about equal parts bittersweet chocolate and heavy cream. A teaspoon of salt balances out the sweetness of the chocolate; a spoonful of light corn syrup makes it gloss up.

If You’re Making Boston Cream Pie, a Few Tips

• Make the pastry cream and cake ahead of time. This is a three component cake, and really the time and labor in making each adds up. To break up the effort, I make the pastry cream two days ahead and the cake the day ahead. Assemble the cake, then drizzle with ganache on the day you want to serve.
• If you have one, lean on your microwave. I’m all about using my microwave for quick things. In this recipe, I pop in the microwave twice: once for melting the butter for the cake and once for re-heating the heavy cream for the ganache. If you don’t have a microwave, of course you may use the stove.
• Be open to using other types of vanilla. This recipe works well with any form of vanilla: extract, paste, or beans. To use a bean, split it down the center, scrape out the seeds, and add half to the egg-sugar mixture for the cake and the remainder to the milk for the pastry cream. For flavor extraction, first reheat the milk with the seeds to a simmer, steep for 30 minutes then fully cool before proceeding

Ingredients

For the pastry cream:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 3/4 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the cake:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the pans
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

For the chocolate ganache:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, or 2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions

Make the pastry cream:

• Nest a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cut the 2 tablespoons unsalted butter into very small pieces.
• Whisk together in a medium saucepan, the 4 large egg yolks, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons corn starch, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt until no dry spots appear and mixture is smooth. Whisk in 1 3/4 cups whole milk until smooth.
• Whisk in the sugar; place over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until it thickens, about 8 minutes. Just keep whisking, stopping every couple of seconds to see if it has thickened; when it starts to bubble, keep whisking 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
• Combine butter with 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. Whisk in until the butter has fully melted. Scrape into sieve and press through with flexible spatula. Scrape the pastry cream off the bottom of the strainer back into bowl. Discard contents of the strainer. To prevent skin from forming, press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days.

Make the cake:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl if an electric hand mixer is used, place three large eggs. Leave it to come to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 325ºF and place a rack in the middle. Butter sides and bottoms of two round cake pans 9″ diameter and line bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper. Sprinkle a little all-purpose flour over the sides and bottoms then tilt and shake to properly distribute, tapping off any excess.
3. Whisk 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. Place 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in a microwave-safe measuring cup. Add 3/4 cup whole milk and microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring between each interval, until the butter is melted, 60 to 90 seconds total. (Alternatively, melt the butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.)
4. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt until well combined.
5. Add 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar to the egg bowl. Beat at high speed with the whisk attachment for about 6 minutes or until thick and doubled in volume-the mixture should fold back on itself in a ribbon and be pale yellow in hue. Reduce the mixer to low and add the milk mixture in a steady stream. Add the flour mixture, a few spoon fuls at a time, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through, until just combined, about 30 seconds.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and smooth the tops. Approximately 14 ounces – 2 3/4 cup each. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until the cakes are light golden brown and a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
7. Place the pans on a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. To release each cake, run a small offset spatula or thin knife around the edges. Remove the parchment paper from the pans and flip the cakes out onto the rack. Gently turn right side up and allow to cool to room temperature about 30 minutes.

Assemble the cake:

To assemble: Place one cake, right side up, on large, flat serving plate or cake stand. Loosen pastry cream by stirring; dollop onto the cake and spread out to edges. Place second cake layer upside down atop the first. Gently press down to make it adhere. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Make the chocolate ganache:

• Coarsely chop 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate-or 2/3 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips-in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon corn syrup and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt.
• In a small microwave-safe bowl (or measuring cup), combine 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon heavy cream and microwave in 30-second increments until it starts to bubble, about 90 seconds total. (Alternatively, warm in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until boiling around the edges.)
• Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute. Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Pour the ganache over the cold cake, and let it dribble down the sides of the cake. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or till ganache is set.

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