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Boston Cream Pie | Life, Love and Sugar


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This basic Boston cream pie is made with two layers of sunshine vanilla sponge cake crammed with wealthy vanilla pastry cream and topped with shiny, wealthy chocolate ganache. Opposite to the identify, it’s a cake and never a pie! Straightforward to make and utterly scrumptious, you’re going to like it!

Why You’ll Love This Boston Cream Pie Recipe

Fluffy cake, pastry cream, and chocolate!? What’s to not love? This dessert is each gentle in texture and wealthy. The perfected mixture. Let me fill you in on a number of the issues that make this Boston cream pie probably the greatest.

  • Texture. I really like the textural distinction of the layers of sunshine, fluffy cake subsequent to the sleek, luscious pastry cream. Who may say no to that?
  • Style. This can be a vanilla and chocolate mixture that’s basic, easy and so good collectively. The sunshine vanilla cake, wealthy vanilla pastry cream and chocolatey glaze marry collectively superbly.
  • Presentation. Elegant but approachable, there’s little question that Boston cream pie is sweet to have a look at. The best way the shiny chocolate ganache drapes over the fluffy yellow cake layers and pastry cream makes for one inviting edible artwork piece.
  • Surprisingly straightforward. It might sound intimidating to make pastry cream, cake, and chocolate ganache however, actually, every of those parts is definitely tremendous easy to throw collectively. You are able to do it!
Boston cream pie on a cake stand with a slice taken out of it.

What Is Boston Cream Pie?

Much less of a pie and extra of a cake, this basic American dessert originated within the 1800s in – you guessed it – Boston! It’s comprised of layers of vanilla sponge cake divided by a easy vanilla pastry cream. The dessert is topped with a luscious chocolate ganache and served chilly. Why is it known as a “pie”? As a result of way back, truffles have been truly baked in pie tins.

Recipe Components

Right here’s what you’ll have to make this straightforward Boston cream pie recipe and few notable suggestions. Be sure you scroll to the recipe card under for exact measurements.

  • Egg yolks – Begin with room-temperature eggs. Chilly eggs can have a tough time mixing easily and simply into the opposite substances. Be sure you use giant eggs, not medium or additional giant.
  • Cornstarch – This helps to thicken the pastry cream, together with the eggs.
  • Milk – Milk types the bottom of the pastry cream. The next fats content material provides you with the creamiest texture. I like to recommend complete milk.
  • Vanilla extract – For taste. I like to recommend a very good high quality extract, since a variety of the flavour of your cream and total cake comes from the vanilla.
  • All-purpose flour – Be sure you measure it correctly. An excessive amount of flour provides you with a dry cake. I like to recommend a meals scale, however it’s also possible to use the spoon and degree methodology.
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Milk or darkish chocolate chips would additionally work, however will change the consistency of your glaze. Milk chocolate will make it a bit thinner and darkish chocolate will make it a bit thicker
  • Corn syrup – This lends a prettier shiny end to the chocolate glaze, however you possibly can go away it out, if you would like.
  • Heavy whipping cream – Don’t exchange this within the glaze with one thing else, like milk. It’s going to skinny out your glaze.

Make Boston Cream Pie

Right here’s a fast overview of how you can make Boston cream pie. Don’t overlook to scroll to the recipe card under for extra detailed directions.

To make the pastry cream

  • Beat. Beat the egg yolks collectively gently.
  • Cook dinner. Whisk collectively the sugar and cornstarch in a big saucepan after which whisk within the milk. Cook dinner over medium warmth till the combination begins to thicken and simmer.
  • Mood. Whisk a bit little bit of the milk combination into the egg yolks. Add the egg combination to exploit combination.
  • Cook dinner. Carry the pastry cream to a light-weight boil and cook dinner for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • End it off. Take away the saucepan from the warmth and stir within the butter and vanilla extract.
  • Chill. Pour the pastry cream right into a bowl, cowl with clear wrap pressed towards the highest, and chill within the fridge for 1-2 hours.

To make the cake layers

  • Prep. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, grease the perimeters, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Mix the dry substances. Whisk collectively the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Whip. Whip the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract on excessive velocity till pale and fluffy.
  • Warmth. Warmth the milk and butter till the butter is melted and the combination could be very scorching.
  • Add dry substances. Fold half of the dry substances into the whipped egg combination after which fold within the remaining dry substances.
  • Add scorching milk. Gently whisk within the scorching milk combination.
  • Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 20-23 minutes.
  • Cool. Permit the truffles to chill of their pans for 2-3 minutes earlier than turning them out onto cooling racks to chill utterly.

To complete off the cake

  • Make the chocolate glaze. Mix the chocolate chips and corn syrup in a bowl. Warmth the heavy cream till simply boiling and pour it over the chocolate chip combination. Permit to sit down for 1-2 minutes, then whisk till clean.
  • Clean. Give the pastry cream a stir to clean it out.
  • Assemble. Take away the domes from the tops of the truffles and place one cake on a serving platter. Unfold the pastry cream over the cake layer and prime it with the second cake layer. Pour the chocolate excessive of the cake, then unfold out in the direction of the perimeters.
  • Chill. Refrigerate the cake till able to serve.
Boston cream pie on a cake stand.

Making the Pastry Cream

Pastry cream isn’t exhausting to make, but it surely should be thickened correctly to have success. The eggs should be tempered correctly so that you just don’t get scramble eggs and a lumpy cream. It additionally must be thickened sufficient, however not a lot that the cornstarch and eggs break down. Preserve the following pointers in thoughts for the most effective outcomes.

  • Cautious with warmth. Resist the temptation to show up the warmth as a way to cook dinner the pastry cream extra rapidly. Carry it to a boil slowly in order that it will get an opportunity to thicken correctly.
  • Get the timing proper. You need to cook dinner the pastry cream lengthy sufficient for the egg yolks to cook dinner and work their thickening magic however not so lengthy that the cornstarch begins to interrupt down. Don’t boil it for too lengthy.
  • Mood. Pour a little bit of the recent milk combination into the egg yolks whereas whisking them collectively earlier than folding the egg combination into the majority of the recent milk. This may preserve the eggs from scrambling.
  • Pressure it. For those who discover your cream appears to be like a bit lumpy, you possibly can pressure it to take away the lumps previous to chilling it.
  • Chill. The pastry cream will thicken whereas cooking, however nonetheless could appear a bit skinny and never but thick sufficient for the cake. It’s going to agency up within the fridge. Let it chill for at the least an hour or two, or till it develops an nearly gelatin-like, thick texture.
A slice of Boston cream pie on a plate.

Ideas for Success

This straightforward recipe for Boston cream pie is fairly foolproof however you’ll need to pay shut consideration to those easy suggestions and tips in case your aim is to get it proper the primary time.

  • Room temperature eggs. When making the pastry cream and the cake, you’ll want to begin with room-temperature eggs. Chilly eggs is not going to combine easily and simply into the pastry cream, making it harder to attain the specified, clean consequence. In relation to the cake batter, room-temperature eggs will maintain quantity higher than chilly ones, permitting you to attain a lighter, fluffier cake.
  • Whip whip whip. When whipping collectively the eggs, sugar, and vanilla for the cake batter, accomplish that till the combination has considerably lightened in coloration and has develop into fluffy. This course of incorporates air into the combination, providing you with a splendidly gentle and fluffy cake.
  • Don’t over-mix. When combing the moist and dry substances for the cake batter, watch out to not over-mix. This will trigger the glutens within the flour to overdevelop leading to a dense, robust cake.
  • Scorching milk. It might sound superfluous to warmth the milk and butter earlier than including them to the cake batter however don’t skip this step. It’s going to assist forestall the glutens from overdeveloping and you’ll, because of this, end up with a way more tender, fluffy cake.
  • Cool. Permit the truffles to chill utterly earlier than assembling. In any other case, the pastry cream and the ganache will soften.
  • Stir. Earlier than filling the cake, give the pastry cream an intensive stirring to clean it out.
Overhead image of Boston cream pie on a cake stand with a slice taken out of it.

Retailer Boston Cream Pie

  • Fridge. Seal the cake in an hermetic cake service or one thing comparable. For those who don’t have one, pop the cake within the fridge for a couple of hours to agency up earlier than wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. You may also organize slices of Boston cream in a single layer in an hermetic container. Nevertheless you select to do it, you possibly can retailer your leftovers within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
  • Freezer/Prepping forward. I don’t suggest freezing a full Boston Cream Pie. The pastry cream can cut up when it thaws, leaving you with a large number. For those who’d wish to freeze issues for prepping forward, you can also make the cake layers forward and freeze these, then thaw them within the fridge earlier than utilizing. You may also make the pastry cream a day or so forward after which layer every thing collectively previous to serving it.

Extra Boston Cream Desserts

For those who like this basic Boston cream pie, you’re going to love a few of my different variations. Right here they’re.

Watch Make Boston Cream Pie

Learn Transcript

This recipe was up to date 11/27/2023. For the unique recipe from 2018, obtain this PDF.

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Boston cream pie on a cake stand with a slice taken out of it.