Boston Cream Pie
The Boston cream pie was invented by an Armenian-French chef at the Parker House Hotel in Boston. While not actually a pie, but a cream filled cake, this rich dessert gets its name from being baked in a pie plate. The cake is double layered with a vanilla custard cream in the middle, glazed with a thick chocolate ganache. This cake is so beloved in Massachusetts that it is the official state dessert.
Equipment
- strainer
- standing mixer
- 8” springform cake pan
- parchment paper
- bread knife
Ingredients
Pastry Cream Filling
- 8 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tbsp butter
Yellow Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 cup cake flour + 2 tbsp
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
Instructions
Pastry Cream Filling
- Bring the milk to a boil in a small pot. Immediately turn off the heat.
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Whisk in the cornstarch.
- Whisk in a 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Then whisk in the rest of the hot milk.
- Pour the batter through a strainer back into the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat; constantly whisking until it is thick. Take off the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla. Allow to completely Cool.
Yellow Cake
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a standing mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together for 4 minutes on medium speed.
- Melt the butter, vanilla, and milk together in a small pot while the eggs and sugar are mixing.
- Turn the mixer down to low speed. Gradually add in the flour.
- Slowly pour the milk/butter mixture into the standing mixer. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 30 seconds.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a spring form pan with parchment paper. Grease the pan. Pour in the batter.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Allow the cake to completely cool on a rack.
Cake Assembly
- Using a bread knife, carefully slice the cake in half horizontally.
- Place one of the halves of cake bake in the spring form pan.
- Pour the pastry cream onto the cake, leaving an inch of space from the outer edge.
- Place the other half of the cake cut side up on top of the pastry cream. Wrap in plastic and allow to set in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Bring the heavy whipping cream to a light simmer over medium heat with the chocolate.
- Whisk until the chocolate has completely melted.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
