Boston Cream Pie

Boston cream pie isn't actually a pie, it's a cake! It's a true family favorite and frequent birthday cake request in my house. Vanilla pastry cream is sandwiched by two layers of yellow cake and topped with silky chocolate.

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If you've never had Boston cream pie before, you're in for a real treat.

This is one of my favorite cakes, with its soft, fluffy sponge cake and creamy custard filling. I love using my homemade vanilla extract in this recipe because you can see all the beautiful little vanilla beans suspended in the custard.

The chocolate topping is smooth enough to pour and spread over the top of the cake, but chills into a solid layer of chocolate that balances out the sweet, creamy filling perfectly.

No one likes a history lesson, but its worth noting that while this recipe is named as a pie, its actually a cake. When it was first created, pie pans and cake pans were the same, causing the cake to take on the name of a pie.

Ingredients

Cake

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Milk
• Shortening
• Egg
• Vanilla

Cream

• Granulated sugar
• Cornstarch
• Salt
• Milk
• Egg yolks
• Pure vanilla extract

Chocolate glaze

• Butter
• Unsweetened chocolate
• Powdered sugar
• Pure vanilla extract
• Hot water

How to make Boston cream pie

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a round layer pan, 9 x 1 ½ inches.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. Continue to beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

Cream

1. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 2 quart saucepan.
2. In a glass measuring cup, mix milk and egg yolks.
3. Pour and stir the milk mixture gradually into the sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for one minute.
4. Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla and cool completely.

Chocolate glaze

1. Heat butter and chocolate in a 2 quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until melted and smooth.
2. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla.
3. Stir in water, one teaspoon at a time, until smooth and of spreading consistency. The glaze should be just slightly runny but still solid.

Assemble the cake

1. Split the cake in half horizontally. Place the bottom half on a cake stand or plate.
2. Spread cream evenly on top to within ½ inch of the sides.
3. Place the top of the cake on top of the cream.
4. Spread the top of the cake with chocolate glaze, letting it run slightly over the sides.

Top tips

How to grease and flour a cake pan

I like to take a stick of shortening, peel back one end slightly, and rub it all over the inside of the pan. Once completely covered on the inside, add a couple spoonfuls of flour to the pan.

Holding it over the sink or trash to catch any excess flour, tap and turn the edge of the pan to move the flour around, covering all the shortening. Once everything is covered, turn the pan upside down over the trash and give it a tap on the bottom to remove excess flour.

Feel free to use butter instead of shortening for this, or try this homemade cake release.

Use a serrated knife to cut the cake in half

This is a relatively thin cake to be cut in half. I recommend using a long, serrated bread knife when cutting it in half to make things easier. 

I always start slicing the middle of the cake with the middle of the knife, then start turning the plate to get evenly around the edges before finally slicing through the middle with a sawing motion.

How to know when pastry cream is done

The pastry cream filling contains eggs, so you'll want to make sure you cook it properly to prevent foodborne illness. Follow the instructions in the recipe to cook the appropriate amount of time, and make sure your custard holds its shape when you run a finger through it on the spatula.

How to prevent split chocolate

The chocolate topping can sometimes split into an oily, grainy mess. You can still use it and it will taste great, but won't look as good. To prevent this, be sure to melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, and use warm, not hot, water at the end. 

How to cut the best Boston cream pie

The chilled chocolate topping can make it difficult to cut through it with the soft cake underneath. Try running a long, straight knife under hot water, drying, and then cutting.

How to store

Keep your cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Because of the pastry cream filling, I do not recommend freezing Boston cream pie.

Tips for customizing your Boston cream pie recipe

• Swap the chocolate topping for classic chocolate ganache
• Make the yellow cake layers up to 3 months in advance, cooling, wrapping, and freezing, before thawing at room temperature for 30-60 minutes and proceeding with the recipe as written
• Swap the vanilla for 1 tablespoon rum or whiskey in the pastry cream filling
• For thicker cake layers, double the cake recipe and don't cut them in half
• Halve the chocolate portion for a thinner layer of topping

FAQ

More cake recipes

• Butternut Squash Cake
• Banana Bundt Cake
• Applesauce Cake
• Chocolate Cake with Warm Butter Sauce
• Orange Scented Chocolate Cake
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake
• Brown Sugar Pound Cake
• Grandma's Lemon Pound Cake

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!

Recipe

Boston Cream Pie

Boston cream pie is made with fluffy cake filled with creamy custard, topped with rich chocolate!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 16

Calories: 276kcal

Author: Lindsay Moe

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Ingredients

Cake

• ▢ 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¾ cup milk
• ▢ ⅓ cup shortening
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream

• ▢ ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cups milk
• ▢ 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze

• ▢ 4 ½ tablespoons butter
• ▢ 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• ▢ 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ About 2 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

For the cake

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a round layer pan, 9 x 1 ½ inches.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. Continue to beat on high speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the cream

• Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a 2 quart saucepan.
• In a glass measuring cup, mix milk and egg yolks. Pour and stir the milk mixture gradually into the sugar mixture.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for one minute.
• Remove from the heat. Stir in vanilla and cool completely.

For the chocolate glaze

• Heat butter and chocolate in a 2 quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until melted and smooth.
• Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla.
• Stir in water, one teaspoon at a time, until smooth and of spreading consistency. The glaze should be just slightly runny but still solid.

Assemble the cake

• Split the cake in half horizontally. Place the bottom half on a cake stand or plate.
• Spread cream evenly on top to within ½ inch of the sides.
• Place the top of the cake on top of the cream. Spread the top of the cake with chocolate glaze, letting it run slightly over the sides.

Notes

 

Tips for customizing your Boston cream pie recipe

• Swap the chocolate topping for classic chocolate ganache
• Make the yellow cake layers up to 3 months in advance, cooling, wrapping, and freezing, before thawing at room temperature for 30-60 minutes and proceeding with the recipe as written
• Add up to 1 tablespoon rum or whiskey to the pastry cream filling at the end of cooking
• For thicker cake layers, double the cake recipe and don't cut them in half
• Halve the chocolate portion for a thinner layer of topping

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1.5mg

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