Description
Delightful Boston Cream Pie showcases layers of vanilla sponge cake filled with silky custard and topped with rich chocolate ganache. Bakers appreciate this classic American dessert for its perfect balance of flavors and elegant presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 cup (240 ml) cane sugar
- 5 tbsps (70 g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsps (140 g) all-purpose flour
- 1.25 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 6 egg yolks (at room temperature)
- 2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (30 g) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
- 1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter
- 4 oz (115 g) bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Heat milk in a saucepan until simmering, then remove from heat and set aside.
- Whisk egg yolks and sugar until light and thick. Sift cornstarch into the mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Temper egg mixture by slowly incorporating 1/4 cup of hot milk, then add remaining milk.
- Strain the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until thickened and bubbling. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in butter until fully integrated. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and refrigerate until chilled.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare an 8-inch cake pan with baking spray, parchment paper, and additional flour coating.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Beat eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy, approximately 4 minutes.
- Melt butter in milk using microwave in 30-second intervals.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to egg mixture. Incorporate vanilla and hot milk mixture, beating until combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 33 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean and cake edges pull away from pan.
- Cool cake in pan briefly, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on serving plate and spread chilled pastry cream, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Position top cake layer gently. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, covering if chilling longer.
- For ganache, heat cream until steaming. Add chopped chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir chocolate and cream until smooth. Pour over chilled cake, spreading evenly to edges.
Notes
- Temper eggs carefully by slowly adding hot milk to prevent scrambling, ensuring a smooth, silky pastry cream.
- Use room temperature eggs for the cake batter to create a more uniform, lighter texture that rises evenly.
- Chill the pastry cream thoroughly before assembling to help it set and prevent sliding between cake layers.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend, maintaining the same measurements.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 33 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 368 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 117 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 123 mg