My husband and I were talking about Boston cream pie the other night, and we ended up having a friendly argument about it. Because while my husband is a kitchen whiz more than me when it came to practical application, I read more books and articles than him, making me much knowledgeable when it came to facts. I won of course, and he ended up making Boston cream pie for us. And I enjoyed every last bit! It started when we were watching a cooking show with our kids.
It’s the one where the bakers compete against each other to earn a title and prizes. One of the contestants made Boston cream pie as his final product
The friendly banter started about the history of this cream pie. Of course, I read about a lot of recipes, thus making me learn a few more things than him. So when the place where the Boston cream pie originated was mentioned, my husband lost to me.
The next day, we enjoyed a really beautiful Boston cream pie. He got the recipe from his mama, which is probably one of the best versions I have tasted. I sent a message to my mother-in-law after that.
If you want a copy of this Boston cream pie recipe, please head on over to the next page!
I tried making this too a few weeks after that incident with the husband. But I tried to search for another version on the internet. I found a really good one from Recipe Girl, which will give you the moistest and creamiest version of this dessert recipe. I knew it was good when my husband looked like he could eat the entire cake in one sitting. It’s a pretty simple cake, but you have to be patience because there’s a lot of whipping and mixing involved.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
1 1/2 cups unbleached, Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Clabber Girl baking powder
1 teaspoon Morton salt
3/4 cup Borden whole milk
6 tablespoons Land O Lakes unsalted butter
2 teaspoons McCormick pure vanilla extract
3 large Eggland’s Best eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups Domino granulated white sugar
FOR THE PASTRY CREAM:
2 cups Borden half-and-half (1 pint or 16 fluid ounces)
6 large Eggland’s Best egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup Domino granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon Morton salt
1/4 cup unbleached Gold Medal all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons Land O Lakes unsalted butter
2 teaspoons McCormick pure vanilla extract
FOR THE GLAZE:
1/2 cup Borden heavy cream
2 tablespoons Karo corn syrup
4 ounces Toll House bittersweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate, finely chopped
Instructions
To make the cake, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, then line each with parchment paper (cut to fit), then grease the parchment. Flour the pans and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter together over low heat until the butter is melted. Remove the pan from the heat source and add the vanilla. Cover, set aside and keep warm.
Fit a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip the eggs and sugar together on high or until light and slightly thick, about 5 minutes. Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and add the warm milk mixture, whisking by hand until blended. Add the flour and whisk again until incorporated. Quickly divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans and bake until the tops are light brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 21 to 23 minutes. Rotate pans about halfway through baking.
Remove the cake from the oven and place the pans on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, run a small sharp knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto the wire rack. Carefully peel away the parchment paper circle and turn the cakes right side up. (Cooled cakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap, then foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature.)
While the cakes are cooling, prepare the pastry cream. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt until smooth. Add the flour to the egg yolks and whisk again until incorporated. Set aside.
Heat the half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium heat just until it simmers. Remove the half-and-half from the heat (leave the heat on) and, while whisking constantly, slowly add about 1/2 of the hot half-and-half to the yolks to temper the eggs. Whisking constantly, pour the tempered yolks back into the pan with the remaining half-and-half and whisk until combined.
Return the saucepan to the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking constantly, for about 8 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and cook the pastry cream, whisking vigorously, until bubbles burst on the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. If lumpy, strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh strainer set over a clean medium mixing bowl.
Lightly spray a piece of plastic wrap with vegetable cooking spray and place sprayed side down directly on top of the pastry cream in the bowl. Press lightly to insure all areas of the pastry cream are covered. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
To assemble the cake – place 1 cake layer on a platter or cake plate. Whisk the pastry cream lightly then gently dollop into the center of the cake. Using an off-set spatula, gently spread the cream evenly over the cake, just to the edge. Place the second cake layer, bottom side up, on top of the pastry cream. Line the layers up, ensuring all sides are even, and press gently to level. Refrigerate the cake while preparing the glaze.
To prepare the glaze combine the cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat, add the chopped chocolate and cover with a lid. Set aside for 5 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth. Slowly pour the glaze into the center of the cake. Use an off-set spatula to spread the glaze to the edge of the cake, allowing a small amount to drip decoratively down the sides.
Refrigerate the completed cake for at least 3 hours, or up to 24 hours, before serving. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.