American Cuisine
Boston Cream Pie
By Nora Bennett
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Boston cream pie is famously not a pie at all, a quirk of history from when cakes were baked in pie tins. It is the official dessert of Massachusetts, and it is really three classic components stacked into one showstopper: a tender sponge cake, a layer of rich vanilla pastry cream, and a glossy chocolate glaze poured over the top so it drips down the sides. The component that intimidates people is the pastry cream, but it is just a stovetop custard. The trick is tempering, whisking a little of the hot milk into the egg yolks before returning everything to the heat, so the eggs thicken smoothly instead of scrambling. Cook it until it visibly thickens and chill it completely before assembling, because warm pastry cream will slide right out from between the layers. Let the chocolate glaze cool just enough to coat the back of a spoon before pouring. Assemble it and you have a bakery-window classic that looks far harder than it is.
Ingredients
Serves 8Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
- 2
In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt, alternating with milk. Divide batter into pans.
- 3
Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
- 4
For pastry cream: Whisk yolks and sugar. Stir in cornstarch. Heat milk in a saucepan until simmering, then whisk into egg mixture. Return to heat and cook until thickened. Stir in vanilla and chill.
- 5
For glaze: Melt chocolate and butter together until smooth.
- 6
Assemble: Spread pastry cream on one cake layer. Top with second layer. Pour chocolate glaze over the top.
Chef's Tips
- ✦ Temper the egg yolks by whisking in a little hot milk before returning them to the heat, so the custard thickens smoothly instead of scrambling.
- ✦ Chill the pastry cream completely before assembling; warm filling slides out from between the cake layers.
- ✦ Cool the chocolate glaze until it coats the back of a spoon before pouring so it sets on top rather than running straight off.
- ✦ Let the sponge cakes cool fully before filling, or the heat will melt the pastry cream and collapse the layers.
Ingredient Substitutions
-
cake flour → all-purpose flour with cornstarch
Replace 2 tablespoons of each cup of flour with cornstarch to mimic the lower protein of cake flour for a tender crumb.
-
semisweet chocolate → bittersweet or dark chocolate
A darker chocolate balances the sweet pastry cream; avoid chips, which contain stabilizers that dull the glaze's shine.
-
pastry cream → instant vanilla pudding for a shortcut filling
A thick prepared vanilla pudding stands in when you are short on time, though scratch pastry cream is richer.
-
milk → whole milk or half-and-half
Whole milk gives the proper richness for both the cake and the custard; half-and-half makes it even more decadent.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Boston cream pie called a pie if it is a cake? ▼
When the dessert was created in the 1800s, cakes and pies were often baked in the same round pans, and the names were used interchangeably. The name stuck even as it became clearly a cake. It is a sponge cake filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate glaze.
How do I keep pastry cream from being lumpy? ▼
Whisk constantly while it cooks, and temper the yolks by adding a little hot milk to them first before returning everything to the pan. If lumps do form, strain the finished cream through a fine sieve. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface as it chills to prevent a skin.
Can I make Boston cream pie ahead of time? ▼
Yes. Make the pastry cream a day ahead and refrigerate it, and bake the cake layers in advance. Assemble within a day of serving and keep the finished cake refrigerated, since the pastry cream is perishable. Glaze shortly before serving for the glossiest look.
What kind of chocolate is best for the glaze? ▼
Use good-quality semisweet or bittersweet bar chocolate melted with a little butter for shine. Bar chocolate melts smoother than chips, which contain stabilizers that can dull the glaze. A darker chocolate nicely offsets the sweet pastry cream filling.
