Boston Cream Pie (II)
This Boston Cream Pie recipe features a simple vanilla cake filled with homemade pastry cream and topped with a chocolate ganache.
Six years ago, I made my grandma a Boston cream pie for her 91st birthday when she requested something that involved “white cake and pudding”. It was the first time I had made Boston cream pie from scratch, and as it turned out, that was the last birthday that we were able to celebrate with her, so the pie-that-is-really-a-cake holds a special place in my heart. You can see my rendition of that original cake here (please excuse the absurdly awful pictures!); it was a sponge cake filled with homemade pastry cream and covered in a silky chocolate glaze.
It was good, but in retrospect I thought it could be better. I wanted the best Boston cream pie recipe I could muster. So, when I asked my husband if there was anything in particular he’d like for dessert on Easter and he said “Boston cream pie”, it was my chance to make a new and improved version. Here it is!
So, total disclaimer (that I’m sure I’ve mentioned before) – I’m really not much of a white/vanilla cake person. I’m not a huge cake fan in general, so if I DO eat it, I really, really prefer that it be chocolate. However, there is an exception. I don’t need much convincing when it comes to Boston cream anything because.. I mean, pastry cream and chocolate? DONE!
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Alright, here’s the rundown of how I put this cake together…
Sponge cake does absolutely nothing for me, so I nixed that in favor of my favorite yellow cake recipe. I used the same pastry cream filling from the original recipe because I’ve made it countless times for a ton of different things, and it’s always perfect. If it’s not broke, right? As for the chocolate, I prefer Boston cream pies that have exposed sides and just chocolate on top for more of a casual/rustic look. I ditched the glaze in favor of my favorite ganache (used on my peanut butter cup cake) and let it thicken up a little more than usual, although you could totally pour it on and let it slide down the sides – it would be equally gorgeous!
I served this alongside my fresh strawberry pie for dessert on Easter and it was a huge hit. A couple of other cake-averse family members loved it, which sealed the deal for me!
(Psssst, if you prefer cupcakes, check out the Boston cream cupcakes I made awhile back. Next, I need to tackle Boston cream donuts!)
One year ago: Baking Basics: High Altitude Baking Tips
Five years ago: Oatmeal Fudge Bars
Six years ago: Deviled Eggs
Seven years ago: Dark Chocolate Truffles
Boston Cream Pie
Ingredients
For the Pastry Cream
- 2 cups (473.18 ml) half-and-half
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
For the Cake
- 2¼ cups (281.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ (1.5) cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) buttermilk
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ¾ cup (178.5 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
- Make the Pastry Cream: Heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 20 seconds.
- When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
- Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients all at once and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the buttermilk and beat on low for 1 minute, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 3 additional minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely before assembling.
- Make the Ganache: While the cake cools, make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a 4-cup measuring cup; set aside. Place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and warm until it just comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Begin whisking the mixture in the center, gradually working your way outward until the ganache is completely smooth. Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, yet still a pourable consistency.
- Assemble the Cake: Place one of the cake layers on a serving platter, then spread the pastry cream evenly over top. Place the second cake layer on top and pour the chocolate ganache into the center of the cake layer. Using an offset spatula, gently spread the ganache into an even layer over the top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- This cake can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and should be kept in the refrigerator.
- Half and half is a common dairy product in the U.S. but can be replaced with 50% whole milk and 50% heavy cream.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I made the pastry cream in the recipe above. Although it was thick when I took it off the stove, it is now watery (after putting it in the refrigerator). Is your recipe correct when it says to cook until thickened about 20 seconds? I cooked as you explained and stirred until it became thick and then cooked it for just a minute or less as described. The pudding would not be able to be used in a cake, as it would just drip out. Can you please tell me if the mixture should have been cooked longer than what it says in the recipe? Thank you!!
Hi Stephie, You should definitely cook until thick in the first part, then until it is noticeably thick, large bubbles burst, and the mixture looks glossy once you add in the half and half mixture. The time is not as important as the visual clues for doneness, although it’s a good gauge to have so you have an idea of around how long it could take. It most certainly should not have turned watery, and likely needed to be cooked longer.
My husband asked me to bake a Boston Cream Pie for his birthday several months ago. I experimented with several custard recipes before deciding on which one tasted best for the final cake. This recipe was by far the best.
Since the custard was right on, I decided to give the entire recipe a whirl.
Turned out beautifully. The flavors were well balanced, the custard was so creamy, and the genache had great texture.
From one brown eyed baker to another, thank you very much for perfecting your recipe and sharing it with the world. This one is definitely a keeper.
I made this for my Super Bowl themed dessert! I was not sure about flour measurement for the cake. The recipe is written as 2 1/4 cups or 319g. I use King Arthur’s weight chart and 2 1/4 cups comes to 270g, so I went with that. Not sure if the extra 49g flour would have made a difference. I normally freeze my cakes right out of the oven and these did not disappoint. Making the pastry cream was a snap and it thickened well on heat, so I did not strain it…not sure the thick deliciousness would have gone through at all! Another reviewer suggest cooling the creme in a 9″ pan and it came out with the perfect disc to put between the cakes. Genius! This is going in my cake rotation for sure! Thank you so much!
I too had the same problem with the pastry cream being way too runny. Had hoped to take it to a party but it was a mess.. The cake was very tasty!
Excellent recipe! My wife is a connoisseur of Boston Cream Pies and this one rated the best on her scale. The only thing I did different was to put the cream filling into a round cake pan lined with saran wrap and then more saran wrap on top to prevent skinning over. It cooled the cream very quickly rather then waiting hours. Then I flopped it over onto the cake and didn’t have to spread it at all.
Can a springform pan be used with the same effectiveness as a plain round pan?
Thanks in advance,
Madeleine
Hi Madelieine, You would need to use two for the layers of the cake. If you have two, then I suppose that would be fine.
Oh, my my my. What a fantastic recipe. My best friend requested Boston Cream Pie for her birthday cake, and I literally thought I may not be able to deliver. Thank you for this wonderful EASY recipe. It turned out beautifully. The only thing I tweaked was not letting the ganache get too thick, so it would pour down the sides. THANK YOU!!
Hi Allie, You’re welcome! I’m so thrilled to hear the recipe worked so well for you, and love the idea of letting the ganache pour over the sides! Thanks for taking the time to stop back and leave a review!
Hello. I can’t find half and half in this part of the world. Will simple full fat milk do the trick?
Hi Hala, You can use half full fat milk and half heavy cream, that will give you the best substitute.
My husband and I loved this recipe, we cooked it together and it tasted like an authentic Boston Cream Pie..We live in Tn now and we miss the food from home in Massachusetts…. thank you !!
I made the pastry cream, and it’s been in the fridge for over 3 hours. Still VERY runny. How long does it take for this to set up like custard? I need to assemble this cake tomorrow and I’m worried.
Hi Michelle, If it’s runny, it likely isn’t going to set up, it sounds like it wasn’t cooked quite long enough. The custard should be fairly thick once you take it off the heat, and then it really firms up in the fridge.
Great custard and easy recipe. Great tastes altogether. New range here, and the cake was a little dry—assuming my own fault. Always great stuff from BEB.
Absolutely perfect AND DELICIOUS!
THE BEST cake, ever. (Btw, mine turned out horrible ugly, yet still tasted delicious)
• I use this cake base for a marble cake! Only difference is I add 4oz chocolate to 1 cup batter, and swirl that deliciousness around.
Thanks for the recipe!
**And awesome cake-layering skill ;)
Followed directions…used all ingredients as instructed. After chilling 6 hours…..custard soup.
Hi Elly, I’m sorry to hear that, but it sounds like the custard was removed from the stove too soon and didn’t thicken enough initially.
Michelle, do you know how many cups of glaze this makes? Thanks!
It yields about 1.5 to 2 cups.
This was maybe my favorite cake I have ever made! And I swear the leftovers tasted even better a couple days later! I have made cake and ganache gazillions of times, but it was my first time making pastry cream, and I was super nervous. But it was totally easy, so delicious, and the perfect consistency to make the cake look just like the photo! I will definitely be making it again (my kids already requested it again next week LOL), and might be using the yellow cake recipe in other cakes too. This was a great birthday cake for my husband- thanks!
Hi Wendy, SO thrilled that you loved this! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop back and leave a review!
Michelle, this looks stunning! I absolutely love this yellow cake recipe. It has become my go-to yellow cake recipe. I have been using it since you posted it with the chocolate frosting. I use 8 inch pans per that recipe when doing a layer cake (and 9×13 when doing sheet cake). I’m assuming for this Boston Cream Pie you used 9 inch pans so the layers would be less thick? Also, do you serve this straight from the fridge or let it sit out some before serving? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you! Yes, I wanted thinner layers so that the pastry cream and ganache weren’t lost in cake. I’ve done it straight from the fridge and let it sit out for 30 minutes or so. I don’t really like cold cake, so I like to let it sit out a bit, but that’s just a personal preference!
Hi, I made this pastry cream today and mine bubbled up seriously, over the sides of my pot and on to my stove, across the floor and in the sink. Is that normal? I remade it in a bigger pot, but it didn’t seem very thick. Chilling now. This is my third attempt for pastry cream. 😳
Hi Juliet, The pastry cream does begin to bubble when it thickens, but it sounds like your pot was too small, or you let go bubbling for too long.
https://s.amsu.ng/4DL9SVfgL1wN
(Expires: Aug 23, 2017)
A link to mine….I can’t wait to taste it!
Thanks so much for sharing – it came out beautifully!
I made this as described, and it was fantastic. Decadent and delicious. While making the pastry cream I had my doubts because it seemed very “egg custard” tasting, but after chilling overnight, the flavors blended beautifully. Thanks for the great recipe!
So great to hear you enjoyed the Boston cream pie! Thanks for taking the time to stop back and leave a review!
so I served the cake, and like Julia Child, my motto is “no apologies.” BUT….. I had to throw out all the pastry cream, as it would not pile up or stay on the bottom layer when I put the second layer on….and this bottom layer was soggy so I quickly retrieved it…. what a mess…. I managed to save the whole thing, and ended up with a ‘hint” of pastry cream between the layers, put the ganache on top (neither did it stay in place without running down the sides, which was ok), and when the whole thing was chilled, it actually tasted ok… BUT, I would love to know how to get that piled=high pastry cream with the knife edge between the two layers…. is your picture REAL? wow!!!! any thoughts?
plus – how in heaven’s name could a spring form be used? we need 2 layers? I am confused by Michelle’s post re the spring form….what? cut it horizontally in half? so what? I used 2 9″ pans so that’s the same thing.
thanks
Phyllis
Hi Phyllis, I’m so sorry that there were issues when you made this.
If the pastry cream was runny, it very likely did not thicken enough on the stove before it was taken off of the heat. Also, did you use regular half-and-half? I think there is a fat free version out there, but homemade puddings and pastry creams need to the fat in order to set up properly.
As for the ganache, if it sat long enough it most definitely should have set up, unless your kitchen is super hot and humid. You could always pop it in the refrigerator for a little bit to speed up the thickening process.
The comment above about a springform pan was referring only to assembly, not baking. I’ve done cakes before with exposed sides and “built” them in a springform pan with acetate strips so the sides look totally smooth.
the cake is fine, two 9 inch cakes…. the pastry cream was so runny,… I let it sit overnight… can’t figure out what happened…. AND the Ganache never hardened, SO… although planning to serve it tonight, I had to throw out the pastry cream (but I dolloped a bit between the layers, and then put the ganache on top, which ran down the sides… it is in the fridge now, and it is a mess, but will go with me in 4 hours to a dinner to be presented…. ugh!! your picture shows very heavy pastry cream, and ganache that is like an icing…. no, no…not mine!!! any thoughts or suggestions?
Your photos were actually just great, and so glad to see a custom Boston Cream pie! My mother made a generous, great one for my father’s birthday always, his very favorite!
Scrumptious! Boston cream pie is my husband’s favorite dessert, so I made it for his birthday today. He loved it, thanks for the terrific and easy-to-follow recipe.
I love your blog. You have the best recipes. I always check your recipes when looking for something new or for a good recipe. Thanks!!!!
Ditto – my go to for desserts! You are the queen of boozy cupcakes. Not really a comment for the Boston Cream Pie recipe, but today I was in need of a dessert to take to a happy 50th birthday party for a friend on the weekend. Stopped here first, thinking I would make those Boston Cream Cupcakes, but kept looking around and decided that for this crowd the Limoncello Cupcakes and Margarita Cupcakes would be the way to go. Cannot wait to get started! Thank you for a food blog that’s not only beautiful, but the recipes work!
My goodness, Michelle! Yours came out beautifully! I made the CI version which has a different pastry cream (your pastry cream recipe is my go-to recipe but I thought, “it’s CI, how bad can it be?” Wish I’d stuck with yours) and a hot milk cake. It was okay and everyone said they enjoyed but I think next time, I’ll go with yours. Well done, Michelle!
already CANNOT wait for boston cream donuts!!!
Same here!
Have never eaten a Boston Cream Pie but yours looks so good. Might give it a try.
You had me at homemade pastry cream! Stunningly beautiful. The supermarket varieties usually have a pudding as the filling and not even a good one at that. This is definitely on my to-do list. Thanks for posting.
This looks delicious! My sister loves Boston Cream Pie, might have to give this a go and make it for her birthday. Thanks for all the great recipes!
This turned out beautifully! Did you use the acetate strips (like in your Momofuku cake) to get the sides of your Boston Cream so perfect? I’ve never made a Boston Cream Pie, but this certainly inspires me to give it a go. And, by the way, I am with you on the strawberry pie from our local diner chain . . . so disappointing and not worth the calories. I’ve made them from scratch before and so much better to be sure. However, I am going to give your recipe a try when all the local berries come into season.
Never did find the fresh rhubarb at Market District. They said they stopped carrying it. So I just did a strawberry cream cake, and I received the same family comments as you did. So, I’m excited to try it with fresh rhubarb when it comes in a couple weeks from now. Thanks for all the great recipes and photos!
Thanks Michelle! Using a springform pan and acetate strips was my first plan for this (great minds think alike!) but… things were hectic, kids weren’t cooperating, so I just did it by hand. I let the pastry cream squish out the sides a bit and then just smoothed it out with an offset spatula. Same with the ganache on top – let it go over the edge a tad, and then smoothed it. So sorry about the rhubarb, that’s crazy, I just saw it there!
AH! This was good to know. I wondered how it looked so edge-perfect. I totally envisioned it squishing out the sides if you tried to get the cream or the ganache all the way to the edges. Now I know. Thanks, ladies.
This looks sooooo good! We just love anything with Boston Cream and chocolate at my house! Another favorite that you might like to add to your list to try is Boston Cream Pie Pancakes! Thanks for another great recipe Michelle!
Mama V