The Boston cream pie was purportedly created in the mid-1800s for Boston’s Parker House Hotel by M. Sanzian, an Armenian-French chef. The Boston cream pie was first mentioned in print in 1855 in the New York Herald.
The “pie” is more of a cake than a pie, filled with vanilla custard or pudding and topped with chocolate icing. Some people remember a commercial Boston Cream Pie mix available from the late 1950s to the late 1970s. It was easy to throw together and delicious.
Make sure you use a 9-inch round cake pan because the cake—when mixed as directed—bakes right up to the rim. Let the cake cool completely before you attempt to slice it in half horizontally. The best way to do this is to carefully mark the halfway point all the way around with toothpicks and then use them as a guide for slicing.
Feel free to top the cake with a simple ganache instead of the glaze. Scroll to the variations for a quick ganache recipe. This is an excellent sponge recipe to use for other recipes as well. If you only have 8-inch round pans, cook the cake in 2 pans (lined as directed) and skip slicing the thicker cake into layers.
How to Store Boston Cream Pie
- Transfer the prepared cake to a covered cake plate and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Since the custard contains cornstarch, there are better candidates for freezing. That being said, if you don’t want to throw leftovers out and don’t mind weepy custard, go ahead and freeze it—place slices on a baking sheet and freeze. Wrap the frozen slices in plastic wrap and place them in a container or freezer bag labeled with the name and date—freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw slices of Boston cream pie in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
Variations
- Chocolate Ganache Variation: Put 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and set aside. Bring 1/3 cup of heavy cream to a simmer over medium-low heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for 4 minutes. Whisk until thoroughly melted and smooth. Spread over the top of the cooled cake.
- Pudding Filling: You can skip the pastry cream/custard and use a 3.4-ounce box of vanilla or French vanilla pudding along with thawed whipped topping. Prepare the pudding with 1 cup of cold milk; beat or whisk for 2 minutes, then stir in 1 1/2 cups of whipped topping.
Boston Cream Pie Recipe
A homemade Boston cream pie is a lovely layered cake to make for a holiday dessert table or special weekend treat.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Desserts, Cakes
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Custard
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup (132 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup (8 ounces) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Cake
- 1 3/4 (222 grams) cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (6 ounces) whole milk
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze
- 2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup or Lyle’s golden syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the Custard
- In a medium saucepan, combine the egg yolks and 2/3 cup of sugar; whisk until well blended, then whisk in the cornstarch and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk and the cream, and add the butter.
- Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the pudding thickens. Continue cooking and stirring until it comes to a gentle boil. Boil gently for about 1 minute longer. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl and add 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Stir and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the pudding to keep it from forming a skin. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
Make the Cake
- Heat the oven to 325 F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan; line the pan with parchment paper and butter the paper.
- Combine the cake flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl; whisk to blend and set aside.
- Combine 3/4 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan and place it over medium heat; bring to a simmer. When the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
- In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale in color, about 4 to 5 minutes. The batter should fall from the beater or whisk in ribbons.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the milk and butter mixture and mix until blended.
- Add the dry ingredients and 2 teaspoons of vanilla and beat on low speed just until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and use a spatula to smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 32 to 38 minutes.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. If necessary, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the sides; carefully invert it onto the rack. Turn it over and let it cool completely on the rack.
- cut the cooled cake in half horizontally using a sharp knife. For accuracy, insert several toothpicks around the side to mark the halfway point.
Make the Glaze
- Put the chocolate chips, vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt in a heat-safe bowl or over simmering water—heat, stirring frequently until the chocolate has melted.
- Whisk about 1/2 cup of the confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon of the boiling water into the melted chocolate mixture until well blended. Repeat with another 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon of boiling water, then repeat with the remaining confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon of boiling water.
- Add the corn syrup and vanilla and whisk until smooth. If it is too thick, add more boiling water, a few drops at a time. If it is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar.
- Spread the icing over the Boston cream pie; cover and refrigerate until serving.
