Boston Cream Pie

It was The Boy’s birthday and we decided on a Boston Cream Pie to celebrate. Boston Cream Pie was invented in 1856 by a French-Armenian chef. It was called a pie because the cake was baked in a pie tin. At the time, most people had pie tins – not cake pans.

Boston Cream Pie is a sponge cake filled with a rich, pastry cream, and topped with a glossy chocolate ganache. It’s important to take your time and carefully follow the steps, but the results will be worth it!

Pastry Cream

• 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups milk, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Put yolks in a medium bowl, gently whisk them together and set aside.
2. Add the sugar and cornstarch in a large sauce pan, whisking out the lumps of the cornstarch, pour in the milk.
3. Stir continuously over medium heat until it begins to simmer and thicken – do NOT boil it.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, and add about a quarter cup of the milk mixture to the egg yolks, quickly whisking together. Then add it back to the milk mixture in the sauce pan. This method is used so the yolks aren’t cooked too quickly and you avoid ending up with scrambled eggs.
5. Place the pan back on the heat and bring to a light boil, stirring constantly. You’ll see large bubbles popping on top. Still stirring, let boil for 1 minute – no longer or it will break down.
6. Remove from heat, and add the butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down on the surface, so it doesn’t form a film on top. Let it cool completely, 1 to 2 hours.

Cake

• 1 3/4 cups flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease 2 – 9″ cake pans and line with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, add eggs, sugar, and vanilla – beat on high speed until light and fluffy – about 4 minutes.
4. While egg mixture is whipping, heat milk and butter in a sauce pan. The butter should be melted and the mixture very hot but not boiling.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, gently folding together with a rubber spatula.
6. Add the hot milk mixture to the batter, gently whisking until combined.
7. Divide batter into prepare pans, and bake for 20 to 23 minutes, testing with a toothpick. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

• 6 oz. (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Add chocolate chips and corn syrup in a medium bowl. Tip – if you coat your tablespoon with baking spray, the corn syrup will slide right off.
2. Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour over chocolate chips and corn syrup. Let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
3. Fill cake with pastry cream, and pour chocolate glaze on top – letting the glaze drip down the sides. My glaze seemed a little loose, so I put it in the fridge for 10 minutes, and it was the perfect consistency.
4. Store cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.