Boston Cream Pie
Total Time
6 hours
Prep Time
4 hours
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4.5 out of 5 stars
(73)
Ingredients
serves 10-12
- 2 cups (480ml) half-and-half
- 6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 56g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 4 ounces (113g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
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Preparation
Chef’s notes
Make Ahead Instructions:
You can prepare pastry cream up to 24 hours in advance. See step 3. Baked and cooled cakes can also be prepared 24 hours in advance. Cover and store at room temperature, then continue with step 8. In order to maintain the proper consistency of the chocolate glaze, I recommend preparing right before pouring over the cake. However, the entire assembled cake with chocolate glaze on top can be stored for up to 24 hours. See step 10. Pastry cream can weep and break if frozen, so I do not suggest freezing this cake. You can, however, freeze the baked and cooled cake layers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before using.
Special Tools (affiliate links):
Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Fine-Mesh Strainer | 9-inch Round Cake Pans | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | 2-cup Liquid Measuring Cup | Icing Spatula | Cake Carrier (for storage)
Substitutions:
Each ingredient is crucial to the finished cake. I do not recommend substitutions, though you can get away with using the same amount of whole milk instead of half-and-half in the pastry cream. This may be more convenient since whole milk is used for the sponge cake.
Egg Whites:
Lots of leftover egg whites! Make a scramble or use some in any of these recipes.
Corn Syrup:
Feel free to leave out the corn syrup, though it’s what adds shine and sticking power to the glaze. You can try substituting with honey.
Chocolate:
Any dark, bittersweet, or semi-sweet chocolate is a wonderful choice for the chocolate glaze. The corn syrup adds sweetness, so avoid anything very sweet.
Parchment Paper:
Parchment paper is a MUST for lining the cake pans. I failed this recipe 2x before discovering how crucial the parchment paper is. All cakes were ruined until I lined the cake pans with parchment paper on the 3rd try. Parchment paper guarantees the cakes will seamlessly release from the pans. If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post.
Recipe reprinted in partnership with America’s Test Kitchen from The Perfect Cake