Classic Boston cream pie cake is a heavenly combination of light, fluffy sponge cake, sandwiched together with vanilla cream custard and topped with chocolate ganache.
When you really want to go all out to impress, this dessert is well worth the effort! You can make the cake layers and filling one day then the glaze the next. Simply assemble and serve.
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Although you need quite a few ingredients to make this Boston cream pie cake, there is nothing difficult about the recipe. Even a beginner in the kitchen will find this simplified version of Boston’s famous cream cake a breeze to prepare.
I really enjoy custardy desserts. It gets me in the mood for other favorites like my chocolate mousse, tiramisu, or this coconut pudding. They're all so good!
Main Ingredients
There are more ingredients in this Boston cream pie cake recipe than in similar ones, but trust me, it’s worth making because the flavor is so special! Here are some of the main ingredients you need to make this mouthwatering dessert:
- Flour: For the right texture. You need both cake flour and all-purpose flour to make the layers. Cake flour is a finely milled, low-protein flour. When paired with all-purpose flour it gives a light, fluffy texture.
- Baking powder: To make it rise. Combined with baking soda, it makes it rise and become light as air!
- Vanilla extract: To flavor the custard filling. A splash of vanilla adds the perfect amount of flavor to the filling. I also add a splash of vanilla to the cake batter and also the glaze. Hey, I love vanilla, what can I say!
- Chocolate chips: For the ganache. The chocolate ganache is the last step in the recipe. Chocolate chips dissolve quickly in the warm glaze. I like to use semisweet chocolate chips although dark chocolate chips would also be great.
- Egg yolks: For the custard filling. Egg yolks add richness to the homemade custard filling layer.
- Greek yogurt: To make the sponge cake. This ingredient helps with the flavor and texture. Not every Boston cream pie recipe calls for it, but it works great in this one. Use unsweetened, unflavored Greek yogurt. You can sub in sour cream if you like.
Instructions Overview
Combine both types of flour with sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix in the butter then the eggs, vanilla, yogurt, and milk. Divide the batter between 2 pie pans and bake for about 20 minutes.
Combine the egg yolks with cornstarch, salt, and sugar to make the custard filling. Warm up the milk then whisk in the egg yolk mixture and let it thicken up before mixing in some vanilla.
Strain the custard and then refrigerate it for 2 hours. Warm up some whipping cream to make the chocolate ganache glaze. Add the chocolate chips, vanilla, and corn syrup.
Now spread the custard filling over one layer of the cake then add the second layer. Pour the chocolate glaze on top then serve immediately.
Common Questions
If it looks like a cake and tastes like a cake, it's a cake, right? Well, not always. This is more of a cream-filled pie. Interestingly, cakes and pies used to be cooked in the same pans, meaning the words cake and pie were interchangeably. However, these days cakes are usually light and fluffy while pies have a bottom (and sometime a top) crust. The exception is in France where the word cake is used for anything sweet that's baked in a pan!
While Boston cream is made with milk, sugar, eggs, and cornstarch, Bavarian cream has whipped cream folded into it, making it the lighter and fluffier of the two.
If you're preparing the filling ahead for this homemade Boston cream pie you must keep it refrigerated. It should be OK on the countertop for an hour or so but any longer than that and you have to refrigerate it so it doesn't spoil.
Keep it refrigerated because of the custard cream filling. If you cover it in plastic wrap it should be fine for 4 or 5 days.
Yes, you can prepare it ahead and keep it refrigerated until serving. Don’t make it more than a day in advance, for the freshest result. The vanilla custard is actually better prepared a day in advance because it thickens up overnight in the refrigerator.
Although the custard filling tends to go watery when thawed, you could just make the cake layers ahead and freeze that if need be. Then just prepare the custard filling and ganache while the layers thaw.
It makes a wonderful dessert after any kind of main dish. I love to add some whipped cream and add a cherry on top!
Don’t pour it over the cake too quickly. I like to pour half of it starting in the middle and working across to one side. Let it drip down the edges on that side. Repeat with the remaining glaze and allow it to drip down the other side.
Chopnotch Tips
- A fine-mesh strainer is key to getting the perfect custard filling.
- You can make the two layers of cake a day or two in advance to save yourself some time. After that, it becomes very easy to assemble your prepared custard.
- The chocolate glaze is best made and added just before serving, but if you make it ahead just warm it back up before pouring over the cake.
- Let the cake sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving if it’s been refrigerated.
- In a rush? You can always sub vanilla pudding for the homemade vanilla filling.
- Wet a sharp knife with hot water then shake off any excess before cutting it into slices, for the neatest, cleanest edges.
- Sift the flour before measuring it because the weight will change slightly.
- Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving if it’s been refrigerated.
Boston cream pie cake is a real New England classic. Cakes and pies used to be cooked in the same type of pan, hence the name. This makes an incredibly good dessert. It's like a giant version of the Boston cream donut and so perfect in every way!
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Recipe
How to Make
Boston Cream Pie Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ½ cups cake flour
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup Greek yogurt
- ½ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 6 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the glaze:
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces chocolate chips
- ¼ cup corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease two 9-inch pie pans and line with parchment paper.
- Mix cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- Add butter and mix well, you can use a mixer.
- Add eggs and mix well until combined. Add yogurt, vanilla, and milk. Mix until dough is formed. Divide dough between two pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Now prepare the filling. Mix yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Add milk to a saucepan and heat until bubbles form. Add milk to the egg mixture, whisk to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the saucepan and place over low heat, cook until thickened. Add vanilla extract, mix well.
- Pour the cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a heat-safe bowl. Press the mixture through the sieve. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Prepare the glaze. Heat whipping cream over medium heat, pour over chocolate chips. Add corn syrup and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Place one cake layer on a plate. Spread the filling on top and place the second layer on top. Pour glaze on top and serve.
Notes
- A fine-mesh strainer is key to getting the perfect custard filling.
- You can make the two layers of cake a day or two in advance to save yourself some time. After that, it becomes very easy to assemble your prepared custard.
- The chocolate glaze is best made and added just before serving, but if you make it ahead just warm it back up before pouring over the cake.
- In a rush? You can always sub vanilla pudding for the homemade vanilla filling.
- Wet a sharp knife with hot water then shake off any excess before cutting it into slices, for the neatest, cleanest edges.
- Sift the flour before measuring it because the weight will change slightly.
- Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving if it’s been refrigerated.
