Boston Cream Pie RecipePrinter Friendly Page

There are two questions that immediately come to mind when you hear Boston Cream Pie.  One is "Why is it called a pie?", and the other is "Why the name 'Boston'?". To answer the first question of why "pie" instead of "cake", it is probably because colonists baked their cakes in pie tins as they did not own cake pans. As far as calling it Boston Cream Pie, the story began when a New York newspaper in 1855 published a recipe for a 'Pudding Pie Cake'. This recipe was similar to the Boston Cream Pie recipe of today except that it had a powdered sugar topping. From there we go to Boston where a man named Harvey D. Parker opened a restaurant called the Parker House Restaurant. On the menu was a 'Parker House Chocolate Pie', the recipe to which was similar to the New York newspaper recipe except a chocolate glaze had replaced the powdered sugar topping. We are not sure how it was renamed to 'Boston Cream Pie', but Bo Friberg in his book 'The Professional Pastry Chef' thinks "the name stems from the original title (in the New York paper) combined with the reference to Boston."

For those unfamiliar with this dessert, it consists of two layers of white sponge or butter cake that are sandwiched together with pastry cream. A chocolate glaze is then poured over the top of the cake and allowed to drip down the sides. For this recipe I have used a sponge cake but you could use your favorite butter cake recipe if you like. The filling, a classic pastry cream (creme patisserie), is a rich, thick, vanilla flavored custard made from a mixture of milk, eggs, sugar, flour and cornstarch (a thickener) cooked on the stove. Its mild taste and creamy texture goes so well with the flavors and textures of both the sponge cake and chocolate glaze. Although there are different types of chocolate glaze that can be used on a Boston Cream Pie, this recipe combines semi-sweet chocolate with cream (really a ganache) and has a mild chocolate flavor. Once the cake is assembled it is best served within a few hours. Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator. 

 Pastry Cream: In a medium-sized stainless steel bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks. (Do not let this mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over medium heat. (Watch carefully and remove from heat just as the milk starts to foam up.) Pour the milk slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.) 

Place the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling,

Pastry Cream:

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large egg yolks

1/8 cup (20 grams) all-purpose flour

Scant 3 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch

 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sponge Cake:

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