Boston cream pie is a dessert for dads everywhere.
I’m my father’s daughter. Sure I’m not as tan as him, my eyes aren’t blue, and we joke around that I’m not his, but there’s no denying it. I’m his. 100%. And I wouldn’t change that for the world.
My daddy is the world’s best daddy. He is Santa, the Easter Bunny, the tooth fairy, and a man big enough to be a father every day of his life. We had our rough spots, but it’s all come out in the wash, and now I can’t even remember why we used to fight. Oh yes. I was a teenager once.
The other night, my parents and Goulda’s daddy were over, and my father noticed our outdoor furniture was wearing a little thin. Handsome and I had been looking at some new sets, but decided it could wait a little longer. The next morning my parents pull up in the front yard – new patio set in hand. My birthday present, a few months early.
My life has been filled with moments like these. Little to big surprises, just because, and not just for me, but for anyone in my father’s life. Once you are a part of our family, there’s not much that man wouldn’t do for you. And once he has an idea in his head, good luck stopping him. It’s awesome to see how excited he gets and the changes he makes in the lives he effects. Come on over for a bbq someday and you’ll totally understand.
What would our Father’s Day #manfoodweek be without dessert?
And the only dessert that comes to mind when I think of my daddy is Boston Cream Pie.
I’m pretty sure it’s the only dessert that I’ve ever seen my dad eat. Well, except for those little mini eclairs you get in the refrigerated aisle. So, let’s roll up the sleeves and get to work on this Boston Cream Pie, because this recipe is a little long-winded. But if you break it down, it’s not really that much work.
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Boston Cream Pie
From Baking Illustrated
Ingredients:
For the Pastry Cream:
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
- Pinch Salt
- 5 Large egg yolks
- 3 tbs cornstarch
- 4 tbs (1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 1/2 teas vanilla extract
For the Foolproof Sponge Cake:
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) plain cake flour
- 1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teas baking powder
- 1/4 teas salt
- 3 tbs milk
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 1/2 teas vanilla extract
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopping into small pieces
1/2 teas vanilla extract
1/2 teas vanilla extract
Preparation:
For the Pastry Cream:
Heat the half-and-half, 6 tbs of the sugar, and salt in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 tbs sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy , about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream though a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerated until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
For the Spongecake: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8 or 9 inch cake pans and cover the pan bottom with rounds of parchment paper or waxed paper. Whisk the flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl (or sift onto wax paper). Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla; cover and keep warm.
Separate 3 of the eggs, placing the whites in the bowl of a standing mixer, reserving the 3 yolks plus the remaining 2 while eggs in another mixing bowl. Beat the 3 whites at low speed until foamy. Increase the mixer speed to medium and gradually add 6 tbs of the sugar; continue to beat the whites to soft, moist peaks. (Do not overbeat.) Transfer the egg whites to a large bowl and add the whole-egg mixture to the mixer bowl.
Beat the while-egg mixture with the remaining 6 tbs sugar. Beat at medium-high speed until the eggs are very thick and a pale yellow color, about 5 minute. Add the beaten eggs tot he whites.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the beaten egg and whites; fold very gently 12 times with a large rubber spatula. Make a well in one side of the batter and pour the milk mixture into the bowl.Continue folding until the batter shows no trace of flour and the whites and whole eggs are evenly mixed, about 8 additional strokes.
Immediately pour the batter into the prepared cake pans; bake until the cake tops are light brown and feel firm and spring back when touched, about 16 minutes for 9-inch cake pans and 20 minutes for 8-inch cake pans.
Immediately run a knife around the pan perimeters to loosen the cakes. Place on pan on a towel and cover the pan with a large plate. using the towel to protect your hands and catch the cake, invert the pan and remove the pan from the cake. Peel off the parchment. Re-invert the cake from the plate onto the rack. Repeat with the remaining cake. Cool the cake layers to room temperature before proceeding with Boston Cream Pie.
For the Glaze: Bring the cream and corn syrup to a full simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate; cover and let stand for 8 minutes. (If the chocolate has no completely melted, return the saucepan to low heat; stir constantly until melted.) Add the vanilla; stir very gently until the mixture is smooth. Cool until tepid so that a spoonful drizzled back into the pan mounds slightly. (The glaze can be refrigerated to speed up the cooling process, stirring every few minutes to ensure even cooling.)
To Assemble the Boston Cream Pie:
While the glaze is cooling, place one cake layer on a cardboard round on a wire rack set over waxed paper. Carefully spoon the pastry cream onto the cake and spread it evenly up to the edges. Place the second cake layer on top, making sure the layers line up properly.
Pour the glaze onto the middle of the top layer and let it flow down the cake sides. Use a metal spatula, if necessary, to completely coat the cake. Use a small needle to puncture any air bubbles. Let the cake sit until the glaze fully sets, about 1 hour. Serve the same day, preferably within a couple of hours.
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To the men in our lives. Enjoy this Boston cream pie, and happy Father’s Day. 🙂
Wow! Impressive looking cake!!! Great job!
Your parents are so sweet! My dad loves boston cream pie, this would be a huge hit with him!
What a sweet pappa. Excellent treat to celebrate Father’s day. It looks fabulous.
That is an awesome looking cake! I’m so tempted to give it a try but am worried about messing it up as I haven’t made very many cakes before. Maybe I’ll try making the cake and cream a day ahead.
Little surprises are great-I can’t understand why some people do not like them! This cake looks wonderful-I do not think I could find a darker or shinier looking chocolate! This year my parents are in China-so he will be missed on Fathers day. Thanks for sharing
What a great cake! And you Dad sounds wonderful! Great tribute to him!
Boston cream pie always confused me because it’s totally a cake, not a pie! 🙂 Looks yummy though, the men will be pleased.
that has to be the hands down, best boston cream pie I have ever seen! I have never really found it appealing because of how it looks, but you my dear have taken this pie to the next level! That chocolate glaze certainly didn’t hurt it either!!
Thanks for sharing and what a great gift to your dad!
Dennis
Great! Fabulous looking cake and one of my favorites too. Thanks for sharing it.
Now that’s got enough chocolate that I can get behind this Boston Cream Pie version. Generally I find them quite lacking in terms of chocolate.
What a sweet post about your dad. And what an AWESOME cake!
Kita, this is one stunning cake! And your fabulous dad certainly deserves it~
My dad would love this too! What a beautiful dessert.
Wow, gorgeous cake. I’d love to make this for Father’s Day but I don’t think I could tempt my husband since he has started training for an Ironman triathlon. I think the rest of us would like it though 🙂
Wow! It looks amazing 🙂 Not too difficult, beautiful and delicious
Gorgeous! This is absolutely the best looking Boston cream pie I’ve ever seen.
Your daddy deserves a wonderful dessert like this and he’s sure to love it. Enjoy the new patio set!
gorgeous pictures!!! That cake looks absolutely amazing!
Great Idea for Father’s day! 😉
Father + Chocolate = perfect! haha ha!
Congratz for the top 9 on Foodbuzz… Greetings from Indonesia! 😉
Absolutely gorgeous! I’m making this for my hubby this weekend. Thanks!
Oh my goodness – I am not a big desert person, but this looks amazing. A very well deserved spot on the Top 9! I have never tried a boston cream Pie…but it can’t be long now until I do!
Boston creme makes me think of my Dad, too! I remember being grossed out that he liked it when I was little but now I totally get it. Love this recipe and your photos! I’ll be making this for my Dad the next time he visits!
What a sweet post! Your dad sounds like a wonderful person and will love that you made his favorite dessert – with that thick layer of shiny dark chocolate glaze that is one gorgeous Boston Cream Pie!
Whoa, you need to carefully read your writing before posting. I copied this into my recipe file and then started doing your work for you, because I actually care if things are correct.
“Beat while-egg mixture” especially caught my eye. I finally figured it out, but you need to be careful. Read what you write, and forget about spellcheck. There are other mistakes, like a word left off the ingredient list, etc., but I’ll let you find them.
wow this cake looks amazing!
that picture is amazing. I think I know what I’m doing this weekend.
Wow look at that! Congrats on the Top 9!! This is a great way to celebrate Daddy’s day 🙂
Great looking cake. Happy Fathers Day to you too!
-Don
You have taken this pie to the next level! It is all dressed up and lookin fine! Stellar!
How funny, boston cream pie is my dad’s favorite cake. I think I will be making this cake this weekend! 🙂
This one had Top 9 all over it!!! Love it!! Nicely done.
Definitely drool worthy. That oozy frosting makes my heart flutter. Love your post, got misty eyed reading it xox
INSANE cake!!!!! I’m my dad’s daughter too, although, it’s because Im the freaking spitting image of him! And we both love food, in massive amounts, all the time, ha!
All I want in life is this cake in front of me. now.
I tried to make this cake but it was kind of a disaster. This is definitely for the advanced baker! My sponge cake did not rise much and was kind of tough. I assume has something to do with eggs, maybe I didn’t beat them enough or was to rough when folding in the flour. The pastry cream was not thick enough (maybe I should have cooked it longer) and when I put the layers together it started oozing out the sides. To make matters worse, I decided to make white chocolate frosting rather than the chocolate glaze, and I guess the weight of it was too much and the pastry cream really went everywhere. Basicially a cake wreck. However, I did manage to paste it back together and it did get eaten and people did have enough decency to say they liked it. Oh well, the cake you made is still lovely and I enjoyed trying. Not sure if I will try again to try to conquer this white whale or just move on.
I am so sorry to hear that the Boston Cream Pie didn’t work out for you! However, I am happy that you did stick with it and try tried. I have had more then one baking disaster and think I am far from being any where close to a baking master. The week before making this I failed completely at a lemon curd and had to try again – what a waste of eggs! It could have been playing with the curd though, that gave me a feel for the pastry cream. Beating the eggs for the sponge cake I know I learned from two failed angel food cakes that I have made in the past. I thought the eggs were beaten only to find a deflated angel food cake when I flipped the pan. Tried again, same results. I finally got it right on the third try (after receiving my kitchenaid and making it do all the hard work).
Boston in the hizouse! Although, I never understood what a Boston cream pie has to do with Boston!
I love boston cream pie! I have to give this one a shot! 🙂
5 STARS Just made this cake for my brother’s birthday today! It came out perfect, thanks so much for the recipe!
Awesome! I am so happy that you tried this and were able to celebrate together 😀 Cheers!