Boston Cream Pie
After baking for years I have discovered my own personal preferences; mostly, I like to bake things that are quick, delicious and individual-sized such as cookies, scones & tartlets. Pastries I save for whenever I'm in Paris. Cupcakes whenever I've got time and patience of my hands. And cakes whenever a birthday comes. My birthday isn't until november but I felt like making a beautiful layer cake that was easy to decorate. I quickly turned to one of my all-time favorite cakes: a Boston cream pie.
I lost count of how many Boston cream pies I have baked over the years. I do remember that it was one of the first things I ever baked. Like then, this cake still mesmerizes me. The soft, airy cake with a luscious vanilla pastry cream, topped off with a thick chocolate ganache wins me over every single time and this particular recipe has been the best one yet! Rating: 5 out of 5.
&nd now I present to you the components of a Boston cream pie:
Boston Cream Pie: MarthaStewart.com
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ recipe cooled Vanilla Pastry Cream (see recipe below)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; set over very low heat.
- With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until thick, lightened in color, and mixture holds a trail for several seconds when beater is lifted, 4 to 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients just until incorporated.
- Bring milk and butter to a boil. With mixer on low speed, add hot milk mixture to batter; mix just until smooth. Mix in vanilla; transfer batter to prepared pan, and smooth top.
- Bake until golden and pulling away from sides of pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan; remove from pan, and transfer to a rack to cool, right side up.
- Fill cake: For easy cleanup, place a piece of waxed paper under rack. With a serrated knife, split cooled cake horizontally (leave bottom half on rack). Spread bottom half with Vanilla Pudding to within ½ inch of edge; gently place top half of cake on pudding layer.
- Make Chocolate Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove from heat, and add chocolate; stir until smooth.
- Set aside to cool to room temperature and to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. When glaze has thickened, pour over filled cake. Using a small metal spatula, spread glaze to edges of cake, allowing it to drip down sides. Let glaze set, 15 to 20 minutes. Leftover cake can be refrigerated, loosely covered, up to 2 days.
Vanilla Pastry Cream: MarthaStewart.com
Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if making chocolate pudding)
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. If making chocolate pudding, add cocoa powder. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.
- Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.
- Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (to prevent skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk pastry cream until smooth.
I lost count of how many Boston cream pies I have baked over the years. I do remember that it was one of the first things I ever baked. Like then, this cake still mesmerizes me. The soft, airy cake with a luscious vanilla pastry cream, topped off with a thick chocolate ganache wins me over every single time and this particular recipe has been the best one yet! Rating: 5 out of 5.
Boston Cream Pie: MarthaStewart.com
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ recipe cooled Vanilla Pastry Cream (see recipe below)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; set over very low heat.
- With an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until thick, lightened in color, and mixture holds a trail for several seconds when beater is lifted, 4 to 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients just until incorporated.
- Bring milk and butter to a boil. With mixer on low speed, add hot milk mixture to batter; mix just until smooth. Mix in vanilla; transfer batter to prepared pan, and smooth top.
- Bake until golden and pulling away from sides of pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan; remove from pan, and transfer to a rack to cool, right side up.
- Fill cake: For easy cleanup, place a piece of waxed paper under rack. With a serrated knife, split cooled cake horizontally (leave bottom half on rack). Spread bottom half with Vanilla Pudding to within ½ inch of edge; gently place top half of cake on pudding layer.
- Make Chocolate Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove from heat, and add chocolate; stir until smooth.
- Set aside to cool to room temperature and to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. When glaze has thickened, pour over filled cake. Using a small metal spatula, spread glaze to edges of cake, allowing it to drip down sides. Let glaze set, 15 to 20 minutes. Leftover cake can be refrigerated, loosely covered, up to 2 days.
Vanilla Pastry Cream: MarthaStewart.com
Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if making chocolate pudding)
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. If making chocolate pudding, add cocoa powder. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.
- Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.
- Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (to prevent skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk pastry cream until smooth.
Comments
~ Carmen
Have a lovely week!
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