Boston Cream Pie

This dessert is more of a cake than a pie, and includes a mixture of sponge cake and pastry cream with a shiny and rich chocolate exterior.

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Boston Cream Pie

This dessert is more of a cake than a pie, and includes a mixture of sponge cake and pastry cream with a shiny and rich chocolate exterior.

Ingredients

For the Sponge Cake:

• 2 tsp vegetable oil for oiling 9” round cake pan
• Piece of parchment paper, cut into a 9” circle to fit round cake pan
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 5 Tbsp salted butter, softened
• ½ cup whole milk
• 2 whole eggs
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract

For the Pastry Cream:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 7 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup corn starch
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp salted butter, softened
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

For the Shiny Chocolate Topping:

• ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp corn syrup
• 4.5oz chocolate chips
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• For the cake, prepare the 9” baking pan by oiling the bottom and the sides lightly with a layer of vegetable oil.
• Cut a piece of parchment paper into a 9” round circle the same size as the bottom of the pan and place parchment inside the baking pan.
• Lightly oil the top of the parchment paper where the batter will be poured.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt.
• In a stand-mixer, cream together the softened butter with the white granulated sugar for 4 minutes on medium speed.
• Add the whole milk and mix until incorporated. Add the whole eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
• Use a rubber spatula to incorporate the sifted dry ingredients from earlier into the wet mixture.
• Fold batter together until the flour is fully incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Allow to cool at room temperature.
• When cake is cooled, flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the pastry cream, bring the milk to just below a simmer and turn off heat and let milk stand for 3 minutes.
• Whisk together the 7 egg yolks with the 2/3 cup sugar and the ¼ cup of corn starch.
• Whisk aggressively to ensure the cornstarch is fully incorporated with the eggs and sugar.
• Slowly whisk the wet mixture into the heated milk.
• Turn on the heat to low, stirring consistently for another minute or two, until the mixture has reached just a simmer and has thickened.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract, softened butter, and kosher salt.
• Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap, to ensure that a skin does not form.
• Place in the fridge to cool down for roughly 1-2 hours before assembling the pie.
• When the cake and pastry cream filling have cooled completely, cut the cake in half horizontally.
• Spread the pastry cream in an even layer across the cut-side of the bottom half of the cake, leaving a small border without pastry cream along the outside edge.
• Place the top section of the cake on top of the pastry cream to make a sandwich.
• Gently press down on the top cake until the pastry cream has spread to the edges of the cakes.
• Chill the cakes and pastry cream in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
• When ready to serve, prepare the shiny chocolate topping:
• Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small sauce pot until simmering.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in the chocolate chips and kosher salt, until the chocolate chips have melted completely.
• When the chocolate chips have melted into the whipping cream, pour over cake and serve.

Notes

This cake should be kept refrigerated if being stored for any period of time. If left at room temperature, the cake will not support the pastry cream filling.