The Most Amazing Boston Cream Pie

Boston Cream Pie is a classic dessert! Two layers of yellow cake are filled with pastry cream and topped off with a chocolate glaze. It is sure to be a favorite!

You can always use the short-cut version of boxed yellow cake and instant pudding, but there’s nothing quite like a Boston Cream made from scratch with spongey yellow cake, decadent pastry cream, all topped with a simple ganache. It is breathtaking.

Why is it called a Boston Cream Pie?

This cake gets its name from a time period when cakes and pies were cooked in the same pans so the names were used interchangeably. Nowadays, we might call this a Boston Cream Cake, but the “pie” part has stuck to this classic dessert.

Do I have to use buttermilk?

The buttermilk in this cake interacts with the baking powder to help the cake rise. If you substitute milk, your cake will not be as fluffy. If you don’t have buttermilk available, it is very easy to make a buttermilk substitute by adding either white vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk. For the full substitute instructions, please see the link.

STORAGE: This cake needs to be stored in a refrigerator due to the pastry cream filling. Once it has been sliced into, you’ll need to cover the exposed portion of the cake to keep it from drying out. Plastic wrap is perfect for this.

SHORTCUT: If you don’t have time to make pastry cream from scratch, you can also use 2 small boxes of vanilla pudding mix. The pastry cream is worth the extra effort of making, but if you are short on time, this shortcut will definitely work.

If you like this recipe, you may also like these other cake recipes:

The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake

Vanilla Waffle Cake

The Most Amazing White Cake

Funfetti Birthday Cake

Strawberry Shortcake

Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.

Boston Cream Pie Cake From Scratch

Boston Cream Pie is a classic dessert! Two layers of yellow cake are filled with pastry cream and topped off with a chocolate glaze. It is sure to be a favorite!

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time1 hr

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Servings: Servings or 1 Cake

Ingredients

Yellow Cake

1/2 cup salted butter softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk room temperature
3 large eggs room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3½ cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup + 1/3 cup granulated sugar divided
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ganache

1 cup heavy cream
8 oz dark chocolate roughly chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

YELLOW CAKE

Grease two 9-inch pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter, vegetable oil, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Add in flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter among the two prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let sit in pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

PASTRY CREAM

In a large sauce pan, stir together milk and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolks, cornstarch, and 1/3 cup sugar.
Once the milk has reached a simmer, work quickly and carefully pour half of the hot milk in a steady stream into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling or cooking the eggs. Immediately pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Return to a medium heat and whisk constantly until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat once thickened and stir in butter and vanilla until melted. Pour into a clean mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap, letting the plastic wrap touch the top of the pastry cream to avoid the creation of any film on top. Cool completely in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

GANACHE

In a small sauce pan, bring heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat. Place your chopped chocolate into a small mixing bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand 1 to 2 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth.

ASSEMBLING CAKE

Place a wire rack over a baking sheet. The baking sheet will be used to catch any drips from your ganache. Place a pre-cut cake circle onto the wire rack. Lay the bottom cake layer onto the cake circle.
Spread pastry cream over cake to create a filling. Top with remaining cake layer.
Carefully and slowly pour ganache over cake, letting drip down sides.
Transfer cake to the refrigerator and let cool until set, about 1 hour.

Nutrition

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Boston Cream Pie