Boston Cream Pie (Cake)

[Olga Drozd]

Boston Cream Pie (Cake)

Boston cream pie isn't really a pie, but a layer cake.  It is usually a couple of layers of a butter cake or a spongecake, filled with pastry cream, and topped with a chocolate frosting or ganache. Prepare the cake pans first, but do not grease the sides of the pan because the sponge cake has to climb up. As soon as you pour in the hot milk quickly stir and pour into the prepared cake pans and into the oven. For each cake pan (8-inch)  you will need 2 cups and a bit extra of batter. I decorated my cake because I had some cream left over. Note: There is no butter in my Hot Milk Sponge cake. HOT MILK SPONGE CAKE: 1 cup sifted Cake and Pastry flour (not self rising flour) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs, at room temperature OR place cold eggs into a bowl of hot tap water for 10 minutes 2 or 3 teaspoons lemon juice 6 Tablespoons hot milk (do not boil) Place oven rack on the second level from the bottom.  Preheat oven to 350º F.  Grease bottom of TWO - (8 or 9 inch) cake pans and line bottom with a parchment circle - lightly grease the paper.  Do not butter the sides of the pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, (or with a hand mixer) at medium high speed beat the eggs for 2 minutes, gradually beat in sugar 2 Tablespoons at a time and beat well for at least 5 minutes or until very thick and piles softly.  This is important - the sugar must dissolve well into the eggs. With a spatula mix in the lemon juice. Sprinkle dry ingredients over egg mixture a 1/4 at a time; gently fold in until just blended after each addition. Add hot milk all at one time and quickly mix just until smooth. Pour batter evenly between Two - (8 inch cake pans or 9 inch cake pans) Bake for 20 minutes for 8-inch cake, 25 minutes for 9-inch cake or until tested done - top of cake should be golden. Cool 8 to 10 minutes in pan on wire rack.  Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake. Flip cake over onto a wire rack.  Remove parchment paper. Cool cake. Place one cake layer on serving plate and spread with chilled filling.  Cover with second layer.  Spread chilled ganache over top of cake, but not the sides.  Chill the cake until ready to serve.  CREAM FILLING: 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup milk 1/2 of a vanilla bean 3 large egg yolks 3 Tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter While cake is baking, prepare the pastry cream.  In a bowl have ready the unsalted butter with a strainer placed over it. Heat the cream and milk in a small saucepot with the scraped seeds from the vanilla bean until it just begins to simmer. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch in another bowl.  Slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking, then return the entire mixture back to the pot, constantly whisking over medium heat until it becomes glossy and thick, 2 to 3 minutes.  Immediately pour this through the strainer over the butter, stirring until the butter has melted and stir well until smooth.  Place a piece of plastic wrap.  Cool to room temperature and then chill until ready to fill the cake.

GANACHE GLAZE:

1/2 cup whipping cream
4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate OR (2 ounces bittersweet chocolate and 2 ounces semisweet chocolate)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon corn syrup

For the ganache glaze, bring the cream up to a simmer and pour over the chopped chocolate.  Gently stir this until the chocolate has melted, then stir in the oil and corn syrup.  Set aside to cool to room temperature before using.

Pour the cooled (but still fluid) ganache glaze over the top and spread it so that it covers the top of the cake evenly, but not the side.  Chill the cake until ready to serve. NOTE:  The ganache takes longer to cool and set up - it should be like a thick chocolate frosting. I like some extra sweetened whipping cream on the side.  Next time I think I will add a layer of sweetened whipped cream on top of the cream filling and maybe add some rum syrup sprinkled onto the cake layers.

VARIATION: If you don't want to spread it with ganache then sift 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar over top of cake.  For a lacy design, sift confectioners' sugar over a lace paper doily on top of cake; carefully remove doily.

VARIATION RECIPE FOR A BUTTER CAKE:

If you don't want to use the spongecake recipe above then try this butter cake recipe. Use a 9-inch cake pan.

BUTTER CAKE:

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cake and pastry flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cool unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan.  Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and dust the sides of the pan with flour, taping out any excess.

Sift the sugar, cake flour, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl or into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Cut in the butter until the flour has a rough crumbly texture.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla,  Pour this into the flour mixture and beat to blend using electric beaters (or in the mixer) on low speed then increase the speed to medium high and beat until the batter is pale and thick, 3 to 5 minutes.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan on the counter to release any large air bubbles.  Bake the cake for about 35 minutes, until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Cool the cake for 30 minutes in its, pan, then turn it out to cool completely.

Slice the cooled cake in half horizontally and place the bottom layer on a platter.  Spread the chilled cream filling evenly over the cake layer and top with the other cake layer.  Pour the cooled ganache glaze over the top and spread as in the above recipe.