Active Time

　　1 hour 20 minutes

　　Total Time

　　2 hour 40 minutes

　　Boston cream pie is a cake with a curious name. Some trace its origin to Boston’s Parker House Hotel, now called the Omni Parker House, circa 1860. As that story goes, the hotel’s French pastry chef wanted to bake a cake but only had access to pie tins. He sandwiched vanilla cake layers with cream filling, covered the whole thing in a dark chocolate glaze, and created a misnamed legend. Other historians note, however, that many people used the terms cake and pie interchangeably in the 19th century. Complicating things further, other restaurant menus from the era include similarly named cake recipes, including American pudding pie and Washington pie. Whatever its origin, the new recipe had staying power. In 1958, nearly a century after the cake recipe debuted, Betty Crocker introduced a Boston cream pie cake mix, and it remained in production until the 1990s. In 1996 a group of high school students successfully sponsored a bill to make the Boston cream pie the official state dessert of Massachusetts.

　　Culinary trends come and go, but the Boston cream pie endures, inspiring everything from cupcakes to a dessert cocktail served at the Omni Parker House’s Last Hurrah Bar. This classic version combines a vanilla custard filling with layers of soft, buttery yellow cake and dark chocolate ganache enriched with heavy cream. Call it old-fashioned or an all-American institution; just don’t call it Boston cream cake.

　　This recipe was adapted for style from ‘Zoë Bakes Cakes’ by Zoë François. Buy the full book on Amazon.

　　

Ingredients

About 12 servings

　　

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Nonstick baking spray

　　2 cups plus 1 Tbsp. (230g) cake flour

　　2 tsp. baking powder

　　½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. plus ⅛ tsp. Morton kosher salt

　　3 large eggs, at room temperature

　　2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

　　1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar, divided

　　¾ cup (175ml) whole milk

　　2 Tbsp. mild-flavored oil (such as vegetable oil)

　　1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

　　

Pastry Cream

2 cups (480ml) whole milk

　　½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, divided

　　¼ cup (55g) unsalted butter

　　1 pinch kosher salt

　　Seeds scraped from ½ vanilla bean (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract)

　　3 Tbsp. cornstarch

　　1 large egg, at room temperature

　　4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

　　

Dark Chocolate Ganache and Assembly

2 cups (480ml) plus ⅓ cup (80ml) heavy whipping cream, divided

　　16 oz. (450g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

　　

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper greased with nonstick baking spray, but leave the sides of the pans untouched. The cakes need to cling to the ungreased pans to rise properly.

　　

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups plus 1 Tbsp. (230g) cake flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Plus ⅛ tsp. Morton kosher salt and then sift back into the bowl. Set aside.

　　

Step 3

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 3 large eggs, at room temperature, and 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature, on high speed. Once the eggs are well combined and starting to foam, about 1 minute, turn the speed to medium-low and sprinkle ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar slowly over top. Turn the speed to high and let it whip for about 5 minutes.

　　

Step 4

While the eggs are whipping, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring ¾ cup (175ml) whole milk, 2 Tbsp. mild-flavored oil (such as vegetable oil), and remaining ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract.

　　

Step 5

Once the eggs are light in color and thick, they should be able to form a ribbon of batter that sits on top of the egg foam for a few seconds when you lift the whisk out of the foam. Turn the mixer speed to low, slowly add the boiling milk mixture, and then add the flour mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, scraping down the bowl several times.

　　

Step 6

Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pans and gently run a spatula through the batter to pop any large air bubbles.

　　

Step 7

Bake until a tester comes out clean, 15–20 minutes. Let the cake cool completely in the pans. Run a knife around the edge before turning out onto serving plates.

　　

Pastry Cream

Step 8

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 2 cups (480ml) whole milk, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (55g) unsalted butter, 1 pinch kosher salt, and the seeds scraped from ½ vanilla bean (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract); bring to a gentle boil; and then remove from the heat.

　　

Step 9

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp. cornstarch and the remaining ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar. Add 1 large egg, at room temperature, and 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature, and whisk into a smooth paste.

　　

Step 10

Whisk enough of the hot milk, a little at a time, into the egg mixture until it is warm to the touch. Once the eggs are tempered, pour the mixture back into the remaining milk in the pan.

　　

Step 11

Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil; continuously whisk for 3 minutes more or the pastry cream will separate once it cools.

　　

Step 12

If there are any lumps in the pastry cream, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve into a shallow container and cover with plastic wrap, pressed directly onto the surface, to prevent a skin from forming.

　　

Step 13

In a large bowl, add enough ice cubes and cold water to create a bath for the container to sit in without the water breaching the sides.

　　

Step 14

Set the container in the ice bath or place in the freezer until chilled, about 15 minutes before using. Or transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

　　

Dark Chocolate Ganache and Assembly

Step 15

In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm 2 cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream until just simmering. Turn off the heat and add 16 oz. (450g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped. Swirl the pan to make sure all of the chocolate is submerged in the hot cream. Let sit for 3 minutes and then gently stir until smooth.

　　Do Ahead: Store ganache in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Gently warm the ganache over a pan of simmering water, forming a double boiler, to a pourable or spreadable consistency, depending on your needs.

　　

Step 16

Place one cake layer on a serving plate.

　　

Step 17

Stir the pastry cream to loosen. In a medium bowl, whip remaining ⅓ cup (80ml) heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks. Fold ⅓ of the whipped cream into the pastry cream to lighten, then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

　　

Step 18

Using an offset spatula, spread all of the pastry cream over the cake; making sure not to go quite to the edge. Place the second cake layer over the pastry cream. Gently press down on the cake to make sure it is sitting snugly on the pastry cream. If the pastry cream goes beyond the edge, clean it up with a metal decorating spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to set the pastry cream in place.

　　

Step 19

Pour the ganache over the top of the cake, starting in the center and stopping just as it drips over the edge.

　　

Step 20

Refrigerate the cake until the ganache sets, about 30 minutes, then serve right away. 

　　Editor’s note: This recipe first appeared on Epicurious in March 2022. Head this way for more of our favorite birthday cake recipes →

　　Reprinted from Zoë Bakes Cakes. Copyright © 2021 by Zoë François. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House. Available to purchase at Amazon, Bookshop, and Penguin Random House.