Boston Cream Pie
In case you didn’t hear, today is St. Patrick’s Day and you’re probably seeing a ton of Instagram and blog posts for corned beef and cabbage and green cocktails. (Yes, I did one too.) Well, I couldn’t come up with another corned beef recipe. I mean, how many different ways can you prepare corned beef? I also happen to hate cooked cabbage, so, I was stumped. But then I heard a commercial for some doughnut company making Boston Cream Donuts for St. Patrick’s Day, and I thought that would be a great idea!
Before you get too excited, I didn’t make doughnuts. I made a Boston Cream Pie! I know it’s not green and there isn’t one ounce of corned beef in it, but it’s from Boston, the original Irish city (at least here in the US). See, when the British and Irish fled to America in the 18th and 19th centuries, New York and Boston were the two cities that saw the greatest influx. Those numbers never really dwindled. As a matter of fact, people of Irish descent still form the largest single ethnic group in Massachusetts. According to the Boston Globe, as of 2017, they make up 21.6 percent of the population. So, a Boston Cream Pie seems like the perfect dessert to serve today.
Now, here’s where it gets weird: Boston Cream Pie isn’t actually a pie. It’s a cake! A yellow layer cake filled with a wonderful creamy custard, the Pie is then slathered with a rich, dark chocolate sauce. It’s absolute decadence. But why is it called a pie? Turns out when the pie was created back in the late 1800’s, cake pans and pie pans were interchangeable, and so were the monikers by which they were called. French Chef Augustine Anezin of the Parker House Hotel (now the Omni Parker House) in Boston came up with the recipe. His version looks quite different from the one we all know today. Anezin’s cake was a white sponge cake filled with a rum-infused pastry cream. He then covered the sides with sliced almonds and finally spread a thick layer of chocolate fondant on top. But he didn’t stop there, he embellished it with a spiderweb of white chocolate as well.
A decadent delight, Anezin’s cake was very popular, but too complicated to recreate in most American kitchens. So, the recipe changed. The most popular choice of the time was something known as Washington pie: a jam-filled layer cake topped with powdered sugar. Eventually the jam was swapped for custard and the powdered sugar was swapped with a chocolate glaze, and that’s how we got the Boston Cream Pie we know today. I went with the modern version. That means no almonds and no white chocolate. But it’s still just as rich and just as delicious, making it a wonderful dessert for the Irish holiday. It even goes well with a pint of stout.
Ingredients
For the custard
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks
- 1-1/2 cups low fat milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 tablespoons aged rum
For the cake
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For chocolate ganache
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the custard
- Beat egg yolks and corn starch together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the milk, sugar and salt together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer.
- Gradually add egg yolks, whisking the constantly. Continue whisking until custard is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and rum.
- Pour custard into a glass bowl, press plastic wrap onto surface so you won't get a thick coating on top. Let cool and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the and butter and sugar and mix until just combined. Mix in 1/3 of the milk. Repeat until all the ingredients are combined. Stir in the vanilla.
- Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake until tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes; then remove from the pans and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Assemble the Cake
- Place one layer top side down onto a large cake plate. Spoon the chilled pastry cream onto the center of the cake and spread evenly until the cream just barely reaches the edge.
- Gently place the other cake, dome side up, on top of the pastry cream. Place in the refrigerator while you...
Make the chocolate ganache
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream and butter to a low simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in the chocolate chips. Continue stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and drizzle over the top of the assembled cake, smoothing it to the edge. Let set for 10 - 15 minutes. Slice and serve.
