Description
This classic Boston Cream Pie features two layers of light, airy vanilla sponge cake filled with rich homemade vanilla pastry cream and topped with a smooth, glossy dark chocolate glaze. It’s an elegant, show-stopping dessert that looks bakery-perfect but is completely doable at home with simple ingredients and clear instructions.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- Cake flour: 1 1/4 cups (150 g) (gives that tender, delicate crumb)
- Baking powder: 1 1/4 teaspoons
- Kosher salt: 1/2 teaspoon
- Whole milk: 1/2 cup (120 ml), room temperature
- Unsalted butter: 4 tablespoons (57 g), melted and cooled slightly
- Neutral oil (such as vegetable or canola): 2 tablespoons (30 ml)
- Vanilla extract: 2 teaspoons
- Large eggs: 3, at room temperature
- Granulated sugar: 3/4 cup (150 g)
For the Pastry Cream (Filling):
- Whole milk: 2 cups (480 ml)
- Granulated sugar: 1/2 cup (100 g)
- Egg yolks: 4 large
- Cornstarch: 3 tablespoons (about 27 g)
- Kosher salt: small pinch
- Unsalted butter: 2 tablespoons (28 g)
- Vanilla extract (or vanilla paste): 2 teaspoons (vanilla paste adds gorgeous specks!)
For the Chocolate Glaze:
- Heavy cream: 1/2 cup (120 ml)
- Corn syrup: 1 tablespoon (optional but helps with shine and texture)
- Dark chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet), finely chopped: 4 ounces (about 115 g)
- Unsalted butter: 1 tablespoon (14 g), softened
Instructions
In a saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it’s steaming and just starting to bubble around the edges. Don’t let it fully boil—you just want it nice and hot.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt until the mixture is very smooth and pale yellow. Really get in there with that whisk! You want it completely combined with no lumps.
Here’s the crucial step—slowly whisk some of the hot milk into your yolk mixture, just a little at a time. This is called tempering, and it prevents the eggs from scrambling. Once you’ve added about half the hot milk, pour everything back into the saucepan, whisking constantly.
Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously (yes, your arm will get a workout!), until the mixture thickens and just starts to bubble. Once it bubbles, keep whisking for about 1 minute more to cook out that starchy taste from the cornstarch.
Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla until everything is smooth and glossy. Pour the pastry cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl—this catches any bits and gives you that perfect, velvety texture.
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans, or better yet, grease them, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and grease again. This guarantees easy release!
In a bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside.
In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, oil, and vanilla. Set this aside too—you’ll fold it in at the end.
Here’s where the magic happens! In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together with your electric mixer on medium-high speed. This is going to take several minutes—don’t stop too early! You want the mixture to be very thick, pale, and tripled in volume. When you lift the beater, it should form ribbons that slowly dissolve back into the mixture.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in two or three additions, using a rubber spatula. Work gently—you don’t want to deflate all those beautiful air bubbles you just created! Mix just until mostly combined.
Fold in the milk-butter mixture, still working gently. Mix until there are no streaks remaining, but don’t overmix.
Divide the batter evenly between your prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake until the cakes are golden, lightly spring back when touched, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean—usually about 20 to 25 minutes.
Place your chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and corn syrup (if using) and heat over medium until it just comes to a simmer—little bubbles around the edges.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let it sit for a minute to melt, then whisk gently until smooth and glossy. Whisk in the butter until it’s fully melted and the glaze is beautifully shiny.
Let the glaze cool slightly until it thickens a bit but is still pourable. If it’s too hot, it’ll run right off the cake; if it’s too cool, it won’t spread nicely.
Place one cooled cake layer on your serving plate or cake stand. Give your chilled pastry cream a good whisk to loosen it up and make it spreadable.
Spread the pastry cream evenly over the first cake layer, leaving a small margin at the edges so it doesn’t squish out when you add the top layer.
Place the second cake layer on top, pressing gently to set. Pour the chocolate glaze over the top center of the cake and let it flow outward naturally. It should drip slightly down the sides—that’s the classic Boston Cream Pie look! Use a spatula to nudge it if needed.
Let the glaze set until it thickens and loses its wet sheen, then slice and serve! Each slice should show off those gorgeous layers.
Notes
Don’t skip the plastic wrap directly on the custard. Pressing it right onto the surface prevents a skin from forming, which would give you an unpleasant texture.
Test your glaze consistency by letting a spoonful drip back into the bowl. It should flow slowly but steadily. Too runny? Let it cool a few more minutes. Too thick? Whisk in a teaspoon of warm cream.
Level your cake layers if needed. If the tops domed during baking, use a serrated knife to carefully slice off the dome. This helps them stack more evenly.
Common mistake: Assembling the cake while components are still warm. Everything needs to be completely cool, especially that pastry cream! Warm pastry cream = soggy, sliding disaster.
Smart shortcut: While homemade is best, you can use instant vanilla pudding made with half the recommended milk for a thicker consistency. It won’t be quite as luxurious, but it’ll still be delicious!
- Prep Time: 45 minutes (including pastry cream)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American