Boston Cream Pie Cake

5 from 6 votes

A fluffy vanilla cake filled with a wonderful custard cream and topped with a rich chocolate ganache, this bake is truly scrumptious in every way!

Course cake, Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Keyword Boston cream Cake, Boston cream pie, Boston cream pie recipe, Chocolate Ganache, pastry cream

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings slices

Calories 305

Author Erren Hart

Ingredients

For The Cake:

1 cup sugar white granulated
1¼ cup flour all-purpose
1¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 oz butter ½ cup/1 stick
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or extract

For the filling

pastry cream pudding or custard (*see notes)

For The Topping:

½ cup cream heavy whipping cream, double cream
4 oz dark chocolate
1 Tablespoon butter

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For The Cake:

Preheat the oven to 325°F/162°, grease two 8"/20cm pans and set aside.
Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
Add the cold cubed butter to the dry ingredients.
Work the butter into the flour mixture with a mixer or beater until it resembles breadcrumbs (similar to when you make biscuits or scones). You want a rough and crumbly texture.
Whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together in a separate bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture all at once.
Mix on low speed for a minute, then increase the speed and beat for 3 to 5 minutes. This ensures you have a light and fluffy batter. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed.
Separate the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake in the oven for around 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Once baked set aside to cool.
If you haven't already, while the cake bakes, prepare your filling and place it in the fridge to set.
Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting and assembling.

For The Ganache:

Add the chocolate to a heat-proof bowl with a tablespoon of butter and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it just starts to bubble around the sides. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has fully melted into the cream and the mixture is smooth. Then set aside to cool just enough to thicken slightly.

To Assemble

Place the bottom layer on a serving plate. Spread the chilled filling over the cake, leaving about a 1-inch border. Top with remaining layer and gently press down to push the filling to the edge of the cake.
Pour the glaze over the top of cake, spreading to edges.
Place the assembled cake in the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight; cover the cake if chilling for more than two hours to keep it from drying out.

Video

Notes

Filling the Cake

I did not specify a measurement of custard or pudding because the amount depends on the thickness of the cream. Use the notes below for my recommendations.

Homemade Pastry Cream: If you use my pastry cream recipe, then the full recipe will fill the cake. Be sure to cool the custard thoroughly in the fridge before using it to fill the cake.

Pudding Mix: If you're using a pudding or custard mix, I suggest using heavy cream or whipping cream in place of milk to make a thicker mixture that can take the weight of the cake. I recommend using a cup of the thickened, cooled mixture.

Ready-Made Pudding or Custard: If you're using a thinner pudding or custard, I suggest starting with a ½ cup, placing it between the layers and checking to see if the weight of the cake can take more filling without causing it to overflow out the side of the cake.

The nutritional information is based on 1 cup of store-bought pudding.

Tips

Don’t skip the sifting of the dry ingredients, it really will make the difference in creating a light and airy cake.
Be sure to beat the batter for 3 to 5 minutes. This is key to getting a light and fluffy textured cake.
Before placing your pan in the oven give it a little tap on the work surface to get rid of any air bubbles.
To check your cake is cooked through simply poke it with a skewer or toothpick. If it comes out, clean it is ready.
To ensure a shiny finish to your glaze, add a tablespoon of corn syrup to the ganache.
For detailed instructions and tips on making the glaze, see my Chocolate Glaze recipe.

Nutrition