I baked: Boston Cream Pie

The first time I laid eyes on a Boston cream pie, I wanted to make it. It looked like the kind of cake I liked, with a thick layer of pastry cream in the centre.

Boston cream pie is not a pie as its name suggests but is in fact a round cake filled with pastry cream and frosted with chocolate and dusted with icing sugar.

The opportune moment arrived when I was looking for a special cake to make for Father's Day this year. Hubby, like me, is very fond of cakes with cream filling.

You start by making the pastry cream first - I made it a day in advance before I assembled the cake. Pastry cream, better known as crème pâtissière is like thick rich custard cream. It is made from a mixture of milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour. Now that I know how to make pastry cream, I can make many other delicious desserts such as fruit tarts and eclairs. YUM!

After many hours in the kitchen, I successfully put a beautiful cake together, much to the joy of my family. When Baby C uttered the words "mummy, this cake is yummy", it definitely made the effort worthwhile. I do hope you will find joy in baking this for your family and friends too. :)

Boston cream pie
Serves 8

Ingredients
For the cake
225g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
115g butter, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
175ml milk

For the pastry cream (crème pâtissière)
275ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg yolks, at room temperature
50g caster sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour, sifted
2 tbsp cornflour, sifted
1 tbsp unsalted butter

For the chocolate glaze
30g butter
30g dark chocolate
8 tsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

2. Grease two 8 x 2 in (20 x 5 cm) round cake tins, and line the bottoms with rounds of buttered greaseproof paper.

3. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.

4. Beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add the milk and the dry ingredients alternately, mixing only enough to blend thoroughly. Do not overbeat the mixture.

5. Divide the cake mixture between the prepared tins and spread it out evenly. Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

6. Peel off the greaseproof paper and cool the cakes on a wire rack.

7. When the cakes have cooled, use a sharp knife to slice off the domed top to make a flat surface. Repeat with other cake.

For the filling:
1. You can make this a day in advance since you need to cool it in the refrigerator. Heat the milk in a saucepan on medium heat until hot but not boiling.

2. In a bowl, combine the yolks and sugar and whisk until thick and slightly pale, about 1 minute. Whisk in the cornflour and flour, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Add the hot milk in slowly while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.

3. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens to a pudding consistency. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the vanilla extract and butter.

3. Pour into a clean bowl and place a piece of cling wrap directly over the top of the cream to prevent crust from forming. Cool to room temperature and refridgerate until needed. Stir before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.

For the chocolate glaze:
1. Melt the chocolate with the butter in the top of a double boiler. Add icing sugar to taste, I used about 8 tsp of icing sugar to get desired sweetness-bitterness. You will get a thick paste, but still runny enough to spread onto the cakes. If you find that it is too thick, then add a little milk or water 1 tsp at a time. (If you like more chocolate glaze, just increase the amount to 50g butter, 50g dark chocolate, approx. 12 tsp of icing sugar).

To assemble:
1. Place one cake on a serving plate and spread on the pastry cream in a thick layer. Set the other cake on top, cut side down.

2. Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, allowing it to dribble down the sides, smoothing the top with a spatula. Dust the top with icing sugar and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Full set of photos can be viewed on my Facebook page here. 

*Featured on Asian Food Channel's Facebook page on 20 June 2012. :)
*Featured on UKTV's Good Food Channel website "Summer of Cake" gallery on 22 June 2012.