BOSTON CREAM PIE

Boston cream pie is actually a cake, more specifically 2 layers of yellow cake filled with rich pastry cream and topped generously with chocolate ganache…Yes, it is good. Three decades ago when the Brock Shop had a Safety Mart in Kamloops, right in the store the baker used to make these marvelous little Boston cream pies for five bucks. The Safety Mart closed its doors and we haven’t had Boston cream pie since. When I saw the recipe in Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman, I decided it was high time I made it myself.

blast from the past

The cakes were delicious. But I didn’t like the custard, it was runny and the vanilla flavour was bland. The chocolate glaze wasn’t great either and the suggested amount barely covered the top of the cake. After recalculating the recipe for two 9 inch layers, and filling it with my own pastry cream and covering it with ye old standby chocolate ganache. My very own Boston cream pie turned out as good if not better than Safety Mart’s. I wonder whatever happened to the baker?

We sorely need a good baker for this town. Nobody uses real ingredients anymore. I can see people getting used to the artificial stuff and those who never had the real thing actually enjoying this new fare. With the industrialization of restaurant foods I predict more and more people will get back to baking at home. If you want a cheap supermarket cake you will have to settle for imitation ingredients. But a foody will always want real butter, real eggs, real chocolate and real cream. So fork out that forty bucks for a miniature cake or bake it yourself. 

BOSTON CREAM PIE

Cakes:

1 -1/2 cups cake flour 

1-1/2 Tsp baking powder 

1 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar 

6 eggs yolks 

1 Tbsp lemon juice 

4-1/2 Tbsp oil 

2 Tsp vanilla 

6 egg whites 

1 batch of Pastry cream – recipe HERE 

1 batch of Chocolate Ganache – recipe HERE 

• Make the pastry cream first and refrigerate. 

• Make the two cake layers next. 

• Preheat the oven to 350F. 

• Line two 9 inch round spring form cake pans with parchment paper. 

• Spay the parchment paper and the side of the pans with cooking spray. 

• Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and 1/4 cup of the sugar. 

• Set these aside. 

• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, oil and vanilla until blended. 

• In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until foamy. 

• Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and continue beating until moderately stiff peaks form that droop slightly. 

• Fold a quarter of the whipped whites into the yolks. 

• Then carefully fold the yolk mixture back into the remaining whites. Do not over mix. 

• Now sift about a third of the dry ingredients over the egg mixture and carefully fold in. Repeat this step with 2 more additions. 

• Handle batter gently; do not dump a large quantity of flour into batter all at once. 

• Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. 

• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean and the cake springs back when touched lightly. 

• Place pans on wire racks. 

• Let the layers cool completely before turning out. 

• While the cakes cool make the chocolate ganache. 

• When the cakes are completely cooled down, remove from their pans. 

• Run a blunt knife around the edge of the pans and unhook the spring form mechanism. 

• Gently lift cakes and carefully peel off the paper liners. 

 To Assemble Boston Cream Pie 

• Place one cake layer on a platter, flat side down. 

• Spread with the pastry cream, smoothing out to the edge. 

• Place the second cake layer on the top, flat side up. 

• Pour the chocolate ganache on top, smoothing and spreading so it drips over the sides.