Boston Cream Pie

[blissful]

DS turns 31 today. He chose, for his dessert, Boston Cream Pie. The pie that is a cake.

I've never made it but I hope to have it made tonight before he gets home at midnight.

For the cake part, I read that it is a sponge, it is a yellow cake, it is a white cake. I'm going to aim for a sponge.

For the filling, I read that it is a vanilla pastry cream, a butter cream, a bavarian cream. I want it thicker and richer than a pudding, not as thick or rich as a butter cream, so it will probably be a bavarian cream. Advice needed, suggestions. I don't want it wet.

For the top, while I could use dark chocolate or milk chocolate, with cream, to put on the top, I'm looking for a medium chocolate ganache, glossy, that will thicken up on a cool cake.

Most of the recipes I'm reading make 2 - 9'' round cake layers. Since there are just 2 people that can eat this cake, I'll split one of the layers, fill, top, saving the second cake and filling and topping for the week-end to make another.

I have 9 hours to get this done. I'm clearing room in the refrigerator so the assembled cake can stay cool there. I'm sure it won't take that long. Looking forward to any suggestions or information you might like to share. Thank you in advance.

 

[GotGarlic]

Hey, bliss. I've never made it, either, but Cooks Illustrated does pretty well, imo. Here's their recipe: Wicked Good Boston Cream Pie Recipe - Food.com

It does use pastry cream, and says it needs to chill for at least three hours in order to be easy to cut cleanly.

 

[Kayelle]

Hi Bliss, and happy bday to your son. Do you know why he requested Boston Cream Pie? I've never made one, so I can't help you there, but I did enjoy a sample at the Boston hotel where it originated. Here's some interesting reading.
https://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/BostonCreamPie.htm

 

[blissful]

Thank you for the well wishes for him.

He chose it because when the boys were little I'd give them a cookbook with lots of picture and they'd pick out what they wanted for birthdays. He was having a tough time deciding, so I found this article with pictures of cakes and he chose one there. The Cake Everyone Was Obsessed With The Year You Were Born
There are a lot of really yummy looking cakes there.

I appreciate the links. Also that it must be cooled down, kept cool once assembled. (GG I saw those honey cakes, very neat looking and I bet delicious.)

 

[Kayelle]

That's a cool link, thanks Bliss.

 

[blissful]

That's a cool link, thanks Bliss.

I saw those two cakes that had a dozen layers of dense cake w/frosting/filling, one was a carrot cake, I didn't even HINT at him wanting that one, that one might be my favorite. That might be the best looking carrot cake I've ever seen. BUT it's not my birthday.

 

[blissful]

The bavarian cream filling.
I really wanted the filling to be richer than pudding, and I want it to hold up for a few days, so I can make the second one on the week-end. This filling can be refrigerated several days or frozen for 3 months. A pastry cream or pudding might start to break down after a few days because it is thickened with flour or corn starch or custard powder, the bavarian cream is thickened with egg yolks and gelatin.

Put the gelatin in the cold water:
3 Tablespoons cold water
2 1/4 teaspoons gelatin

Whip together the egg yolks and sugar:
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

Heat the cream and vanilla to boiling:
1 1/2 cups cream
Seeds from one vanilla bean (I used vanilla extract instead)

Whisk, tempering the eggs/sugar with the cream/vanilla, then in the pan, bring up to heat until there are bubbles, then strain into a bowl and whisk in the gelatin/water. Put the bowl over a bowl of ice water to bring to room temperature.

Whip to soft peaks:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Gently fold the custard mixture into the soft peaks of cream, cover and refrigerate.

Lots of dishes to wash! I tasted it, very nice, not too sweet, rich. Now onto the cake portion.

 

[blissful]

The cake portion, the sponge.

Beat 6 large eggs with 1 cup of sugar, for at least 10 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thick and full of air. Use a stand mixer on high. Beat in 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter.
Mix 1 cup of flour with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, sift, and add to egg mixture by FOLDING, 1/3rd at a time.

Immediately put into 2 prepared (with parchment) 9'' cake pans, bake at 350 degrees F for 25-28 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.

The cakes rose a little in the oven. I was pleasantly surprised.

Cut one cake into 2 layers, put toothpicks half way up the cake, use a thin serrated knife to cut it horizontally using the toothpicks to navigate.

Assemble: layer of cake, 1/2 the bavarian cream, layer of cake. Refrigerate to top off later.
(Froze the other 9 '' cake, froze the remaining bavarian cream.)

Next: make the ganache, 3 hours until the birthday man gets home.

 

[buckytom]

Happy Birthday to your boy, bliss.

I had to look this one up. Did you lnow that it is the official dessert of Massachusetts?

 

[Andy M.]

Happy Birthday to your boy, bliss.

I had to look this one up. Did you lnow that it is the official dessert of Massachusetts?

The BCP was created at the Parker House Hotel in Boston. They also are responsible for creating the Parker House Roll.

Here is their original recipe: https://www.omnihotels.com/blog/boston-cream-pie-recipe-original/

 

[buckytom]

And the chef was Armenian...

 

[blissful]

Buckytom, I've never made it before and I haven't been to MA since 1976 and I don't think I tried it when I was there. That's a long time ago. Thank you for the well wishes for the boy.

AndyM interesting read. I like how they put the toasted almonds on the sides. The picture my son picked didn't have that, so I didn't put those on it.

I made the ganache from 8 oz cream and 8 oz weighed chocolate chips. 1:1 and I should have made it with more chips, thicker. The first time I put the ganache on it, some of the sponge absorbed it making craters. I put a second thin layer of ganache on it. Now it is smooth. Pictures of the mess tomorrow.

 

[Andy M.]

And the chef was Armenian...

 

[blissful]

Delicious, everyone was happy!
Here are my not so great pictures. The chocolate ganache continued to run onto the plate.

I didn't get a good picture of the filling in the slice. I need to learn how to take better pictures.

 

[Dawgluver]

Oh, I dunno, Bliss. Looks good to me.

Nice job!

 

[GotGarlic]

Delicious, everyone was happy!
Here are my not so great pictures. The chocolate ganache continued to run onto the plate.

I didn't get a good picture of the filling in the slice. I need to learn how to take better pictures.

Looks delicious!

Here's a photography tip: turn off the flash. It blows out the lighter colors.

 

[blissful]

Thanks and Thanks!

 

[Cooking Goddess]

It looks delish, bliss, pretty or not. Boston Cream Pie was my birthday dessert of choice for many years. Mom just used a box mix from Betty Crocker. Kudos to you for the from-scratch one.

 

[Kayelle]

It looks luscious Bliss. Best of all, it was made with the love of the first woman who ever loved him. Was he pleased?

 

[blissful]

Thanks and Thanks, yes, he said, "mom this is really good", and, "I'm glad I picked this dessert."
Last night, I told him to take 1/4th of it for a slice, and he said no, something smaller. When he finished he said he should have taken 1/4 of it because it was so good. ha ha. I packed up a slice for him to take in his lunch today.
I'm glad I made it, it was a challenge and I learned a lot and washed a lot of dishes, but, to see him smile and DH too, well, it's worth it.