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Old-fashioned Boston cream pie is a best-loved classic cake, not pie, that is utterly decadent and delicious!
One of our favorite desserts is this delicious Boston cream pie filled with creamy custard and topped with a chocolate ganache. Check out our Boston Cream Poke Cake for another cake recipe that is just as delicious.
What is Boston Cream Pie?
Boston cream pie is a marriage between a cream pie and a cake. Boston cream pie is said to have been invented at Boston’s Omni Parker House Hotel in 1856.
Around that time period pies and cakes were often baked in the same baking pan so they had very similar shapes. The hotel referred to it as Parker House cream pie & chocolate cream pie.
In 1879 one of the first printed recipes called it a Boston cream cake. In 1996 the Boston cream pie became the official state dessert of Massachusetts.
Custard + Chocolate
Boston cream pie has layers of tender cake sandwiched with rich homemade custard (similar to a pudding or pastry cream), all topped with a luscious chocolate ganache. It’s completely delicious!
This year I wanted to try a new dessert for the hubby’s birthday and ended up making this amazing Boston cream pie.
The finished product was perfectly delicious, and my husband said it was one of his favorite birthday cakes ever.
How to MAke Boston Cream Filling Recipe
This Boston cream pie recipe is creamy and decadent. It’s also quite easy to make! The first thing is to start with the custard filling.
EGG MIXTURE. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until well combined and no lumps remain.
HEAT. Then whisk in the milk until well combined. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat for 2 to 4 minutes, or until thickened. Whisk consistently.
Remove the hot milk mixture from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Add the pieces of butter, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
CHILL. Pour the custard into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
ASSEMBLE. To assemble the cake, level the sponge cake rounds using a serrated knife or cake leveler. Place one of the cake rounds on a serving plate, and gently spread the cooled custard evenly over the cake layer. Add the second cake layer on top.
Ganache Topping
Once the Boston cream cake is assembled, make a simple chocolate ganache to go over the top. There are only two ingredients – heavy cream and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Add the chocolate chips to a medium bowl. Add the heavy whipping cream to a separate microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, and heat for one minute on high, or until boiling.
- Pour the hot whipping cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for one minute. Using a fork, stir the ganache until it is smooth and the chocolate has melted completely.
- Pour the ganache over the cake, spreading evenly. Let stand 30-60 minutes, until the ganache has cooled and set.
Boston Cream Filling
This dessert features delicious Boston cream. Boston cream is often confused with Bavarian Cream. Both are used to add richness to some of our favorite desserts, but they do have unique differences.
- Boston cream is usually always used as a filling for cakes, pies, donuts, and more and paired with chocolate. Boston cream uses cornstarch as a thickening agent as well as milk and eggs which gives it a texture like custard.
- Bavarian cream can be used as a filling but can be served as its own dish and topped with fruit puree or sauce. Bavarian cream uses gelatin which gives it more of a solid texture as well as heavy cream and whipped cream.
Variations
Change up this Boston cream cake by turning it into cupcakes!
Boston cream cupcakes. Use the cake batter to make 24 cupcakes. Allow the cupcakes to cool.
- Place a piping tip (Wilton tip 230 the Bismarck) in a piping bag and fill the bag with the Boston cream.
- Poke the tip ⅔-¾ of the way into the center of the cupcake. Squeeze the custard out as you pull the tip up.
- You will see the cupcake swell and the filling will appear out the top when the tip comes out.
- Use Chocolate Buttercream Frosting to top the cupcake, chocolate icing, or the chocolate glaze listed in the recipe.
Add a web design to the ganache. Many Boston cream pies showcase a pretty web design in the ganache. Make the chocolate ganache listed in the recipe as well as a white ganache or icing:
- Pour the chocolate ganache onto the cake as directed in the recipe. Using white icing, pipe on a spiral design that starts in the center and extends to the edge.
- Use a toothpick or wooden skewer to pull the white icing out every few centimeters along the entire spiral. Be sure to stop before you touch or connect your pulled icing with the line of icing in the spiral.
Garnish with toasted coconut, sliced almonds, and dark or white chocolate shavings.
storing Info
STORE. If you have leftovers, and it probably won’t happen, we recommend storing this cake in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Just cover loosely with foil or plastic wrap.
Make ahead of time. The cake layers for this recipe can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to a month in advance. The custard can also be made ahead but only 24 hours in advance. I do not recommend freezing the cake to serve later. The cornstarch in the cream filling will compromise the texture when it thaws.
Recipe FAQ
You will need two fully baked round layers of either yellow cake, white or vanilla cake. I prefer 8-inch rounds but 9-inch rounds also work. You can purchase the plain cake rounds at the bakery or bake your own.
The Boston cream should thicken significantly during the 2-4 minutes of cooking time. If the cream is still too runny after 4 minutes, try adding more cornstarch. Using whole milk will also help make a thicker and creamier custard. Be sure to stir constantly so that the bottom of the cream doesn’t burn.
I don’t recommend freezing the dessert, especially if you are planning to serve it at an event, because the cream filling will not thaw very well. However, if you have leftovers and you don’t mind that the texture will be altered you can freeze it for up to 1 month.
When stored in the fridge the ganache topping can thicken and make it tricky to cut clean slices. If that is the case simply use hot water to heat the blade of a large kitchen knife, wipe it dry, and slice. The hot blade should cut right through all the layers.
For More Pies and Cakes, Check Out:
- German Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Mississippi Mud Cake Recipe
- Frozen Butterfinger Pie
- Key Lime Cake
Boston Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 2 (8-inch) white or yellow cake rounds, baked and cooled
for the custard:
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
for the ganache:
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Custard
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until well combined and no lumps remain.
- Then whisk in the milk until well combined. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat for 2 to 4 minutes, or until thickened. Whisk constantly.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Add the pieces of butter, and stir until completely melted and smooth.
- Pour the custard into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Assemble the cake
- To assemble the cake, level the cake rounds using a serrated knife or cake leveler. Place one of the cake rounds on a serving plate, and gently spread the cooled custard evenly over the cake layer. Add the remaining cake layer on top.
Ganache
- Add the chocolate chips to a medium bowl. Add the heavy whipping cream to a separate microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, and heat one minute on high, or until boiling.
- Pour the hot whipping cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for one minute. Using a fork, stir the ganache until it is smooth and the chocolate has melted completely.
- Pour the ganache over the cake, spreading evenly. Let stand 30-60 minutes, until the ganache has cooled and set.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you Alicia from The Baker Upstairs.
Not the best recipe for flavor or consistency. Needs better directions when it comes to the custard.
Thanks for your feedback and for giving the recipe a try!
needing help with making the custard thick, its wanting to stay runny and I’ve also had it in the fridge for 2 hours. how long does it need to be in the fridge before using it on the cake?
I want to use this recipe but I’m making a 10 inch. How would I alter to make a bigger cake?
I’m not exactly sure. I would probably 1.5x or double the recipe and then just fill with the amount of custard preferred (you can always use the photos as a guide) and top with the ganache similarly. You might have extra of the custard/ganache doing it that way, but better safe than sorry I guess! 🙂
This was easy and delicious, our guests were full of compliments!
Thankyou
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that you all enjoyed the recipe!!
I’m gluten free and lactose intolerant, so I used King Arthur gluten free yellow cake mix and Lactaid whole milk. This cake was outstanding! Have made it 4 times since February. My sister asked for a Boston Cream pie for her birthday and since it has been years since I have even baked a yellow cake, I panicked. But I found this recipe and adapted it to my food allergies and was hugely surprised. It was so easy to create and tasted great! The second time I made the cake I reduced the vanilla in the custard by 1 teaspoon as I thought the flavor was too strong, but that’s my preference. If using gluten free cake mix, DON’T use Betty Crocker gluten free. No taste and very gritty. Everyone keeps asking me to bring this cake! Best cake ever and a showstopper!
Thank you so much for sharing!! I love that you found the recipe and tweaked it to work for you. And it sounds like it has been a success!! I’m so glad you all enjoy the cake!
Hi,I’m making this soon,one question,after cake is all assembled,I put it back in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before serving,right ? It says to let stand,I’m assuming I put it in fridge for this.
Thankyou,
I know it will be a hit!
Yay! You can let it set out at room temperature to set. You could also put it in the fridge. It would definitely set quicker if put in the fridge. I hope you enjoy it! You’ll have to let us know how it turns out.
Can I use a lactose free milk for the custard? and a dairy free heavy whipping cream for the ganache? Please let me know, I’m looking forward to trying this out soon. thank you.
Yes, both of those substitutions should yield a similar result. I have never tried it using the dairy free options, but I imagine they would work fine. You’ll have to let me know how it turns out!
Do I stir or wisk the filling while it’s being heated?
I whisk it. The whisk helps to create a much smoother custard.
I made the boston creme cake for my daughTer’s bIrthday and Everyone raved about how delicious the cake was. It was messy to cut but the guests didn’t mind one bit. It was all gone in a matter of minutes. She said it was better than Nana’s, and Nana’s was her favorite until now.
Woohoo!! Love to hear things like this! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Boston cream Pie is a favorite of my husbands. the picture you took of the cake slice looks sooo yummy! What recipe do you use for your cake?
Love Bostom cream flavor! This recipe is from Alicia at http://www.thebakerupstairs.com/. I am not sure if she used a store bought cake or made from scratch. But, you can always leave her a comment regarding the recipe.
Making this for my son’s birthday party!