The official dessert of Massachusetts: yellow sponge split with thick vanilla diplomat cream and flooded with dark chocolate glaze, invented at the Parker House Hotel in 1856
Boston Cream Pie is a cake, not a pie: the name reflects 19th-century American baking terminology in which cakes baked in pie tins (more common in home kitchens than round cake tins) were called pies. The dish was created at the Parker House Hotel in Boston in 1856 by Armenian chef Sanzian, and it became the official state dessert of Massachusetts in 1996. The concept is French in origin; génoise cake split with crème pâtissière, glazed with chocolate, adapted to the American taste for taller, simpler, and sweeter preparations. The vanilla pastry cream in the centre is the structural and flavour core of the dish: a thick, cold, set crème pâtissière that must be stiff enough to hold the cake layers apart but soft enough to yield immediately to the fork. Boston Cream Pie was among the first American desserts to treat vanilla pastry cream as a flavour destination rather than a neutral binder; the custard is the filling and the point, not a vehicle for fruit or other flavourings.
Ingredients
sponge
225 g plain (all-purpose) flour
200 g caster (superfine) sugar
2.5 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp fine sea salt
115 g unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
180 ml whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pastry cream
500 ml whole milk
1 vanilla pod, split and scraped, or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
80 g caster sugar
40 g cornflour (cornstarch)
30 g unsalted butter, cubed
glaze
200 g dark chocolate (55-65% cocoa solids), finely chopped
200 ml double cream (heavy cream)
1 tbsp golden syrup or corn syrup (for gloss)
Method
Make the pastry cream: heat the milk with the vanilla pod and seeds until steaming. Whisk yolks, sugar, and cornflour together until smooth. Pour warm milk over in a thin stream while whisking. Return to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the cream bubbles and is very thick; 2-3 minutes of boiling. Remove from heat, whisk in the cold butter. Press cling film onto the surface and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 2 hours.
Make the cake: preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, fan 160°C). Grease and flour two 20cm (8-inch) round cake tins, or one 23cm (9-inch) tin (if one tin, split the cake after baking). Beat butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla, beating after each addition.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just smooth.
Divide batter between prepared tins. Bake 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and the tops are golden. Cool in tins 10 minutes, then on a wire rack until completely cool.
Make the chocolate glaze: heat the cream until just below boiling. Pour over the chopped chocolate and golden syrup. Leave 2 minutes, then stir from the centre outward until smooth and glossy. Cool to pouring consistency; it should flow but not run off immediately.
Assemble: place one cake layer on a serving plate. Whisk the cold pastry cream until smooth and spread thickly over the top; at least 1cm deep. Place the second cake layer on top, pressing gently.
Pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, using the back of a spoon to encourage it to drip over the edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until the glaze sets. Serve cold or at cool room temperature.
Notes
Boston Cream Pie is best served the day it is assembled, when the pastry cream is cold and the glaze is freshly set. It will keep refrigerated for up to 2 days, though the cake softens slightly. The pastry cream can be made 2 days ahead; the cake layers can be made 1 day ahead and wrapped in cling film. Do not freeze: the custard separates on thawing.
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