The Massachusetts state dessert, first served at Boston's Parker House in 1856: two tender sponge layers filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with a glossy chocolate glaze. Serves 10.
Boston cream pie is really a cake. It was created in 1856 at the Parker House hotel in Boston, where the French chef Augustine Anezin layered a light sponge with pastry cream and topped it with chocolate, a new idea at the time. Cakes were often baked in pie tins then, and the name stuck.
In 1996 it became the official state dessert of Massachusetts, and the Omni Parker House still serves it today. Make the pastry cream first so it can chill while the cake bakes.
Ingredients
Pastry cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sponge cake
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Chocolate glaze
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Make the filling. Heat the 2 cups of milk until steaming. In a bowl, whisk the yolks, the 1/2 cup sugar and the cornstarch until smooth, then whisk in the hot milk a little at a time. Return it to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking, until it boils and thickens, about 1 minute more. Off the heat, whisk in the 2 tablespoons butter and the vanilla.
Chill the filling. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the filling and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.
Prepare the pans. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
Make the batter. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Beat the 3 eggs and 1 cup sugar on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes, then beat in the vanilla. Heat the 1/2 cup milk with the 4 tablespoons butter until the butter melts. Fold the flour mixture into the eggs, then stir in the hot milk mixture.
Bake. Divide the batter between the pans and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and springy. Cool 10 minutes, then turn the layers out onto a rack to cool completely.
Assemble. Set one layer on a plate, spread it with the cold filling, and top with the second layer.
Glaze. Heat the heavy cream until steaming, pour it over the chopped chocolate, wait 2 minutes, and stir until smooth. Pour it over the top of the cake, letting a little run down the sides. Chill 30 minutes to set.
Tips
Keep Boston cream pie in the refrigerator because of the pastry cream, and eat it within 3 days.
The pastry cream can be made a day ahead.
For neat slices, use a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts.
Questions about this recipe
Why is it called a pie when it is a cake?
In the 1800s, cakes were often baked in pie tins, and the words pie and cake were used loosely. The Parker House's creation kept the name, and it became Boston cream pie.
Is Boston cream pie the Massachusetts state dessert?
Yes. It was named the official state dessert of Massachusetts in 1996, honoring its creation at Boston's Parker House in 1856.
