Classic Boston Cream Pie (Printable Version)

Tender sponge cake layers with vanilla pastry cream and chocolate ganache topping.

# What You Need:

→ Sponge Cake

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
04 - 1/4 cup whole milk
05 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
06 - 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
07 - 1/4 tsp salt
08 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ Pastry Cream

09 - 2 cups whole milk
10 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
11 - 4 large egg yolks
12 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
13 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
14 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
15 - Pinch of salt

→ Chocolate Ganache

16 - 4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
17 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
18 - 1 tbsp unsalted butter

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans or line with parchment paper.
02 - Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
03 - Beat eggs and sugar with electric mixer until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Mix in vanilla.
04 - Gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.
05 - Mix milk and melted butter together, then fold into batter until smooth.
06 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 22-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn onto racks to cool completely.
07 - Heat milk in saucepan until just simmering.
08 - Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in separate bowl.
09 - Slowly pour hot milk into yolk mixture while whisking constantly. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking, until thick and bubbling, 2-3 minutes.
10 - Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching surface, and chill until cold.
11 - Place chopped chocolate and butter in bowl. Heat cream to simmer, pour over chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes, stir until smooth.
12 - Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread cooled pastry cream evenly over cake. Top with second layer.
13 - Pour chocolate ganache over top, allowing drips down sides. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The contrast between silky pastry cream and tender cake creates texture perfection in every bite
  • Despite its bakery elegance, this recipe comes together with basic pantry staples and straightforward techniques
02 -
  • Press your plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream while it chills to prevent a skin from forming
  • Let your cake layers cool completely before assembling or the pastry cream will melt and slide right off
03 -
  • When folding flour into the egg mixture use a rubber spatula and scrape around the edges then fold through the center
  • If your ganache seizes or looks grainy whisk in a teaspoon of warm cream until smooth again

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