Version 1
The classic Boston Cream Pie is not really a pie as the name implies, but pastry cream sandwiched between cake layers finished with a chocolate ganache. The final product is a rich and creamy cake. I used the recipe from the cakelets featured on the HoneyandButter blog. The hot milk cake has been one of my favorite go to recipes ever since.
I love to imagine the different ways I can decorate the cake. The ganache provides a perfect backdrop to get creative. I've made two renditions of this cake. The first was with the fruit topping and pocky featured above, while the second was lined with pirouette cookies.
Version 2
I used pocky sticks (alternating in strawberry and chocolate) and pirouette cookies to line the outer part of the cake. You could always have a more raw-looking version that showcases the sandwiched pastry cream filling.
Recipe
Boston Cream Pie Cake
Adapted from HoneyandButter blog
Hot Milk Sponge Cake (for two 9-inch cakes)
Ingredients
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
12 Tb butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
1.) Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
2.) Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
3.) Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in bowl A.
4.) Add the milk and butter to a saucepan and bring to a boil on low heat.
5.) Beat the eggs and sugar on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes using a stand or hand-held mixer. Beat until ribbon stage or the mixture is lightened in color and the batter falls slowly like a ribbon when the beater is lifted up.
6.) Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.
7.) With mixer on low speed, slowly add the hot milk mixture to the batter and mix just until smooth.
8.) Add vanilla to batter and mix in.
9.) Distribute batter to cake pans.
10.) Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
11.) Let cool on wire rack.
hot milk sponge cake
Pastry cream
** make this at least 3 hours ahead of time
Ingredients
2 cups of milk or half and half
1/2 up sugar
5 large egg yolks
3 Tb cornstarch
4 Tb unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
1.) In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk, salt and 6 Tb of sugar to a simmer with occasional stirring.
2.) In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and 2 Tb of sugar until sugar begins to dissolve. Whisk in cornstarch for about 30 seconds until mixture is pale yellow and thick.
3.) When milk mixture is brought to a simmer, gradually add to the egg yolk mixture while whisking to temper.
4.) When all combined, add the mixture back to the saucepan. With constant whisking, bring to a simmer until the mixture is thick and glossy and a few bubbles burst on the surface.
5.) Bring mixture off the heat and whisk in butter and vanilla.
6.) Strain pastry cream into a separate bowl.
7.) Cover with cling-wrap, with the cling-wrap directly adhering to the surface of the pastry cream.
8.) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or preferably over-night.
Chocolate Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz chopped chocolate
1.) Microwave heavy cream and chocolate in 30 second increments and stir in between.
Sugar Syrup (for fruit)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1.) Bring water and sugar to a bowl over medium-high heat.
2.) Turn heat to low and continue to heat mixture for 3 to 5 minutes with stirring in between.
3.) Take off heat ensuring that sugar crystals are all dissolved.
Assembly of Boston Cream Pie cake
1.) Level hot milk cakes with serrated knife
2.) Fill middle layer with pastry cream. If you have a cake collar, it may come in handy at this point as the weight of the cake tends to cause the pastry cream to ooze out.
3.) Spread chocolate ganache, while still warm, to the top of the cake.
4.) Refrigerate for 1 hour.
5.) When ganache has set, line the circumference of the cake with pirouettes, pocky, kit-kats, etc.
6.) Coat decorative fruit with sugar syrup and arrange as desired.
fruit covered in sugar syrup
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