Some cakes come and go, but Boston Cream Pie has been part of my family for most of my life. I first tasted it when I was a young teenager, after my Mom made it for us, and I can still remember that first bite.
It was like a little piece of heaven in cake form. LOL.
There was something about the combination of that soft vanilla cake, creamy homemade custard, and chocolate glaze that I absolutely loved. I started making Boston Cream Pie myself when I was still a teenager, and all these years later, I’m still making the same recipe.
As I was gathering pictures for this post, I noticed something that made me laugh. One of my sons seemed to show up in picture after picture with a Boston Cream Pie for his birthday.
Apparently, I should have figured out a long time ago that this is his favorite cake.
It has been requested for quite a few birthdays in our family over the years, and I’ve also turned the recipe into cupcakes a few times. No matter how I make it, though, that first bite still takes me right back to the first time my Mom made it.
A Little Boston Cream Pie History
I always think it’s funny that Boston Cream Pie is called a pie when it’s actually a cake. The original Boston Cream Pie was created at Boston’s Parker House, where sponge cake was filled with vanilla custard and topped with chocolate icing. It was originally known as Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie, and it eventually became the official state dessert of Massachusetts.
Why This Boston Cream Pie Is So Special to Me
Despite the name, Boston Cream Pie is actually a cake. Mine has two layers of light vanilla cake with homemade custard tucked between them and a simple chocolate glaze over the top.
I think the homemade custard is what really makes this cake.
You could certainly take shortcuts, but this is one of those recipes where I think making the custard from scratch is worth the little bit of extra effort. It’s creamy and vanilla-y, and when it’s sandwiched between the cake layers with chocolate on top, everything just works together.
This isn’t a fancy, complicated birthday cake covered in decorations. It’s the kind of cake that has been sitting on our family’s birthday tables for years because everyone loves eating it.
Those are usually my favorite recipes anyway.
Boston Cream Pie Recipe
For the Cake
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups sifted flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup salad oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 egg yolks
Separate the eggs, keeping the yolks because you’ll use them later in the cake batter.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the 1/2 cup of sugar while continuing to beat. Beat until stiff peaks form, then set the egg whites aside.
In another bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
Add the oil, half of the milk, and vanilla. Mix at medium speed for one minute.
Add the remaining milk and the egg yolks. Beat for one minute longer.
Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter. You don’t want to aggressively stir them in because those fluffy egg whites help give the Boston Cream Pie its lovely texture.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes. Check the cake with a toothpick to determine when it is done.
Allow the cake to cool completely before assembling.
A Chocolate Cake Variation
You can also turn the cake portion into chocolate cake.
Remove 1 cup of the flour and substitute 1 1/2 cups of cocoa powder.
I’ve always loved recipes that can be changed up depending on what you’re in the mood for, and this gives you another fun version to try.
Turning Boston Cream Pie Into Cupcakes
I’ve made Boston Cream Pie cupcakes a few times, too.
When using this cake recipe for cupcakes, add an additional 1/2 to 1 cup of milk to the batter.
Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled, you can fill them with the homemade custard and finish them with chocolate glaze. You still get that wonderful cake, custard, and chocolate combination, only in an individual serving.
They’re especially fun when you want the flavor of Boston Cream Pie without having to slice and serve a whole cake.
Homemade Custard Filling
This creamy custard is my favorite part of Boston Cream Pie, although the chocolate glaze is giving it some pretty stiff competition.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
Combine the sugar, flour, salt, and milk in a saucepan.
Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil.
Once it reaches a hard boil, remove it from the heat.
Before adding the beaten egg directly to the hot custard, temper it first. Spoon a small amount of the hot custard mixture into the beaten egg while stirring. Continue adding a little more of the hot mixture until the egg has warmed gradually.
This is an important little step. If you add a cold beaten egg directly into a very hot mixture, you can end up with little pieces of scrambled egg in your pudding, and nobody wants scrambled eggs hiding inside their Boston Cream Pie.
Slowly stir the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan.
Return the custard to the heat just until it comes back to a boil, stirring constantly.
Remove it from the stove and stir in the butter and vanilla.
Refrigerate the custard until it has cooled completely.
For an extra food-safety check when making homemade custards, the FDA recommends heating egg-containing custard mixtures to 160°F. A food thermometer makes this easy to check.
Chocolate Glaze
The final part of this Boston Cream Pie is the chocolate glaze.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Hot water, as needed
Directions
Melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter together in the microwave or in a double boiler.
Stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
Add a small amount of hot water at a time until the glaze reaches the consistency you want.
You want it thin enough to spread over the cake, but not so thin that all of that wonderful chocolate runs right off.
How to Assemble Boston Cream Pie
Make sure both the cake and custard are completely cool before you start assembling your Boston Cream Pie.
Place one cake layer on your serving plate.
Spread the chilled homemade custard over the cake, then carefully place the second cake layer on top.
Finish by spreading the chocolate glaze over the top.
And this is one cake where I don’t mind if some of that chocolate decides to wander down the sides a little. It doesn’t have to look like it came from a bakery. It just has to taste good.
Because of the homemade custard filling, keep your finished Boston Cream Pie refrigerated.
I actually think there’s something especially wonderful about cutting into the chilled cake and seeing that thick layer of custard between the two layers.
A Few Tips I’ve Learned Along the Way
Let everything cool before assembling. Don’t try to put warm custard between warm cake layers. Give both plenty of time to cool first.
Temper the egg. Take the extra minute to gradually warm the beaten egg with some of the hot custard before adding it to the saucepan. It’s a very small step that can save your custard.
Don’t rush the egg whites. Beat them until you have stiff peaks, then fold them gently into the batter rather than stirring vigorously.
Sift the flour before measuring. The recipe calls for 2 cups sifted flour, which means the flour should be sifted first and then measured.
Keep the finished cake refrigerated. The homemade custard makes this a cake that belongs in the refrigerator rather than sitting on the counter.
A Birthday Cake Full of Memories
I don’t know how many times I’ve made this Boston Cream Pie since I was a teenager.
What I do know is that it has followed me through a whole lot of life.
It started with my Mom making it and giving me that first bite that I thought tasted like a little piece of heaven. Then I learned to make it myself. Eventually, I started making it for my own family, and it became a birthday request.
And apparently, judging by all those birthday pictures I’ve collected over the years, one son in particular has been requesting it an awful lot.
I love that.
Sometimes you don’t realize you’re creating a family tradition while you’re in the middle of it. You’re just baking the cake someone asked for on their birthday. Then years later, you look through the pictures and realize the same cake has been sitting there beside the same smiling kid year after year.
That’s what makes this Boston Cream Pie so much more than another cake recipe to me.
It’s my Mom, my teenage years, my kids’ birthdays, and years of family memories layered together with homemade custard and chocolate.
And yes, after all these years, I still think it tastes like a little piece of heaven in cake form.
Making every house feel a little more like home.
