Today’s Spotlight is on Boston Cream Pie.

A Boston cream pie is a cake with a cream filling. The dessert acquired its name when cakes and pies were cooked in the same pans, pie tins were more common than cake pans, and the words were used interchangeably. In the late 19th century, this type of cake was variously called a “cream pie”, a “chocolate cream pie”, or a “custard cake”.

The Boston cream pie is a sponge cake. The cake batter was originally baked in a pie crust. At some point, the crust was eliminated, and the batter was poured directly into the pie pan.

 

History

Boston Cream Pie is a remake of the early American “Pudding-cake pie”. It’s made of layers of pastry surrounding a custard filling, with a chocolate glaze on top. The dessert was created in 1856 by Armenian-French chef Mossburg Sanzian at the Parker House Hotel in Boston. The hotel is now known as the Omni Parker House. The dessert was first served at the hotel’s opening in 1856.  The chef who created the dessert was Armenian-French chef Mossburg Sanzian. The Omni Parker House is located in downtown Boston, along the Freedom Trail. The hotel is also known for inventing the Parker House roll and coining the word “scrod”. The hotel was the first in the city to have hot-and-cold running water and an elevator.

The dessert was originally served as the “Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie”. The name “pie” may have been a result of baking trends in the 1800s. Today, Boston Cream Pie is Massachusetts’ official state dessert.

The Boston cream pie was declared the official state dessert of Massachusetts in 1996. A civics class from Norton High School sponsored the bill. The pie beat out other candidates, including the toll house cookie and Indian pudding.

 

Here are some fun facts about the Boston cream pie:

• The world’s largest Boston cream pie was created in 2010 by culinary students at Southern New Hampshire University.
• Chocolate frosting was a new idea when the Boston cream pie was invented, so it became popular quickly.
• The dessert was called a “cream pie”, “chocolate cream pie”, or “custard cake” in the late 19th century.
• Bakers in 19th century Boston made cakes in pie pans, so the dessert became known as a pie.

 

Here is a Boston Cream Pie Recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 cup cane sugar 200g
• ½ cup whole milk 120mL
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 70g
• 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons, 140g
• 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream 60mL
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped

Pastry Cream Ingredients:

• 6 egg yolks room temp
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole milk 480mL
• 1 tbsp butter 15g

 

Instructions:

For the Pastry Cream

1. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan, heat then place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat and set.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and thickened. Sift in the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the pot for later.
3. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the pot. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Cook while whisking for an additional minute or two after thickening and boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly then cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator.

 

For the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray or butter and flour it. Line bottom with parchment paper and spray again.
2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then whisk together and set aside.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, add eggs and sugar. Beat on medium speed until pale, thick, and fluffy, about 4 minutes. (Beater should leave a trail in eggs when lifted.)
4. Meanwhile, in a glass measuring cup, combine milk and butter. Microwave on high in 30 second intervals until butter is melted and milk is steaming.
5. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, beating just until combined. Stir vanilla into hot milk mixture. Slowly pour hot milk mixture into egg mixture beating until fully combined. (Batter will look like thick pancake batter and have bubbles on top.) Scrape the sides of the bowl and fold batter a few times to insure it’s fulling combined. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and cake begins pulling away from sides of pan, about 33 minutes. Let cool in pan for a few minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Assembly

• Cut cake in half horizontally. Place bottom half, cut side up on a serving plate. Spread the chilled, thickened pastry cream over cake, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with remaining cake half and gently press down to spread filling to edge. Place in fridge and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight; cover with plastic or a cloche if chilling for more than two hours.

For the Ganache

• When ready to serve, place cream in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave cream and optional corn syrup until steaming, about 1 minute. Add chopped chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir chocolate and cream mixture until smooth. Pour it over top of cake, spreading to edges.

 

Consumption:

According to Tastewise, the average person consumes 1.21 Boston cream pies per year. The original recipe from the Parker House Hotel became so popular that it was made into a Betty Crocker boxed cake mix in 1958.

 

Celebrating Boston Cream Pie

National Boston Cream Pie Day is celebrated on October 23. The day celebrates the history of the classic dessert.

Boston Cream Pie Day is celebrated by:

• Eating a slice of the classic cake
• Trying the original recipe
• Bostonians, bakers, and dessert aficionados across the country

Let us know in the comments if you knew that Boston Cream Pie was actually a cake.