Boston Cream Pie

One of Scott's favorite desserts is Boston cream pie, eclairs, cannoli, or basically any recipe that calls for the combination of some kind of base pastry/cake, cream filling and chocolate. For two years in a row now, I have made him a Boston cream pie for his birthday and I wanted to start documenting my recipe so I can just get better and better! Everyone LOVED this one from Life Love and Sugar, so with my notes added, enjoy!

Boston Cream Pie

INGREDIENTS:

PASTRY CREAM
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup (155g) sugar
4 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups (480ml) milk
2 tbsp (14g) salted Challenge Butter, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract (using dark vanilla can change the color of the cream to a darker color)

VANILLA CAKE
2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (168g) unsalted Challenge Butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (300ml) milk

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
6 oz (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp corn syrup
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Cream:
1. To make the pastry cream, put the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl and gently beat them together. Set aside.
2. Add the sugar, cornstarch and milk to a large saucepan and mix until smooth.
3. Cook, stirring continuously, over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken and bubble.
4. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
5. Add a little bit of milk mixture to the egg yolks and whisk together, then add egg mixture to milk mixture. This process ensures that you don’t cook the egg yolks too quickly. (Go slow, careful, and just little bits at a time.)
6. Place everything back in the pan and the pan back on the heat and bring to a light boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
7. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth, then pour into a bowl and cover with clear wrap pressed against the top so that it doesn’t get a film on top and set in the fridge to cool completely.

Cake:
8. To make the cake layers, prepare two 9 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
9. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
10. Add the butter, sugar and oil to and large mixer bowl and beat together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Do not skimp on the creaming time.
11. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until completely combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
12. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined.
13. Add the milk and mix until well combined. The batter will look a little curdled, but that’s ok. (I tried using warmed milk just in case the curdling was from the butter getting cold again, but it's not, so don't bother.
14. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix the batter.
15. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
16. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

Assembly:
17. To put the cake together, use a large serrated knife to remove any domes from the tops of the cakes so they are flat.
18. Place first cake layer on a serving platter (my red pie plate holder is too narrow in the well to safely hold the Boston cream pie, so use the bigger white cake holder), then top with the pastry cream. If needed, give the pastry cream a good stir with a whisk to smooth it out before adding it to the cake.
19. Add the second cake layer to the top of the cake. If you have cut the dome off the top cake to make it flat, place this top cake on upside down with the bottom crust surface facing up to avoid crumbs in the ganache.

Ganache:
20. To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate chips and corn syrup to a medium bowl.
21. Heat the heavy whipping cream just until it begins to boil, then pour over the chocolate chips and corn syrup. Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
22. Pour the chocolate on top of the cake, in the center, then spread out towards the edges, letting some of the chocolate drip down the sides.
23. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Cake is best if eaten within 2-3 days and well covered.

NOTES
Although the pastry cream can be made a couple days ahead and the cake layers can be made a day ahead, I recommend putting the cake together within a couple hours of serving so the chocolate is fresh.