Fourth of July
Best Boston Cream Pie
Popular on Food52
83 Reviews
Cheryl
March 16, 2023
This is a really fabulous recipe. True it’s not a purest Boston cream pie. I’ve made many - this is become my new favorite recipe. I just made it for a friends birthday and everyone was very impressed. I used a strong coffee and made the recipe according to the directions here. While there were several steps, they were all quite simple. The addition of the coffee added to complexity of flavor, then elevated the recipe. I’m already looking forward to making it again – just looking for the right occasion.
Jessica F.
April 19, 2022
Making this recipe was a labor of love, but it was worth every minute of it. It’s absolutely delicious and was well-received. The only challenge was that the pastry cream and ganache recipes were separate and it would have been much easier if they were all in one place or had links embedded. I’ll definitely make it again.
Bumdadeebum D.
April 2, 2016
I've never frozen pastry cream before. Does freezing it affect the texture at all? Does it become more "watery" once it has thawed, or does it maintain the original consistency it and before it was frozen?
Bumdadeebum D.
April 2, 2016
Is the finished cake a small rectangle (5" x 8")? The picture shown above the recipe shows a single serving on a black plate; it looks like a wedge of cake, so I am wondering if I've misunderstood... is it rectangular & quite small? Would I need two batches to serve 8 people?
Sami
February 9, 2016
Does the lemon juice in the cake serve some structural purpose for the cake or is it for flavor? (In other words, can I omit it?)
nannydeb
February 6, 2016
Boston Cream Pie is my brother's fave cake and I've tried a dozen recipes. I appreciate the instructions in this one to tell you what to expect and more detail on what to look for. I would've appreciated more detail on folding the pastry cream into the whipped cream because it seemed impossible and I freaked out thinking I was going to have to start that component over since it looked horrible. However, I persisted and it actually does incorporate eventually without flattening the whipped cream. It's now in the freezer and I feel confident about the rest of the process and result. I can't wait to give it to him tomorrow and taste it myself!
Lara S.
December 21, 2015
I've made this a number of times and the pastry cream recipe, once you find it, is the best I've ever had. I think though that using a 13x18 baking sheet produces a cake that, in my opinion, is too flat. I use a 9x13 brownie pan and get a fuller cake that is actually easier to stack.
jennifer
October 18, 2015
As many have asked about the whereabouts of the pastry cream and ganache recipes, I'll bump up the correct answer I found buried in the comments - click on Joanne Cheng at the top of the recipe - this will take you to her page and to her recipes. Really not an intuitive route at all....at least for me....but there it is. Would have made so much more sense to just include all in the recipe. Hope the finished dish is worth the aggravated search.....it does sound like it might! I'll post my results.
Ceege
June 27, 2015
Vicki, no problem about the name. Thank you for your help. I am really looking forward to making this recipe. Thanks again.
Ashlyn
June 26, 2015
Look at my boards. Pastry cream and ganache are both under Sauces and Creams. Hope this helps!
Ceege
June 26, 2015
Could someone who has already made this cake please tell me where to find the cream filling and ganache recipes. In the ingredients it lists 1 3/4 cup of pastry cream (see separate recipe) and 1 cup ganache (see separate recipe).
However, when I click on them, the recipe does not appear. I have searched and searched this recipe numerous times and those two parts of the recipe are not to be found. What am I missing. How do I get them? Thank you so much for any help out there.
However, when I click on them, the recipe does not appear. I have searched and searched this recipe numerous times and those two parts of the recipe are not to be found. What am I missing. How do I get them? Thank you so much for any help out there.
Becca
June 27, 2015
http://food52.com/blog/6748-boston-cream-pie-and-career-advice-from-joanne-chang
Here you go
Here you go
Ceege
June 25, 2015
Please please tell me where to find the rest of this recipe. I have searched and searched for the pastry cream and the ganache. I need to get all the ingredients for this recipe, but can only find the "cake" part. Someone please help. Thank you
Becca
June 25, 2015
cake is in the freezer right now... I haven't tried it yet, but did try the individual components and can tell that I will LOVE this... :) Thx!!
Dona
February 22, 2015
I just took this cake out of the freezer and poured over the ganache. I will be serving it in 7 hours. Should I put it in the fridge or leave it on the counter?
Anita A.
December 31, 2014
Found it! Try this:https://food52.com/blog/6748-boston-cream-pie-and-career-advice-from-joanne-chang
Anita A.
December 31, 2014
I have looked through this at least 10 times and see no link for the pastry cream or ganache.
Elle B.
November 18, 2014
I have read the recipe three times and moved the cursor over every word to find the recipes for the pastry cream and the ganache. I just can't see them. Of course I can find them elsewhere but why should it be so difficult? This should be fixed through editing process.
Love the recipe otherwise, sounds delicious!
Love the recipe otherwise, sounds delicious!
Atlanticgull
June 23, 2014
I have tried many BCP recipes over the years and have NEVER found one as successful and perfect as this. I can't rave enough about every aspect. The subtle coffee flavor, the quality of the pastry cream filling, the delicate sponge cake....It doubled easily to make a larger cake (and thinking I would have leftovers...ha!) Joanne, your instructions are perfect. Thanks you so much for this.
Melissa
April 27, 2014
I recently made this cake again for my son's 16th birthday. I added some fresh strawberry slices in the pastry cream because he likes strawberries. The result was divine!! It looked so pretty on the sides, and the taste was so delicious as chocolate ganache and strawberries go so well together!
Rosemary
December 30, 2013
Thank you for this recipe - I have had this numerous times at Flour so when I came across this, I knew I had to make it for my husband's birthday! It was delicious and everyone loved it! And not too complicated to make - just took a little time :)
Joanne C.
September 30, 2013
HI Faezah- I haven't made this in an 8 inch round yet. I wonder if you pour all of the batter in the round if it will over flow? If you have four 8 inch round cake pans that you can divide the batter into that might be easier. Or try putting in into two pans and splitting the layers. I would not adjust oven temp and as for time I would go by sight- till it is light golden brwon- hard to say how long that will be without having done it before, sorry!! Keep me posted. Joanne
Faezah
September 29, 2013
Hi there. I need to make this cake in 8' round version. How to adjust the oven temparature n baking time. Thank u thank u...
Mathieu C.
September 5, 2013
Hi Joanne
I made the cake on three occasion, I can't seemed to get the lift on the cake. It looks flatter than your version. Any though on what I might be doing wrong ?
Thanks
I made the cake on three occasion, I can't seemed to get the lift on the cake. It looks flatter than your version. Any though on what I might be doing wrong ?
Thanks
Joanne C.
September 6, 2013
Hi Mathieu- it's hard for me to know without seeing it- it is definitely a flat cake so maybe you're not doing anything wrong? Be sure not to overwhip your whites- that will lead the cake not to rise. Send a pic and I'll take a look!
Melissa
August 30, 2013
Just made this cake for my own birthday. Wow...it is so delicious that all the work is worth it! Got many compliments, even my husband who does not eat sweets loved this cake. I had a hard time lifting the 4 small sponge cakes from the parchment paper though. Am I the only one? For some reason they got sticky and had sweat beads like on top of a meringue pie. I live in Houston and it was very humid when I made it. I had to use wide spatula to support lifting each piece, but still broke one in the process. Any tip would be much appreciated!! Thank you, Joanne, for this wonderful recipe!
Joanne C.
August 31, 2013
Thank you Melissa- I'm so glad to hear! I wonder if the humidity got to your cakes OR perhaps you could bake them a touch longer so they are not quite so sticky. Hard for me to say without seeing it- they should come off fairly easily from the parchment so I'm thinking it might be a bit underbaked. Either way it sounds like it was a success!
Melissa
August 31, 2013
Thank you so much for your suggestion! I think you are right about baking it longer because I did cut down baking time for my convection oven is hotter than normal. I will definitely try again soon to see if it helps. (I will just "have to" eat them all by myself this time : ) ) BTW, my mother commented this cake is better than all she's had in famous coffee houses in Vienna when we visited last month. I was so pleased!
darksideofthespoon
August 29, 2013
I used my own pastry cream recipe (no flour, uses 1 egg and cornstarch instead) so this might be isolated because of that, but after trying some of the trimming (we're serving it tomorrow) I gotta say - the filling is SO greasy on the palate. It's good, don't get me wrong, but I can't get past the mouth feel of the pastry cream/whipping cream.
Joanne C.
August 31, 2013
Hi! I wonder if it is your pastry cream recipe? the whipped cream lightens the pastry cream so it's not so gluey and greasy so it might be that. I hope you ended up enjoying it! THanks for trying it!
darksideofthespoon
August 31, 2013
I'm not sure if it was because the trimmings I had just came out of the freezer, but maybe that's why it had a weird mouth feel. To say it was a hit last night would be an understatement and I didn't notice any greasiness at all! So... I take everything back! ;)
Vicki B.
August 13, 2013
I made this cake for my daughter a few days ago. We've been away in the mountains for the summer and knew before coming that this was the cake I'd be making for my daughters 24th birthday. Having gone to school in Boston she fell in love with Boston Cream Pie. I saw this recipe in Joanne's book, I have both Flour cookbooks, so made sure to bring it along. After reading the recipe many times over we were ready to make it. I however had a different interpretation of the number of egg yolks and whites than my daughter. I called the bakery but they were already closed for the day.
I thought it took 4 egg yolks and 7 egg whites, while my daughter thought it only took 4 egg yolks and 3 egg whites. Thank goodness for this post I was able to confirm the number of eggs. To think it could have been a disaster had we made it the other way.
I was proud of the way it turned out although quite time consuming. One note, the coffee flavor definitely disappeared after being refrigerated overnight. We enjoyed it's mild flavor much better that way. I think an extra day in the frig is the way to go.
Feel free to stop by my blog to see the results. Great cookbook and recipes. Looking forward to stopping by the bakery next time I'm in Boston.
Vicki Bensinger
www.VickiBensinger.com
I thought it took 4 egg yolks and 7 egg whites, while my daughter thought it only took 4 egg yolks and 3 egg whites. Thank goodness for this post I was able to confirm the number of eggs. To think it could have been a disaster had we made it the other way.
I was proud of the way it turned out although quite time consuming. One note, the coffee flavor definitely disappeared after being refrigerated overnight. We enjoyed it's mild flavor much better that way. I think an extra day in the frig is the way to go.
Feel free to stop by my blog to see the results. Great cookbook and recipes. Looking forward to stopping by the bakery next time I'm in Boston.
Vicki Bensinger
www.VickiBensinger.com
Vicki B.
August 31, 2013
Unfortunately I didn't trim my edges. My daughter insisted they looked perfect. After all it was her cake. I think my edges could have been straighter but then, she loved and that's all that matters.
Vivian H.
August 4, 2013
I think I'll skip all the steps and just come to Boston! Gorgeous. Saved recipe for a really rainy day in Detroit.
Kitchen B.
June 22, 2013
I love, love, love this dessert. I've made it twice. And well on my way to a third.
The first time, I split the cake into 6 parts, so I could make two variations - one as advertised with coffee, and the other with orange syrup.
Both were delicious. The coffee version reminded me of Tiramisu and the orange one was delightful and fragrant with a zip of citrus freshness.
The second time it was for my sister's 30th and we went with the coffee version. She absolutely loved it but I strangely found it too sweet.
I am on version 3 and it will be a kumquat one. I intend to soak the cake with a kumquat syrup (not sure whether I'll add some liqueur yet) and then top it with sliced poached kumquats before I layer the cream on.
To counteract the sweetness I've reduced the sugar in the pastry cream to1/3 cup and not the recommended 1/2 cup. The texture of the pastry cream seems 'regular' and hope it will let the other ingredients shine through.
The ganache works super well with the cake too - contrasting the flavours - a bit of rich and dark.
Finally, I absolutely love how clean the edges get once 'trimmed' - the trimmings make for delicious snacking and you end up with a truly professional looking product in your home kitchen.
Thanks for a superb recipe.
The first time, I split the cake into 6 parts, so I could make two variations - one as advertised with coffee, and the other with orange syrup.
Both were delicious. The coffee version reminded me of Tiramisu and the orange one was delightful and fragrant with a zip of citrus freshness.
The second time it was for my sister's 30th and we went with the coffee version. She absolutely loved it but I strangely found it too sweet.
I am on version 3 and it will be a kumquat one. I intend to soak the cake with a kumquat syrup (not sure whether I'll add some liqueur yet) and then top it with sliced poached kumquats before I layer the cream on.
To counteract the sweetness I've reduced the sugar in the pastry cream to1/3 cup and not the recommended 1/2 cup. The texture of the pastry cream seems 'regular' and hope it will let the other ingredients shine through.
The ganache works super well with the cake too - contrasting the flavours - a bit of rich and dark.
Finally, I absolutely love how clean the edges get once 'trimmed' - the trimmings make for delicious snacking and you end up with a truly professional looking product in your home kitchen.
Thanks for a superb recipe.
enthous
June 17, 2013
Good start, but too sweet. All that work and it was another sugary sweet dessert. I expected a richer, less typical result for all that work. The ganache was great, using 70% Belgian chocolate. The pastry cream needs less sugar so the richness can shine. I may try again reducing sugar in the pastry cream, cake and the coffee syrup. Maybe a little liqueur in the coffee syrup would help. It was beautiful and impressive looking.
Joanne C.
June 18, 2013
Yes liqueur would def cut down a bit on the sweetness! Be careful abt reducing sugar in syrup too much- if syrup is watery it will make cake soggy not moist. But you could def cut down a little bit to make it less sweet!
za'atar
June 9, 2013
This cake is time-consuming, but delicious. I will definitely be returning to the pastry cream recipe again and again. I'm not sure if it was correct or not, but I ended up using 7 egg whites for the sponge cake, and it turned out great.
Joanne C.
June 18, 2013
7 egg whites total- 4 from the whole eggs which get separated and 3 additional whites!
nanw.
June 2, 2013
is this super hard? it looks fabulous for parties but i usually can't spend ALL day on the cake alone. please help out
YellowTulips
June 3, 2013
It isn't difficult, really. And when you read the recipes for the ganache and pastry cream, you'll see you can prepare them a few days in advance.
enthous
June 17, 2013
It's not that difficult, but it has a lot of steps and is time consuming. You'll use a lot of bowls!
Joanne C.
June 18, 2013
You can make a lot of the components ahead of time and you can also freeze the cake so it's ready for you when you want it!
Kitchen B.
June 22, 2013
I intend to freeze the kumquat version I'm in the process of making for a party in mid-July! One thing off that list :-)
karin.anderson.52
June 2, 2013
You find the recipes for pastry cream and ganache if you click on Joanne Chang's name on top of this post, and then, in her profile on "recipes".
YellowTulips
June 3, 2013
You're so right - usually I'm more resourceful like that. This time I commented first and looked second.
Doug W.
June 2, 2013
I really don't like coffee, what else can I use?
Doug
Doug
jfoureur
June 3, 2013
betting a raspberry (or almond) liquer or thinned syrup, would be good........ also curious about using "earl-grey" tea
Kitchen B.
June 8, 2013
I made an orange syrup and it was divine! I also made the coffee and it was just as I'd thought - like Tiramisu! It went in minutes and we're making another one right now!
Joanne C.
June 18, 2013
I love all of these ideas- definitely use another flavor if you don't like coffee- just make sure it's something that goes well w chocolate since that is such a big part of the flavor profile of this cake.
Meatballs&Milkshakes
June 2, 2013
Absolutely love Joanne's book, everything I've made from it is unbelievable....definitely my dessert island cookbook! Will have to get around to this one soon!
Debbie J.
June 2, 2013
The links for pastry cream and ganache are missing from this post. Hopefully someone will see that and correct.
Ceege
June 2, 2013
The pastry cream and ganache recipes are not posted with this recipe on this site. How can I obtain these before trying out this cake.
YellowTulips
June 2, 2013
I'd love Joanne's recipes for the pastry cream and ganache - are there links? Thank you!
Kitchen B.
May 31, 2013
Somehow I'm imagining the flavours in my head....and I'm thinking of Tiramisu. Well, I'm in the process of making it for tomorrow so will know the 'truth' :-)
Joanne C.
June 18, 2013
Yes it's very much like Tiramisu except that there's no mascarpone so it's a little lighter and less rich and there's no alcohol so it's a little sweeter. I'm so glad you enjoyed it- I loved your substitutions!
Lena K.
May 28, 2013
This looks so good, can't wait to try. Would you please add links to pastry cream and ganache?
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