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This classic Boston cream pie is made with two layers of light vanilla sponge cake filled with rich vanilla pastry cream and topped with glossy, rich chocolate ganache. Contrary to the name, it’s a cake and not a pie! Easy to make and completely delicious, you are going to love it!
Why You’ll Love This Boston Cream Pie Recipe
Fluffy cake, pastry cream, and chocolate!? What’s not to love? This dessert is both light in texture and rich. The perfected combination. Let me fill you in on some of the things that make this Boston cream pie one of the best.
- Texture. I love the textural contrast of the layers of light, fluffy cake next to the smooth, luscious pastry cream. Who could say no to that?
- Taste. This is a vanilla and chocolate combination that is classic, simple and so perfect together. The light vanilla cake, rich vanilla pastry cream and chocolatey glaze marry together beautifully.
- Presentation. Elegant yet approachable, there’s no doubt that Boston cream pie is nice to look at. The way the glossy chocolate ganache drapes over the fluffy yellow cake layers and pastry cream makes for one inviting edible art piece.
- Surprisingly easy. It might seem intimidating to make pastry cream, cake, and chocolate ganache but, honestly, each of these components is actually super simple to throw together. You can do it!
What Is Boston Cream Pie?
Less of a pie and more of a cake, this classic American dessert originated in the 1800s in – you guessed it – Boston! It’s comprised of layers of vanilla sponge cake divided by a simple vanilla pastry cream. The dessert is topped with a luscious chocolate ganache and served cold. Why is it called a “pie”? Because long ago, cakes were actually baked in pie tins.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy Boston cream pie recipe and few notable tips. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- Egg yolks – Start with room-temperature eggs. Cold eggs will have a hard time mixing smoothly and easily into the other ingredients. Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Cornstarch – This helps to thicken the pastry cream, along with the eggs.
- Milk – Milk forms the base of the pastry cream. A higher fat content will give you the creamiest texture. I recommend whole milk.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor. I recommend a good quality extract, since a lot of the flavor of your cream and overall cake comes from the vanilla.
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure it properly. Too much flour will give you a dry cake. I recommend a food scale, but you can also use the spoon and level method.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Milk or dark chocolate chips would also work, but will change the consistency of your glaze. Milk chocolate will make it a little thinner and dark chocolate will make it a little thicker
- Corn syrup – This lends a prettier glossy finish to the chocolate glaze, but you can leave it out, if you want.
- Heavy whipping cream – Don’t replace this in the glaze with something else, like milk. It will thin out your glaze.
How to Make Boston Cream Pie
Here’s a quick overview of how to make Boston cream pie. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
To make the pastry cream
- Beat. Beat the egg yolks together gently.
- Cook. Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan and then whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken and simmer.
- Temper. Whisk a little bit of the milk mixture into the egg yolks. Add the egg mixture to milk mixture.
- Cook. Bring the pastry cream to a light boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Finish it off. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract.
- Chill. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl, cover with clear wrap pressed against the top, and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
To make the cake layers
- Prep. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, grease the sides, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Whip. Whip the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract on high speed until pale and fluffy.
- Heat. Heat the milk and butter until the butter is melted and the mixture is very hot.
- Add dry ingredients. Fold half of the dry ingredients into the whipped egg mixture and then fold in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Add hot milk. Gently whisk in the hot milk mixture.
- Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 20-23 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 2-3 minutes before turning them out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
To finish off the cake
- Make the chocolate glaze. Combine the chocolate chips and corn syrup in a bowl. Heat the heavy cream until just boiling and pour it over the chocolate chip mixture. Allow to sit for 1-2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
- Smooth. Give the pastry cream a stir to smooth it out.
- Assemble. Remove the domes from the tops of the cakes and place one cake on a serving platter. Spread the pastry cream over the cake layer and top it with the second cake layer. Pour the chocolate over the top of the cake, then spread out towards the edges.
- Chill. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Making the Pastry Cream
Pastry cream isn’t hard to make, but it must be thickened properly to have success. The eggs must be tempered properly so that you don’t get scramble eggs and a lumpy cream. It also needs to be thickened enough, but not so much that the cornstarch and eggs break down. Keep these tips in mind for the best results.
- Careful with heat. Resist the temptation to turn up the heat in order to cook the pastry cream more quickly. Bring it to a boil slowly so that it gets a chance to thicken properly.
- Get the timing right. You want to cook the pastry cream long enough for the egg yolks to cook and work their thickening magic but not so long that the cornstarch starts to break down. Don’t boil it for too long.
- Temper. Pour a bit of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking them together before folding the egg mixture into the bulk of the hot milk. This will keep the eggs from scrambling.
- Strain it. If you find your cream looks a little lumpy, you can strain it to remove the lumps prior to chilling it.
- Chill. The pastry cream will thicken while cooking, but still may seem a bit thin and not yet thick enough for the cake. It will firm up in the fridge. Let it chill for at least an hour or two, or until it develops an almost gelatin-like, thick texture.
Tips for Success
This easy recipe for Boston cream pie is pretty foolproof but you’ll want to pay close attention to these simple tips and tricks if your goal is to get it right the first time.
- Room temperature eggs. When making the pastry cream and the cake, you will want to start with room-temperature eggs. Cold eggs will not mix smoothly and easily into the pastry cream, making it more difficult to achieve the desired, smooth result. When it comes to the cake batter, room-temperature eggs will hold volume better than cold ones, allowing you to achieve a lighter, fluffier cake.
- Whip whip whip. When whipping together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla for the cake batter, do so until the mixture has significantly lightened in color and has become fluffy. This process incorporates air into the mixture, giving you a wonderfully light and fluffy cake.
- Don’t over-mix. When combing the wet and dry ingredients for the cake batter, be careful not to over-mix. This can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop resulting in a dense, tough cake.
- Hot milk. It might seem superfluous to heat the milk and butter before adding them to the cake batter but don’t skip this step. It will help prevent the glutens from overdeveloping and you will, as a result, find yourself with a much more tender, fluffy cake.
- Cool. Allow the cakes to cool completely before assembling. Otherwise, the pastry cream and the ganache will melt.
- Stir. Before filling the cake, give the pastry cream a thorough stirring to smooth it out.
How to Store Boston Cream Pie
- Refrigerator. Seal the cake in an airtight cake carrier or something similar. If you don’t have one, pop the cake in the fridge for a few hours to firm up before wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. You can also arrange slices of Boston cream in a single layer in an airtight container. However you choose to do it, you can store your leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer/Prepping ahead. I do not recommend freezing a full Boston Cream Pie. The pastry cream can split when it thaws, leaving you with a mess. If you’d like to freeze things for prepping ahead, you can make the cake layers ahead and freeze those, then thaw them in the fridge before using. You can also make the pastry cream a day or so ahead and then layer everything together prior to serving it.
More Boston Cream Desserts
If you like this classic Boston cream pie, you are going to love some of my other variations. Here they are.
Watch How to Make Boston Cream Pie
This recipe was updated 11/27/2023. For the original recipe from 2018, download this PDF.
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Recipe
Boston Cream Pie
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This classic Boston cream pie is made with two layers of light vanilla sponge cake filled with rich vanilla pastry cream and topped with glossy, rich chocolate ganache. Contrary to the name, it’s a cake and not a pie! Easy to make and completely delicious, you are going to love it!
Ingredients
Pastry Cream
- 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (155g) sugar
- 4 tbsp (32g) cornstarch
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Sponge Cake
- 1 3/4 cups (228g) all-purpose flour (measured properly)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter
Chocolate Glaze
- 6 oz (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp corn syrup
- 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
To make the pastry cream:
- Put the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl and gently beat them together. Set aside.
- Add the sugar and cornstarch to a large saucepan and whisk together until no more lumps of cornstarch remain, then add the milk.
- Cook, stirring continuously, over medium heat until mixture just begins to thicken and simmer. Be careful not to boil it.
- Add a little bit of the milk mixture to the egg yolks and quickly whisk together, then add the egg mixture to milk mixture, putting it all back in the pan. This process ensures that you don’t cook the egg yolks too quickly and get scrambled eggs.
- Place the pan back on the heat and bring to a light boil. You should see large bubbles popping on top. Allow to boil for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Don’t boil for too long, or you can overcook it and it’ll actually break down, rather than get thicker.
- 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. If you find your cream is lump, you can strain it. Set in the fridge to cool completely, 1-2 hours.
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).
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until pale, fluffy and thickened, about 4 minutes.
- While the eggs are whipping, heat the milk and butter until the butter is melted and the mixture is very hot. It doesn’t have to be boiling, but it should be very hot.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the whipped egg mixture and gently fold together until mostly combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients to the egg mixture and gently fold together until just well combined.
- Add the hot milk mixture to the batter and gently whisk together until well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
To finish off the cake:
- When the pastry cream and cakes have cooled completely, make the chocolate glaze. Add the chocolate chips and corn syrup to a medium size bowl.
- 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 stir until smooth.
- Remove the domes from the tops of the cakes and place one cake on a serving platter. Give the pastry cream a stir to smooth it out, then spread the pastry cream over the cake layer, leaving about an inch between the cream and the side of the cake for it to spread a bit, then top it with the second cake layer.
- Pour the chocolate over the top of the cake and spread it out towards the edges, letting some of the chocolate drip down the sides.
- Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Store in an air-tight carrier, if possible. The cake is best if eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
- Refrigerator storage. Seal the cake in an airtight cake carrier or something similar. If you don’t have one, pop the cake in the fridge for a few hours to firm up before wrapping it in a double layer of plastic wrap. You can also arrange slices of Boston cream in a single layer in an airtight container. However you choose to do it, you can store your leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing/Prepping ahead. I do not recommend freezing a full Boston Cream Pie. The pastry cream can split when it thaws, leaving you with a mess. If you’d like to freeze things for prepping ahead, you can make the cake layers ahead and freeze those, then thaw them in the fridge before using. You can also make the pastry cream a day or so ahead and then layer everything together prior to serving it
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 479
- Sugar: 39.1 g
- Sodium: 132 mg
- Fat: 23.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 57.7 g
- Protein: 10.6 g
- Cholesterol: 135.2 mg
I made this for my brother’s birthday and every element was AMAZING individually but for some reason after I assembled them the cake -which was previously so fluffy and light- became quite dense. I was so disappointed because the cake was my fav vanilla cake I’ve ever baked. I’m trying it again tonight to see if it keeps it’s fluff better with a buttercream icing instead.
Was that after refrigerating it? I do find that refrigerating cakes can make a difference, so I don’t love doing it, but it’s unavoidable with the filling of this cake.
So I used this recipe for the custard and the chocolate ganache and it turned out perfect! Thank you!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
I just finished making this, and with a few adjustments, it came out perfectly.
Following the directions for the custard, especially the cook times, it came out perfectly thick and delicious.
For the cake, I sifted the flour mix, whipped the sugar/butter/oil for 4 minutes, combined the milk/eggs/vanilla and then alternated putting them into the whipped butter. The cake came out super moist.
When I assembled the cake, I cut a well in the bottom layer because there is NO WAY the custard will support the top layer. It worked great!
The ganache was perfect! Great recipe!!
Thanks for your tips! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pie! 🙂
Please clarify if pastry cream calls for 2 cups of milk or 240ml as 2 cups equals close to 500ml.
Tq
It should be 480ml of milk. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, I have updated the recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Hi, I have made your Boston Cream Cupcakes a few times with great success (yum!) and am looking forward to trying the Pie! How could I travel with this? Could I prep the cake, pastry cream and ganache, pack them separately and assemble on site? Would the chocolate be okay? Or should I make the chocolate on site? Thank you for any advice! Happy New Year! ~Amy
You could make the pastry cream a couple days ahead and the cake layers can be made a day ahead. I recommend putting the cake together within a couple of hours of serving so the chocolate is fresh. My suggestion for traveling would be to use a cake carrier, which seals air tight.
For everyone having problems with the filling…
I used 1 cup half and half/1 cup milk. I treated it like custard or fudge in the cooking process. Started out low and gradually moved up to my desired temperature. And remember to stir,stir,stir!!!!
We always use Challenge butter too🙂
Made it the night before and it came out wonderfully.
Really hope that this helps someone.
The filling was the perfect consistency (and honestly I had to prevent myself from eating it all before putting it on the cake-it’s so good!), but my cake was a little dense. Is it supposed to be moist and light? Either way, it was delicious and quickly eaten on Christmas. Thanks for the recipe!
I would say it should be more on the moist and light side, but I think everyone’s definition of light is a little different. 🙂 That said, I always recommend to be sure to fully cream the butter and sugar. Also, not to over mix the batter at the end.
This is my husband’s favorite cakes / pie he used to get it from Marie Callender’s but they don’t make it anymore his birthday is on Christmas Eve so I’m attempting to make this recipe.. so far so good.. my cream filling has turned out delicious thank you for the recipe.. very easy to follow great directions
Awesome! I hope you all enjoyed it! Merry Christmas!
Made this for my son in laws bday. A great hit. Thanks Lindsay. He loved it!…
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
Hi, I’d like to make this cake soon but I wanted to know if it would be ok to use buttermilk?
Would buttermilk make the cake better in moisture and taste?
I have question of the ganache i can’t use corn syrup my boy is allergic so is that ok
You could leave it out or substitute with honey.
You can also use a little vegetable shortening for your ganache. It works very well.. I have not made this cake as of yet, however I will be making it soon.
Do you have suggestions for preventing the cake from forming a dome? I tried both lowering the temperature by 25F and using a cake pin to more evenly disperse the heat. Does using a light versus darker colored pan make a difference? Can’t wait to try this recipe. It looks very delicious but I think I am going to use your chocolate ganache recipe to pipe onto the cake like you did for your cupcakes. Thanks!
I would suggest trying bake even strips.
No need for strips or cutting. Get a cake board smaller than the pan the cakes in . Right when you take cake out of oven and theirs a dome just place smaller board on cake and gently press down for a minute or so. Won’t work if cake has cooled, needs to be hot.
Lindsay, I made this cake yesterday. The pastry cream was too thin even though it sat in the frig for a couple of hours. Can the use of low fat milk contribute to the thinness of the filling?
It’s possible. The amount of fat can certainly make a difference. It could also be that it wasn’t cooked quite long enough. It’s hard to say from a distance. I’m sorry!
The pasty creme is wayyyy too runny. It doesn’t work at all. Its more like a pudding
I promise the pastry cream does work and thicken very well. The first time I made pastry cream years ago, I had that same problem. Try cooking it a little bit longer so that it will thicken more.
I wanted to add a suggestion about the pastry cream, it’s not coming out thick for some of you because the recipe says stir for 2 minutes , which is wrong because you actually need to stir until you see it thicken , the recipe says don’t stir for more than 2 minutes , but you need to stir for more than 2 minutes in order for it to get thick , so in my opinion , the recipe is misleading because of this part , I had to stir for 4 minutes or so , and it turned out thick ! Great recipe though , just needs some adjustments
This was my first time making a boston cream pie and it came out beautifully! My family loved and my mother talks about it non-stop at her work, haha. I have been waiting to make this cake for some time, and now I can accomplish it! Thank you so much for this recipe!
P.S. what is the best way of storing this cake? I placed it in the fridge and some of it got dried due to slices being cut. Any advice?
I’m so glad to hear that! My suggestion would be to use a cake carrier, which seals air tight. It might not be perfect, but it should do well. If you don’t want to invest in a cake carrier, you could try putting some clear wrap up against the inside of the cake where you’ve sliced it.
Take a slice of bread put some left over ganache on it then stick it to the cut sides of the cake. The bread will dry out not the cake
I literally just made this today and my pastry cream too was runny, and i followed the recipe to a T. I had it chilling in the refrigerator for half the day.
I would recommend putting it in the bottom drawer of your refrigerater that’s set to chill, or just putting it in a regular refrigerator drawer, and surrounding it with ice packs. It really helps if you’re in a time pinch!
Let the sugar cream and cornstarch boil longer so it’s bubbling really well and very thick. It should look like condensed milk almost. That will thicken it
Hi Lindsay,
The recipe seems great! But I think that the amount of baking soda is a bit much. There is too much lingering taste of soda in the cake layers… :/
This recipe calls for baking powder not baking soda, maybe that was the problem. I’m not being rude by any means, I truly hopes this helps your recipe. I haven’t made this yet but my 9 yo daughter wants this for Jesus’ birthday cake😍. Looks like our Christmas dessert
I cannot seem to happen to answer to Dana’s reply below.. Turned out I did make the mistake about the recipe and it was my fault. It just hit me on the next morning that I mixed those two up.. 😅
I am gluten intolerant and have discovered with baking you have to add about 1/8 cup more fat (oil/butter) to make cakes moist enough.
HELP! This is my favorite pie. I attempted the pastry cream. Key word attempted. Mine too would up more on the plate than the cake for first time. I don’t know what to do. I want to make the pastry cream again but afraid I will go wrong again. How can I be sure it is thick enough to not run? The directions were so simple and I loved the video too.
I saw your email first and responded to that. Hopefully it helped!
Are there any adjustments that need to be made if replacing with 1:1 gluten free flour?
I haven’t tried gluten free flour, but I don’t think so.
The American Test Kitchen recommends whisking the pastry cream on the stove oover medium heat for 7-8 minutes until thickened considerably. Try this. With all due respect to Lindsay, 2 minutes is entirely too short.
I definitely cooked mine longer. Prob more like 7-8 minutes or at least until I felt like the consistency was right. It would have been way too runny at 2 min. This was my first time making custard and it came out perfect! So good 😀
Lindsay, in step 3 and 4, instructs to whisk till it thickens and starts to bubble and then simmer for 2 minutes. Not 2 minutes total.
This looks lovely. Would it freeze?
Hmm, I’m not sure how well the pastry cream would do, but you could try it.
This pie is amazing! I froze 1 piece of the pie in a plastic container for 2 months to save for Fathers Day for my hubby. It came out great even after freezing it.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Just what I’ve been waiting for! I love Boston Cream Pie or should I say Cake. Yum! I’ll have to make
this soon. Thanks, Lindsay! Enjoy the day!
Thanks Suzy-q! I hope you enjoy it!
I cheated and used a yellow cake mix but I followed the directions for the custard and ganache. It was incredible! New family favorite!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!