Boston Cream Pie

I’ve been a really bad girlfriend. I mean, one of the bonuses to dating someone that likes to cook should be that you get to eat all your favorite foods all the time, right? Well…Chase likes BBQ and hotdogs and I don’t eat most meat, so… sorry babe. You sorta picked the wrong girl in that department.

But hey, I can bake, right? So Chase should always be able to enjoy  his favorite cake, right? Want to know how many times I have baked Chase’s all-time favorite cake?

Zero.

Not one time.

In fact, when Chase’s mom asked if he wanted his favorite cake as his groom’s cake, he said it had been so long since he’d eaten one that he wasn’t even sure he still liked it.

See, I told you. I’m a bad girlfriend.

Why haven’t I ever made him a cake, you ask? Is it because I’m just not a nice person? I really hope not. I think I’m a nice person. Do you think I’m nice? I hope so.

No, the real reason I’ve never made his favorite cake is because he loves Boston cream pie. And to me, Boston cream pie is scary. Really scary. It doesn’t even have icing, which is easy to make and super not-scary. Instead, it’s topped with a chocolate glaze and has a layer of vanilla pastry cream in the center. Chocolate glaze isn’t so bad, in fact, it might be easier to make than frosting. To make vanilla pastry cream however, you have to do things like temper eggs and whip up milk into a thick custard. There’s a lot that can go wrong, which is why I get nervous. Then I find myself standing over a hot stove, absolutely convinced that I’m going to have scrambled eggs instead of a smooth cream, and I become terrified. This is the effect that pastry cream has on me.

However, this weekend I finally put my big-girl panties on and baked a Boston cream pie.  I was anxious, trembling and perspiring just a little. But I did it. And it tastes amazing. So amazing in fact, that I believe a new condition of us getting married is that I have to bake this on a regular basis. Which I can handle now, and you can too.

Boston Cream Pie

Adapted from Cooking Light: Five Star Recipes

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Given that the recipe is from Cooking Light, I had to make a few adjustments, like using butter instead of margarine. Basically though, this is the same recipe, and it sort of shocks me that a publication with “light” in the title would claim this, because it tastes nothing short of decadent.

Cake
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
1 ½ cups sifted cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
2 large egg whites
3 tablespoons sugar

Vanilla Pastry Cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3  cup sugar
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¼ cups milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze
1/3 cup semis-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2  tablespoons water
1 teaspoon butter

To make the Vanilla Pastry Cream: Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Gradually add milk to saucepan, whisking until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stirring constantly, cook for 1 minute or until mixture just begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Gradually stir one-fourth of hot milk mixture into egg – this will temper the egg and prevent it from scrambling. Once mixed together, add egg mixture back to remaining milk mixture, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter. Pour mixture into a bowl; place plastic wrap on surface, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

To make the Chocolate Glaze: Combine all ingredients in the top of a double boiler. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted. Allow to cool slightly before pouring over cake.

Meanwhile, Butter the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan. Dust with flour and set aside.

Beat 1/2 cup sugar and margarine in a medium bowl at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add vanilla and egg yolk, and beat well. In a separate bowl, sift together cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Set aside.

Beat egg whites at high speed until foamy. Gradually add 3 tablespoons sugar, beating eggs until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into batter. Gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Allow to cool completely either on the rack or in a refrigerator.

Split cake in half horizontally using a serrated knife; place bottom layer, cut side up, on a serving plate. Spread vanilla pastry cream evenly over bottom layer; top with remaining cake layer. Spread chocolate glaze evenly over top. Chill 1 hour or until glaze is set.

Tagged as: Chocolate