| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 40 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch fine salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan, and set it aside.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set it aside.
- In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and citrus zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer running on low, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a rack. Turn the cake out of the pan to cool completely.
- To make the cream filling: In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat, until bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from the heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. While whisking, gradually pour the milk into the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan. While whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat; cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat, and stir in the butter and vanilla. Put the custard in a medium bowl, and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
- Whip the cream until it holds a soft peak. Lightly whisk the chilled custard to loosen it up. Fold the cream into the custard; refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.
- To make the glaze: Put the chocolate and corn syrup in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Cool slightly before glazing the cake.
- To assemble the cake: Slice the cake in horizontally with a serrated knife, into two pieces, starting about 5/8ths of the way up the sides of the cake. (The top piece should be slightly thinner than the bottom.) Place the bottom of the cake on a 9-inch cardboard cake round or flat plate. Spread the cream just to the edges of the cake and cover with the top layer. Pour all the glaze over the cake. Tilt the cake so the glaze covers it evenly and runs down the sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 609 |
| Total Fat | 39 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 59 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 38 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 212 mg |
| Sodium | 222 mg |
Reviews
Cake was terrible. Tasted like a pancake. The filling was too loose after you add the whipped cream. Definitely need to find a better recipe
I only used the filling and it was the best. You dont even need the heavy wipping cream if you dont want to use it. It was sooooo tasty I was eating it by the spoon full. Was also great in the cake.
Agree with most of the previous reviews and add – find a different recipe. The cake is dense (like a cross between a biscuit and pound cake while the filling is ridiculous (whip cream makes it way too wet and looses the custard filling flavor.
I’ve had and loved Boston Cream Pie and this recipe bites!
I’ve had and loved Boston Cream Pie and this recipe bites!
I am a great baker{ if I do say so myself} and I’m a New Englander, and the cake was WAY too dense and had way too much butter. If you want to make it from sratch, go to another sight or e-mail Sandra Lee who will probably tell you to use a vanilla cake mix, instant vanilla pudding and give you a FABULOUS chocolate “drizzle” frosting and it will be great.
This was a perfect dessert for my wife and me, we are just now starting to teach ourselves how to bake, and this recipe came out so wonderfully that it has given us the “SWAGGER” to try a more “RISKY” recipe in the near future. Thank You FOOD NETWORK!
With a Full Stomach,
Jim Walter
the ganache was DELICIOUS!! I lived in Boston for years and this ganache was by far the very best I’ve had. The cake was pretty good too. The custard was light, not really like custard, but still good.
This recipe is not very good at all. The cake has so much butter, it becomes too dense. The cream doesn’t need the whipped cream in it. Doesn’t take like a true boston cream. The chocolate glaze was excellent, make sure you put it on thin.
Cake part was nice, ganache was nice. Filling was awesome custard until I added the whipped cream. Then it was a soupy mess (although it tasted ok). I would make again but use the custard without the whipped cream.