HOMEMADE BOSTON CREAM PIE

I was tempted to buy the incredible Boston Cream Pie from Costco the other day when I was out shopping. I opted against it not only because of the inflated price tag, but I remembered that the homemade version is easy to make and costs only a fraction of the price.

The recipe I used was from my trusty ole Betty Crocker Cookbook. I first want to tell everyone: Don't be intimidated. It has several ingredients and steps, but it really is simple to make. I make the custard filling and cake in the morning, then let it all just refrigerate or cool until after dinner, when I assemble the cake.

You can find the online Betty Crocker Boston Cream Pie recipe here. The only change I made was using chocolate ganache in place of the traditional glaze. I also personalized the directions.

To anyone wondering, yes, you can cheat and use a box cake mix and instant pudding. However, try making it all from scratch at least once! It really does taste different. The cake is has a different consistency than a cake mix and freshly made custard is so wonderful! Try it!

Homemade Boston Cream Pie

Cream Filling
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cake
Baking spray with flour to grease pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or 1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg

Chocolate Glaze
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
3 to 4 tablespoons water
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

or...

Chocolate Ganache
2/3 cup whipping (heavy) cream
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Separate the egg yolks from the rest of the egg. You can get a fancy tool, however it's simple just to use your hand. Beat the egg yolks with a fork or wire whisk until mixed. Stir in 1 1/2 cups milk; set aside.

In a small saucepan, stir the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch and 1/8 teaspoon salt until mixed. Gradually stir egg mixture into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Press plastic wrap on surface of filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until set but no longer than 24 hours. While filling is chilling, you can make the cake.

Heat the oven to 350°F. Spray just the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with the baking spray. I like to cut out a round of parchment paper and place it on the bottom. It's so frustrating to go through the effort to make a cake only to have it stick to the pan! I also use a springform cake pan.

In a large bowl, beat all cake ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, stopping frequently to scrape batter from side and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape bowl. Pour batter into the pan; use a rubber spatula to scrape batter from bowl, spread batter evenly in pan and smooth top of batter.

Bake about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a cooling rack 20 minutes, then remove onto cooling rack to finish cooling completely, about 1 hour.

I generally make the glaze about an hour before serving. I love ganache and used this instead of the traditional glaze, however both are good. If you opt to use ganache, leave a bit of time for it to set prior to serving. {I stuck mine in the freezer for about 20 minutes!}

Glaze: In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter and the chocolate over low heat, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in 1-cup glass measuring cup, microwave the water uncovered on High 15 to 30 seconds or until hot. Remove chocolate mixture from heat. Stir in the powdered sugar and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in 3 tablespoons hot water. Stir in additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing is smooth and thin enough to spread.

Ganache: Heat whipping cream in a small saucepan on medium heat until hot (do not boil); remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Let stand 5 minutes. Carefully pour chocolate mixture onto top center of cake; spread to edge, allowing some to drizzle down side.

To split cake horizontally in half, I first put the cake in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Having the cake be a little hard makes it easier to cut. Betty Crocker says to use toothpicks stuck in the cake as a guide, but I just wing it!

On a serving plate, place bottom layer with the cut side up. Spread filling over bottom layer. Top with top of cake, cut side down.

Spread glaze over top of cake, using a metal spatula or back of a spoon, letting some glaze drizzle down side of cake. I put the entire cake on a cooling rack, then position it over a plate. Once the glaze runs down and pools on the plate, I quickly remove the plate and scrape the glaze off, back on to the cake.

Refrigerate uncovered until serving. Store any remaining cake covered in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!