This recipe is what my neighbors have deemed the best Boston Cream Pie. If you’ve made any of my cakes, you know I love to bake with booze. The alcohol makes the cake incredibly moist and allows it to stay fresher for a longer period of time.
Why This Is the Best Boston Cream Pie
The cake is very easy to make, especially since it has three separate layers and will light up your taste buds. The key to making this easy cake is to use a yellow cake mix with a few substitutions. Yes, this is one of those doctored cake-mix recipes, but it’s just as simple as the original box instructions.
You may wonder why you have to add buttermilk and not just regular milk. The answer is simple…the acid in buttermilk helps the cake to rise, giving you a very light and fluffy cake. The box cake mix already has leavening agents, but these can sometimes leave a bitter aftertaste in your throat. The buttermilk–even if it’s quick homemade version–makes that bitterness a thing of the past.
When the cake finishes baking, let it cool for about 20 minutes. After removing the cake from the pans, put each layer upside down on a flat plate. Poke holes in the bottom of the cake using handle of a wooden spoon. Thick holes work best for this poke cake, so find something about as thick as your pinky finger to make the holes.
Tips and Tricks
- CAKE: It’s important to note that the top of a cake has a skin on it that “protects” the cake from absorbing the pudding. By turning the cake upside down, the cake can absorb more pudding. Spritz with about 2 tablespoons of rum. I like to use a food grade glass spray bottle and just give the cake a few sprays. You’re not trying to make a rum cake so you don’t want to drench it, but you’re just giving it a spritz to keep it fresh. Imagine how you feel when a fine mist of cold water water is spritzed on your face on a hot summer’s day.
- TOFFEE EXTRACT: You don’t have to add toffee extract to the ganache, but I think it gives it a depth of flavor that takes this cake from good to great. Be careful to use regular strength as 1 teaspoon of the super-strength extracts will be too much. If in doubt, start with a few drops and then taste it once it’s been mixed into the ganache. You can always add more.
- PASTRY CREAM: The pudding–or pastry cream filling–is not hard to make but it does require regular stirring. In the first 5-7 minutes, you just stir it occasionally. Once it thickens, stir it constantly. If you leave it for even a minute and the cream burns, you’ll need to start over. Once you remove the pudding from the burner and add the final ingredients, continue to stir it as it cools. Don’t worry if you have a few clumps in the cream. The chocolate ganache will hide all of the imperfections, which is one of the things that makes this such an easy recipe. You can see the photo below that my cream filling got a bit clumpy because I was distracted by a phone call after I took the pudding off of the heat and wasn’t stirring like I should have been. (Yes, life happens, even to food bloggers!)
Single Layer Versus Double Layer Cake
When I make a cake, I like it to look elegant, so I prefer to make a single layer poke cake rather than a 9 x 13 baking pan. It’s possible to turn this into a layer cake if you want even more wow. You simply need to freeze the layers. After you poke holes in them, wrap them in plastic and freeze for at least 12 hours. Do not remove from the freezer until the cream layer is ready to pour. Then pour the cream over the bottom layer. Quickly place the second layer on the cake and pour another layer of cream. Refrigerate both layers for 30 minutes to allow the cream to set before pouring the ganache over the cake.
The second option is one that takes more work but it’s the traditional method. Instead of freezing the layers of cake, you put the still-warm pastry cream into a glass container and cover the top of the pudding (not the container) with a plastic film to avoid a skin forming. Then refrigerate the pudding for several hours until cool. The pastry cream will be thick, like a frosting. Put the cream into a pastry bag and fill each poked hole, and then pipe a thick amount in between the layers of cake. For the top layer, fill the poke holes, but don’t add additional cream on top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, and then top with ganache.
As you can see, keeping this cake as two single layer poke cakes is the easiest option. Another benefit of doing this is that you have one layer to give away, and one to keep at home. I’m married to a cake-a-holic, so the single-layer method allows me to keep my cake-monster husband happy while spreading joy to my friends and neighbors.
Wine Pairing with the Best Boston Cream Pie
The amaretto, toffee and vanilla flavors in this cake are just begging for a tawny port! If you aren’t a port lover, wait until you try this. Tawny port has flavors of nuts and caramel, which pair perfectly with this dessert. Even if you didn’t think so before, the wine pairing of tawny port with this cake will definitely make it the best Boston cream pie you’ve ever tasted. If you don’t have tawny port, you can also serve it with a small glass of iced amaretto.
Skip dinner tonight and try this cake. Then leave me a comment below and tell me what you thought.
Best Boston Cream Pie
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 2 tbsp. white vinegar
- 3/4 cup whole milk minus 2 tbsp.
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tbsp. amaretto liqueur
PASTRY CREAM FILLING
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 3 cups milk whole
- 6 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp. butter softened
- 4 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/8 tsp. sea salt
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp. amaretto liqueur
- 1 tsp. toffee extract regular strength
Instructions
- PREPARE OVEN & CAKE PANS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put parchment rounds on the bottom of two 9″ cake pans. Spray with non-stick spray.
- MAKE BUTTERMILK: Put 2 tablespoons of white vinegar in a 1-cup measuring cup. Fill the remainder with whole milk. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir before adding to the cake.
- MIX CAKE: Mix all cake ingredients except the amaretto for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
- POKE HOLES IN CAKES: Let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and put each layer upside down on a flat plate. Poke holes in the bottom of the cake using handle of a wooden spoon.
- ADD ALCOHOL: Spritz or drizzle about 2 tablespoons of amaretto liqueur on the still-warm cake.
- CREAM FILLING: Combine the sugar and corn starch in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add the milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
- TEMPER THE EGG YOLKS: In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Add a small amount of the hot cream to the egg mixture beating constantly. Slowly add more of the cream to the egg mixture while continuing to whisk. Add at least 1/3 of the cream mixture to the egg mixture before adding it back into the saucepan. Boil for 1 more minute.
- FINISH CREAM FILLING: Remove the pudding from heat and whisk in butter, vanilla and salt. Whisk constantly for several minutes as the pudding cools to keep a skin from forming.
- ADD CREAM TO CAKE: When the cream is starting to cool, slowly pour 1/2 of the pudding over each layer. If the pudding starts to go over the side of the cake, allow the pudding to set and then spoon the remaining pudding into the center of the cake and smooth outward.
- GANACHE: Rinse the saucepan with hot water and return to medium heat. Add the cream. Stir occasionally until bubbles form at the edges of the pan. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let stand for 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Add amaretto liqueur and toffee extract.
- Allow to set in refrigerator over night. Slice immediately before serving. Serve chilled.
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