Boston Cream Pie

Tomorrow – March 17th – is a milestone birthday for my handsome half.  His two favorite desserts are Boston Cream Pie and Cherry pie or cobbler.  I’ll be making both to serve at his birthday party so he’ll be able to enjoy both.

Here’s the Boston Cream Pie recipe – which really isn’t a pie at all but is actually a cream filled yellow cake with a chocolate glaze. No matter what it is called, this recipe is particularly yummy.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband does!

Boston Cream Pie 

Cake: 

            1 ½ cups sugar

            ½ cup butter flavored Crisco shortening

            3 eggs

            2 cups cake flour

            1 tsp. baking powder

            ½ tsp. salt

            1 tsp. soda

            1 cup buttermilk

            1 tsp. vanilla extract

            1 tsp. butter flavor extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour with baking spray two round 9” cake pans.

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar with an electric mixer and beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and soda.

To the cup of buttermilk, add the extracts. Add the flour mixture to the shortening and sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk/extract mixture, beating for 1 minute with each addition.

Evenly divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans.  Bake for 23 minutes (don’t over bake) or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing from pans and cooling completely on wire racks.

When cake is cooled, place one layer on a serving/cake plate and spread all of the cream filling on top.  Place the second layer on top of the layer with the cream filling.  Frost the top of this layer with chocolate glaze.

Cream Filling: 

            1/3 cup of granulated sugar

            3 TBSPS. all-purpose flour

            ¼ tsp. salt

            1 ¼ cups evaporated milk

            1 beaten egg

            1 TBSP. butter

            1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium sized saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour and salt.  Gradually add milk and mix well.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils.  Cook and stir 2 minutes longer.

Ladle some of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg and then add this to the milk mixture in the pan. Cook and stir continuously until the mixture begins to boil. Stir in butter and vanilla extract.  Cover the surface with plastic wrap and allow to cool for 30 minutes before spreading evenly on top of first cake layer.

Chocolate Glaze: 

1        1 ounce square of unsweetened chocolate

2        TBSPS. butter

2    cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

1        tsp. vanilla

Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla until crumbly.  Blend in 3 tablespoons of boiling water and stir well.  Then continue adding water – a teaspoon at a time – until the glaze is of pouring consistency. Immediately spread glaze evenly over the top of the cream filled cake layers, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides of the cake.