Boston cream pie is a type of cake which consists of two layers of a sponge cake or butter cake filled with vanilla custard pastry and topped with confectioners’ sugar or chocolate frosting.  This cake is always mistaken for a pie due to its name and the way it is cut (in wedges) and served.  This cake was adopted as the state dessert of Massachusetts on December 12, 1996.

History of Boston Cream Pie
It is widely believed that the first version of this dessert might have been cooked in a pie tin rather than a cake pan (because pie tins were more popular than cake pans) during the mid 19th century. The cooks from the Dutch regions of Pennsylvania and New England were famous for their pies and cakes and they were perhaps the first makers of this cake. The Boston cream pie was inspired by the American “Pudding cake-pie” There are lots of debates surrounding this viewpoint.

The Parker House Hotel, which is now known as Omni Parker House Hotel, have raised claims for being the creators of this cream pies. They have confirmed that the dessert was served at their hotel regularly since their very first day of existence in 1856. The hotel hired French chef Sanzian to cook for the first day of opening and he is known to have prepared this dessert for the first time.

The cake was known as Parker House Chocolate Pie in the beginning and it is unknown as  to how it got its current name.

Boston Cream Pie: Ingredients and Method of Preparation

The Boston cream pie is prepared in three parts: pastry cream, sponge cake and chocolate ganache.  There are lots of recipes for preparing the dessert. The choice of ingredients largely varies depending on their availability.

• Pastry Cream: This is also known as crème patisserie and is prepared using the thick, vanilla flavored custard. This custard has creamy texture and mild flavor which goes well with the sponge or butter cake and chocolate ganache.

  The pastry cream used to fill the sponge cake is prepared using ingredients such as granulated white sugar, all-purpose flour, egg yolks, cornstarch, vanilla and whole milk.

  The pastry cream preparation begins by combining sugar and egg yolks and it is then mixed with the cornstarch & flour mixture. The egg – flour mixture is then combined with boiled milk and cooked until thick. The cream is flavored with vanilla essence and allowed to cool. On cooling, the cream is refrigerated to retain its freshness.

• Sponge Cake: Normally yellow or white sponge cake is used for making the Boston cream pie.

  The white sponge cake is prepared using the ingredients eggs, vanilla extract, granulated white sugar, plain cake flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, tartar, unsalted butter, and milk. To save time yellow cake mix can be purchased.

  The cake is prepared in a regular manner as other cakes.

• Chocolate Ganache: The ganache used for topping the cake is prepared by combining semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate with heavy or whipping cream.
   

Assembling Boston cream pie

The assembling of the cake begins by topping the bottom half of the cake with pastry cream. The remaining half of the cake is placed with the cut side facing down, and for better texture the cake is frozen for an hour before topping with chocolate ganache. The ganache is spread on the top, edge, and downside of the cake and refrigerated for about an hour before serving.