Gluten-Free Vegan Boston Cream Pie - Rhian's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is Boston cream pie filling made of? ›

This classic cake combines three simple components to make one fabulous dessert; moist delicate vanilla cake filled with silky vanilla pastry cream and topped by a decadent chocolate ganache. If you're confused as to why this “pie” looks like a cake, you're not alone, cakes used to be baked in pie tins!

The dessert was first created and served at the grand opening of Boston's Parker House, now widely known as Omni Parker House, nestled in downtown Boston, MA. Today, the Boston Cream Pie is distinguished as Massachusetts' official state dessert over Toll House Cookies and the Fig Newton.

A Boston cream pie is a cake with a cream filling. The dessert acquired its name when cakes and pies were cooked in the same pans, and the words were used interchangeably. In the late 19th century, this type of cake was variously called a "cream pie", a "chocolate cream pie", or a "custard cake".

The Texture Is The Biggest Difference

Bavarian cream involves milk, eggs, sugar, and often vanilla extract, the same as Boston cream. But then the two ingredient lists diverge: Bavarian cream includes heavy cream and gelatin, while Boston cream involves cornstarch.

The use of heavy cream and gelatin means Bavarian cream sets more thoroughly, creating a thicker, richer consistency. Using only corn starch, meanwhile, means Boston cream is a lot runnier — but it also has an extremely silky texture that Bavarian cream can't match. Additionally, they're not even eaten the same way.

But now, at least, the answer seems simple: boston cream pie is called a pie because similar cakes were originally baked in pie pans. If this logical explanation satisfies you, please read no further.

Boston cream pie is a staple dessert in New England. Calling the pie/cake iconic would not be an understatement. As described on the Omni Hotel's blog, it's not a pie at all. Filled with a rich and velvety pastry cream, what truly makes this two-layer golden cake so unique is the rich chocolate icing.

It was first invented in 1856, by an Armenian-French chef named Sanzian. At the time, chocolate frosting was a fairly new idea, so the delicious dessert took the world by storm. And to this day, it remains a popular menu selection. It's even the official dessert of Massachusetts!

Originally dubbed "Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie," Boston Cream Pie became an immediate and perennial hit. The original Parker House recipe for the pie (which is technically a cake) was so popular that in 1958 it became a Betty Crocker boxed mix.

Parker House opened in 1855, employing the uni-named French chef Sanzian. It was he, the story goes, who created Boston cream pie—unusual at the time for its use of chocolate in the dessert, rather than as a beverage alongside.

Does Boston cream have custard or cream? ›

The doughnut was inspired by the Boston cream pie which was, in turn, created by chef M. Sanzian at Boston's Parker House Hotel in 1856. The cake consists of vanilla-flavored custard sandwiched between two-layers of sponge cake and topped with chocolate glaze, and has been popular in Massachusetts since its creation.

Bavarian creams are custards stiffened with gelatin. Savoury custards are sometimes encountered, the most notable being quiche, a French tart with a filling of custard flavoured with cheese, onions, ham or bacon, or chopped vegetables.

Traditionally, the jelly is made using a pig's trotter, and there is a recipe for this on page 98 of the book, but if you are short of time you can make the simple version below. In most traditional recipes the pastry is also hand-raised, which means that it is shaped without the help of a mould.