Today's cooking endeavor is learning how to use a cookbook. Yes, believe it or not, I don't cook everything without aid from some of my favorite friends... namely Betty Crocker and company. Sometimes, it's just a bit too complicated to go it alone. Boston Cream Pie is one of those things. It sounds simple enough: Some Boston, some cream and some pie. But it's not. Time-wise, it takes about an hour and a half to make, but it requires you to do three things at once.
Thankfully, two of those three things can happen while the cake portion is in the oven. In fact, I learned only too late that one of those things shouldn't be done until the cake is already cooled, cut and assembled with the custard. Anyhow, I won't post the recipe since I used the Betty Crocker recipe directly, with the exception of adding about 3 tablespoons of milk to the chocolate glaze to smooth it out and make it not quite as bitter.
Anyhow, feel free to enjoy. After all, the cake is a pie. :sneaky:
We start with the three separate components:
Cut the cake in half, which is never an easy task, then top with the custard:
Give it a hat, and voila, the pie is a cake... pie. A cake pie!:
Top with chocolate glaze:
There are definitely a few things I'd do different. For starters, using bakers chocolate is WAY too bitter for this recipe. I added around 3 tablespoons of milk, and frankly that wasn't even enough. It needs a smoother milk chocolate.
Second, the custard recipe is good, but not good enough. It's not creamy nor silky enough compared to real Boston Cream custard. It's also a hair not sweet enough. It's good, but relies a good bit on the vanilla extract to give it its flavor, and the extract doesn't get enough time to cook off to remove the "alcohol" flavor from it. In my opinion of course.
Other than that, the cake recipe is good, pretty moist, but heavier than what you'll find in good Boston Cream Pies. None the less, for an hour and change worth of work, it's still pretty good.
Thankfully, two of those three things can happen while the cake portion is in the oven. In fact, I learned only too late that one of those things shouldn't be done until the cake is already cooled, cut and assembled with the custard. Anyhow, I won't post the recipe since I used the Betty Crocker recipe directly, with the exception of adding about 3 tablespoons of milk to the chocolate glaze to smooth it out and make it not quite as bitter.
Anyhow, feel free to enjoy. After all, the cake is a pie. :sneaky:
We start with the three separate components:
Cut the cake in half, which is never an easy task, then top with the custard:
Give it a hat, and voila, the pie is a cake... pie. A cake pie!:
Top with chocolate glaze:
There are definitely a few things I'd do different. For starters, using bakers chocolate is WAY too bitter for this recipe. I added around 3 tablespoons of milk, and frankly that wasn't even enough. It needs a smoother milk chocolate.
Second, the custard recipe is good, but not good enough. It's not creamy nor silky enough compared to real Boston Cream custard. It's also a hair not sweet enough. It's good, but relies a good bit on the vanilla extract to give it its flavor, and the extract doesn't get enough time to cook off to remove the "alcohol" flavor from it. In my opinion of course.
Other than that, the cake recipe is good, pretty moist, but heavier than what you'll find in good Boston Cream Pies. None the less, for an hour and change worth of work, it's still pretty good.