The 170 year old original Boston Cream Pie recipe, courtesy of Omni Parker House, is wicked awesome (that’s Boston lingo for REAL GOOD). It boasts a delicious two-layer sponge cake filled with a rich and velvety pastry cream and topped with a rich chocolate icing.
What is Boston Cream Pie?
Boston Cream Pie is a classic American dessert that has been enjoyed for over 150 years. Despite its name, it is not actually a pie, but rather a two-layer sponge cake filled with rich pastry cream and topped with a layer of chocolate ganache or fondant. The dessert is said to have been invented at the Parker House Hotel in Boston, now known as Omni Parker House. The Parker House was founded in 1855 by Harvey D. Parker, and it quickly became a popular gathering spot for Boston’s elite. It was at the Parker House that French chef Sanzian created the original recipe for Boston Cream Pie in the 1860s. The dessert was an instant hit, and it soon became a signature dish of the Parker House.
Today, the Omni Parker House continues to serve its famous Boston Cream Pie, which was originally called “Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie,” but over time, the name was shortened to “Boston Cream Pie.” It has actually won numerous awards over the years, and it is considered a must-try when visiting Boston. Today, Boston Cream Pie is a beloved dessert that can be found in bakeries and restaurants across the United States. However, if you’re unable to visit Boston, Omni Parker House has a wickedly awesome treat for you, it’s highly coveted Boston Cream Pie recipe. 
Step by Step Guide to Making Boston Cream Pie
1. Make the Pastry Cream
- Bring to a boil in a saucepan the butter, milk and light cream.
- While this mixture is cooking, combine the sugar, cornstarch and eggs in a bowl and whip until ribbons form.
- When the cream, milk, and butter mixture reaches the boiling point, whisk in the egg mixture and cook to boiling. Boil for one minute.
- Pour into a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap.
- Chill overnight. When chilled, whisk to smooth out and flavor with 1 tsp. dark rum
2. Making chocolate and white fondant icing
- For the chocolate fondant: Warm 6 oz. of white fondant over boiling water to approximately 105 degrees. Add melted chocolate. Thin to a spreading consistency with water.
- For the white fondant: Warm 5 oz. of white fondant over boiling water to approximately 105 degrees. Thin with water if necessary. Place in a piping bag with a 1/8-inch tip.
- Alternate approach: Melt the chocolate. Combine with warm water. Combine ingredients and warm to approximately 105 degrees. Adjust the consistency with water. It should flow freely from the pastry bag.
3. Preparing the cake
- Preheat oven 350 degrees
- Wet ingredients: Separate egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls. Add ½ of the sugar to each bowl. Beat both until peaked. When stiff, fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
- Dry ingredients: Gradually add flour, mixing with a wooden spatula. Mix in the butter. Pour this mixture into a 10-inch greased cake pan.
- Baking: Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until spongy and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully.
- Adding the pastry cream: level the sponge cake off at the top using a slicing knife. Cut the cake into two layers. Spread the flavored pastry cream over one layer. Top with the second cake layer. Reserve a small amount of the pastry cream to spread on the sides to adhere to the almonds.
4. Final touches
- Spread a thin layer of chocolate fondant icing on the top of the cake.
- Follow immediately with spiral lines starting from the center of the cake, using the white fondant in the pastry bag.
- Score the white lines with the point of a paring knife, starting at the center and pulling outward to the edge.
- Spread sides of cake with a thin coating of the reserved pastry cream.
- Press on toasted almonds
The Original Boston Cream Pie
- Total Time: 13 hours
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Description
The original Boston Cream Pie recipe, courtesy of Omni Parker House, is wicked awesome (that’s Boston lingo for REAL GOOD). It boasts a delicious two-layer sponge cake filled with a rich and velvety pastry cream and topped with a rich chocolate icing.
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 7 eggs, separated
- 8 oz. sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1 oz. melted butter
Pastry Cream
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups light cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp. dark rum
Icing
- 5 oz. fondant for white icing
- 6 oz. fondant for chocolate icing
- 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Substitution for Fondant Icing:
Chocolate Icing
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted
- 2 oz. warm water
White Icing
- 1 cup sugar (confectioner’s sugar recommended)
- 1 tsp. corn syrup
- 1 tsp. water
Instructions
- Sponge Cake Preparation:
- Separate egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls.
- Add ½ of the sugar to each bowl and beat both until peaked.
- Once stiff, fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
- Gradually add flour, mixing with a wooden spatula.
- Incorporate the melted butter.
- Pour this batter into a 10-inch greased cake pan.
- Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until spongy and golden.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
- Pastry Cream Preparation:
- In a saucepan, bring butter, milk, and light cream to a boil.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and eggs, whipping until ribbons form.
- Once the cream mixture reaches boiling, whisk in the egg mixture.
- Cook until boiling and continue for an additional minute.
- Transfer to a bowl, covering the surface with plastic wrap.
- Chill preferably overnight. When ready to use, whisk to smooth and add dark rum.
- Assembling the Cake:
- Level the top of the sponge cake using a slicing knife, then slice it into two layers.
- Spread the flavored pastry cream on one layer.
- Place the second layer on top.
- Use a small amount of pastry cream to coat the sides of the cake for almond adhesion.
- Preparing Chocolate and White Fondant Icing:
- Chocolate Fondant: Warm 6 oz. of white fondant over boiling water to about 105°F. Mix in the melted chocolate. Thin it with water to achieve a spreadable consistency.
- White Fondant: Warm 5 oz. of white fondant over boiling water to about 105°F. If necessary, thin with water. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1/8-inch tip.
- Alternate Chocolate Icing: Melt the chocolate and combine it with warm water. Warm the mixture to 105°F, adjusting consistency with water for easy piping.
- Decorating the Cake:
- Apply a thin layer of chocolate fondant or icing on top of the cake.
- Immediately create spiral patterns using the white fondant or icing, starting from the center.
- Using a paring knife, score the white lines, pulling from the center outward to the edge.
- Spread the cake’s sides with reserved pastry cream and press toasted almonds onto the sides.
Notes
The hotel serves this in smaller individual portions, but this recipe is for one whole pie.
- Prep Time: 40 mins
- Chilling Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Pastry
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 562
- Sugar: 40g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 350mg
Let me start of by saying I’m a very experienced baker. I made this recipe verbatim, no substitutions, as I always do when trying something new. Issues: 1) The pastry cream was too thin and did not set up. My instincts were that it should have been made with egg yolks only, as most pastry creams are, but the recipe called for 6 whole eggs — so I went with it. It was way too thin, even after being refrigerated overnight. 2) The suggestion to use chocolate chips and warm water as an alternative to the fondant is not a good one. Chocolate will seize up if the water is too warm. 3) The only 10″ pan I had was a glass pie dish. It tool 35 minutes for the cake to bake in this pan. On a positive note, the cake recipe was very good and it came out perfectly — with the longer bake time. I ended up remaking the pastry cream from a classic pastry cream recipe (yolks only) but adding the rum to flavor it. That pastry cream set up quickly and beautifully. Please consdier revising the pastry cream recipe. It’s much easier and better with a yolk only approach.
I’d like to corroborate this review; I had a 10-inch metal springform pan and it also took 35 minutes to bake, so that should be updated in general.
I did change the pastry cream and the icing (because I needed this cake to turn out for a party), and my go-to pastry cream does call for whole eggs *in addition to* egg yolks. All egg yolks would yield the richest results, but I used 3 oz yolks + 4 oz whole eggs and it set up fine. I think the other big issue with the the pastry cream is 4 cups liquid is too much, regardless if it’s milk or cream. For the same quantity of pastry cream, other recipes I consulted call for 3 cups total at most. So, the addition of only whole eggs doesn’t help a recipe that’s already very liquidy.
As for the icing, I think the chocolate+water would work if heated very gently in the microwave at a lowered wattage, but that should be noted/explained in the recipe. I ended up making ganaches instead. I think “poured fondant” is going to be an alien concept to most people these days because it’s been unfashionable for several decades, and it’s a sugarwork process so it’s going to be even more unfriendly to a beginner. Even the video tutorials for this cake from the Omni Parker Hotel available online use a chocolate icing, not fondant, in the modern day. I think inclusion of fondant in a recipe warrants an explainer paragraph, especially to differentiate from the much more popular rolled fondant.
Overall, I think providing a historical recipe with no context is going to trip up people who don’t already know what sponge cake/creme patisserie/smooth icings are supposed to look like.