Ultimate Boston Cream Pie Recipe

Boston Cream Pie is a classic dessert! Two layers of yellow cake are filled with pastry cream and topped off with a chocolate glaze. It is sure to be a favorite!

Boston Cream Pie with a chocolate ganache on top sitting on a cake stand.

You can always use the short-cut version of boxed yellow cake and instant pudding, but there's nothing quite like a Boston Cream made from scratch with spongey yellow cake, decadent pastry cream, all topped with a simple ganache. It is breathtaking.

Why is it called a Boston Cream Pie?

This cake gets its name from a time period when cakes and pies were cooked in the same pans so the names were used interchangeably. Nowadays, we might call this a Boston Cream Cake, but the "pie" part has stuck to this classic dessert.

Do I have to use buttermilk?

The buttermilk in this cake interacts with the baking powder to help the cake rise. If you substitute milk, your cake will not be as fluffy. If you don't have buttermilk available, it is very easy to make a buttermilk substitute by adding either white vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk. For the full substitute instructions, please see the link.

STORAGE: This cake needs to be stored in a refrigerator due to the pastry cream filling. Once it has been sliced into, you'll need to cover the exposed portion of the cake to keep it from drying out. Plastic wrap is perfect for this.

Slice of boston cream pie on a white plate with a fork on it.

SHORTCUT: If you don't have time to make pastry cream from scratch, you can also use 2 small boxes of vanilla pudding mix. The pastry cream is worth the extra effort of making, but if you are short on time, this shortcut will definitely work.

If you like this recipe, you may also like these other cake recipes:

The Most Amazing Chocolate Cake
Vanilla Waffle Cake
The Most Amazing White Cake
Funfetti Birthday Cake
Strawberry Shortcake

Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we've always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes onYouTube,Facebook Watch, or ourFacebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.