Why is Boston cream pie not a cake?

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".

What is a Boston cream pie and where did it come from?

The dessert—layers of pastry surrounding a spill of custard, the top glazed in chocolate—is often said to have been invented at Boston's Omni Parker House, where the future Communist revolutionary worked as a baker around 1912 . His marble-topped pastry table can still be seen on display at the hotel.

Is there a difference between Boston cream pie and Boston cream cake?

All The Ways To Eat (and Drink) Boston Cream Pie in Boston! Fluffy sponge, thick vanilla cream, and rich, dark chocolate ganache – check, check, and check! But wait, that sounds more like cake than pie… Technically speaking it's a layered cake, but it has always been dubbed pie since its debut in 1856 .

What's the difference between a Boston cream pie and a Boston cream cake?

But now, at least, the answer seems simple: boston cream pie is called a pie because similar cakes were originally baked in pie pans .

What's the difference between Bavarian cream and Boston cream?

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 .

What is a fun fact about Boston cream pie?

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!

A cake is typically made by combining a mixture of dry ingredients, including flour and leavening agents, with some mixture of wet ingredients including eggs, milk, oil, and butter. That batter is then baked in a pan to make a bread-like sweet. A pie, on the other hand, typically has a buttery pastry crust as the base .

Why is cheesecake called cake if it's a pie?

A cheesecake can be classified as pastry because of its crust base and filling. However, due to its name and creamy texture , it's often grouped with cakes. Despite the confusion, it doesn't quite fit the traditional definition of a pastry, cake, or pie.

Why is it called cheesecake if it's a pie?

Technically, cheesecake is a custard made with dairy and eggs. There are custard pies and custard tarts of sll sorts. This one just happens to be called a cake, perhaps because it rises above the bottom crust all on its own, instead of nestling down into a pastry security blanket . The cheesecake stands alone.

Why do they call a Boston Cream Pie?

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 .

Dessert Recipe: No-Bake Boston Cream Pie Strata (2024)

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Desserts

Faith Durand

Faith DurandSVP of Content

Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and former Editor-in-Chief of The Kitchn. She is the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.

published Jan 26, 2011

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Dessert Recipe: No-Bake Boston Cream Pie Strata (1)

Serves8 to 10

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Dessert Recipe: No-Bake Boston Cream Pie Strata (2)

Here is one of my all-time favorite desserts: It looks and tastes like a dessert casserole, but it spends no time whatsoever in the oven. It is an icebox cake composed of layers of graham crackers and fresh, homemade vanilla pudding, topped with fudge frosting. When it sits together in the fridge overnight, it melds into a luxurious cake-like texture. So yummy, and easy, too!

This is a recipe my mom used to make for potlucks and summer picnics, and I loved it so much I wanted to include it in my book. But I didn’t like using pudding mix from a box and chocolate frosting from a can. Yes, you can do that, and if you do it makes this dessert extremely fast and easy. But I do not like the weird aftertaste of pudding mix, and honestly, it is so easy to whip up your own vanilla pudding from scratch.

But even with making your own homemade pudding from scratch, this recipe doesn’t take more than an hour to put together, and then it is all done. Since it needs to be refrigerated before serving, it’s the perfect thing to make ahead of time for a dinner party. I love making this the night before a big party, or even the morning of. People always go wild for it.

If you want to really take it over the top, you can always make homemade graham crackers too!

And speaking of graham crackers, I don’t usually recommend specific brands of ingredients for recipes, but here I’ve had the best results with Honey Maid graham crackers. Less expensive brands tend to be lighter and not as substantial, and I find that they get too soggy. Now, Honey Maid (from Nabisco/Kraft) does have partially-hydrogenated oil in some of their products, as well as high fructose corn syrup. This may have changed recently in their graham crackers, but check the ingredients carefully, if you want to avoid such things. If you don’t use Honey Maid, do look for the heaviest, heartiest graham crackers you can find.

Comments

Serves 8 to 10

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

About 20 ounces (4 sleeves) graham crackers

For the custard:

3 tablespoons
cornstarch
2
large eggs
3
egg yolks
5 tablespoons
unsalted butter
3/4 cup
sugar
1/2 teaspoon
salt
4 cups
half-and-half
2 teaspoons
vanilla

For the chocolate frosting:

1/4 cup
(1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup
unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup
milk
2 cups
confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon
vanilla extract

Instructions

Line the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with graham crackers, using about a quarter of them and breaking some in half if necessary. Set aside.
To make the custard, place the cornstarch in a small bowl. In a second small bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Set both aside.
In a deep, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and stir in the sugar. Add the salt and half-and-half, and stir. Warm over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the liquid. Do not let it boil. When the half-and-half mixture is hot, turn off the heat.
Pour a ladleful of the hot half-and-half mixture into the small bowl holding cornstarch. Whisk vigorously to combine. The mixture should come together smoothly, with no lumps; if there are any lumps, add a little more liquid and whisk them out. Pour this cornstarch mixture into the beaten eggs. Whisk vigorously to combine.
Pour the egg mixture into the pot, and turn the heat on to medium. Whisk continuously and vigorously, working all the angles of the pot and scraping the bottom. Continue whisking for about 5 minutes, or until the custard becomes very thick and starts to boil, with large bubbles that slowly rise to the surface. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Spread one-third of the pudding evenly over the graham crackers. Top with a layer of graham crackers, and spread half of the remaining pudding over that layer. Add a third layer of graham crackers and top with the remaining pudding. Cover the top of the pudding with a final layer of graham crackers. Set aside.
To make the frosting, melt the butter with the cocoa powder in a small saucepan. Bring to a light simmer over medium-low heat and let it bubble for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook for 3 more minutes, letting the mixture bubble up around the edges. Remove from the heat and beat in the confectioners' sugar with a whisk or hand beater. When the mixture is smooth, beat in the vanilla. While the frosting is still quite hot and liquid, pour it over the top layer of graham crackers and smooth with a hot knife or spatula dipped in hot water.
Cover the layered dessert with a lid or aluminum foil and refrigerate. (If using foil, be careful not to let it touch the top of the dessert, as it will stick to the frosting and spoil the look.) Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours and up to 2 days before slicing and serving. Serve chilled.

Recipe Notes

Reprinted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles by Faith Durand. (Harvard Common Press, January 2011).

Related: Summer Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

(Images: Sabra Krock; Faith Durand)

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