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August 3, 2022 Blog

Cheese Danish

This super flakey and buttery Cheese Danish recipe is a classic breakfast pastry that's perfect for anyone to make! It's made with homemade croissant-like danish dough and filled with a sweet cream cheese filling. This homemade cheese danish recipe is better than any danish you will find in a bakery!

This delicious danish dough is laminated with multiple layers to create that super flakey classic crust, yet has a doughy center similar to brioche bread. The easy cream cheese filling on top gives a tangy and creamy flavor that pairs perfectly with the dough.

Cheese Danish Ingredients

Cream Cheese: For these Cheese Danishes, we are using cream cheese but you may also use other cheeses that are easily spreadable or pipeable such as ricotta or burrata.

Instant Yeast: Instant yeast is a great ingredient to use when baking any bread because they have smaller particles to help the yeast dissolve more quickly. This makes it great if you don't want to leave the dough to rise for a long time. You can find this at your local grocery store.

High-Gluten Flour: Bread flour works best for this recipe to get that brioche-like texture on the inside. You can also use all-purpose flour, but it has a lower protein content, making the bread less elastic.

Tips For Baking From Scratch

*This post may contain affiliate links which means if you click on them I might get a few pennies.

I suggest purchasing a kitchen scale if you don't already have one to make the best scratch recipes. One cup of flour can vary from scoop to scoop depending on how packed the flour is, humidity, and the type of flour, which can ruin your recipe. All my cake recipes (except doctored box mixes) use a scale.

Practice Mise en Place (everything in its place) which means you measure everything before you start mixing so you don't accidentally forget something or add any ingredients out of order. I use a set of medium and small pyrex glass bowls I got from goodwill for this and it makes things SO much easier.

Making The Danish Dough

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add your flour, salt, sugar, and yeast all together with the hook attachment.
Add your room temperature egg yolk, milk, and water then mix for 4 minutes on low speed.
Mix for about four minutes at medium-low speed until it forms a pliable dough. (I mixed for closer to 8 minutes in my Bosch.)
Test your dough using the window method. This means to take a piece of your dough and stretch it thin until you can almost see through it without tearing any holes.
Take your dough out of the mixer and shape it into a ball and leave it to rest in a bowl for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. Make sure to cover the dough with a towel and place it in a warm area to keep the humidity inside the bowl.
While your dough is resting, place your softened butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Fold the edges of the plastic wrap to make a 4"x6" rectangle.
Roll the soft butter so it fills the rectangle evenly. Place the rectangle of butter into the fridge to firm up.
Once your dough rises, roll the dough with a floured rolling pin into a rectangle ( 8" x 6") and place it in the freezer covered for at least 30 minutes.
Place the butter in the center of the dough and give the dough a book fold by folding each end towards the middle the mimic the look of a book.
Roll your dough out once again to form a long rectangle (8"x 6").
Create another book fold by folding each end of the dough in half to where the ends meet in the middle.
Place your dough back on the sheet pan and cover it again with plastic wrap. Let your dough rest in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
Repeat the book folding process once more.
Rest your dough in the freezer one last time for 30 minutes.
Once your dough is frozen, roll your dough into a rectangle about 20" x 7".
Cut the ends of your dough to create sharp edges.
Roll the dough from top to bottom with your hands to form a spiral shape. Dust away the access flour on the dough as you fold.
With a sharp knife, Cut small 1" tall pieces. These are your danishes. Pro Tip: You can use a 5-wheel stainless steel cutter to cut each danish accurately.
Take the cut end of one of your danishes, and fold it under the center to the opposite corners. Then press down firmly on the danish with your hand. This will create that classic danish shape.

Making The Cream Cheese Filling

Place your softened cream cheese into a large bowl.
Add your room temperature cream on top of your cream cheese little by little while mixing with a spatula until it becomes the consistency of mayonnaise or butter.
Add your powdered sugar on top and mix until it forms a cream cheese frosting consistency. This is your danish filling. Set it aside until you are ready to use it. You can also make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge.

Assembling The Cheese Danish

Place the danishes on a large baking sheet with parchment paper underneath. Cover the sheet with plastic wrap, then proof them in a warm area (80º-90ºF) for one hour, or until they double in size.
Once your danishes are proofed, remove the plastic wrap, and create a small hole in the center of each one using your fingers. Pro Tip: wear gloves when creating holes in the center to create clean circular holes.
Brush a thin layer of egg wash around just the sides of your danishes with a pastry brush, making sure to leave the top plain since this is where we will pipe our cheese filling.
Place your cream cheese filling inside a piping bag, then cut off the tip.
Fill the center of each pastry with the cream cheese filling. Fill them to your liking.
OPTIONAL: This is the time you can get creative and add any other fillings you'd like. Use any jams, fresh fruit, or fillings that you'd like and spoon them on top of the cream cheese mixture. My raspberry or peach filling is a perfect addition to these danishes and you can fill them in many different ways!
Bake your danishes at 360º F (182º C) for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are nice and golden brown.
Leave them to cool then dust them with powdered sugar. Serve them right away as you'd like! The danish pastries are best freshly baked but can last in the fridge for up to a week if they are kept tightly wrapped or in an airtight container.

FAQ

What's the difference between Danish dough and puff pastry dough?

Danish dough has yeast inside, which creates a doughy consistency rather than the solely crunchy texture of puff pastry dough. Danish dough and puff pastry are both laminated with butter, creating crunchy and flaky exterior layers for both. The danish has crunchy layering on the outside plus a doughy bread-like consistency on the inside.

Can I make the danish dough ahead of time and then freeze it?

Yes! As long as you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or keep it in an airtight container it will last up to 3 months.

What kind of yeast should I use?

I recommend using instant yeast for this recipe so that you don't have to wait as long to proof your dough. Active dry yeast is another good option for most pastries, but it takes longer to proof.

How long do cheese danishes last?

This classic viennoiserie can last up to 3 days in an airtight container without getting soggy, but they are best served fresh the same day as baking.

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Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Cheese Danish

Chef Christophe is here to teach you how to make his classic cheese danish recipe with super flakey danish dough and a creamy and sweet cream cheese filling.

Prep Time3

Cook Time20

Chilling time30

Total Time3 50

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: French

Servings: danishes

Calories: 120kcal

Author: Liz Marek

Equipment

1 Rolling Pin
1 five wheel steel cutter or a ruler (optional)

Ingredients

Danish Dough Ingredients

280 grams high gluten flour (bread flour)
8 grams salt
45 grams sugar
60 grams egg yolks
5 grams instant dry yeast
60 grams milk
45 grams water
150 grams butter for lamination

Cream Cheese Filling

140 grams cream cheese softened
40 grams powdered sugar
60 grams heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Making The Danish Dough

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add your flour, salt, sugar, and yeast all together with the hook attachment.
Add your room temperature egg yolk, milk, and water then mix for 4 minutes on low speed.
Mix for about four minutes at medium-low speed until it forms a pliable dough. (I mixed for closer to 8 minutes in my Bosch.)
Test your dough using the window method. This means to take a piece of your dough and stretch it thin until you can almost see through it without tearing any holes.
Take your dough out of the mixer and shape it into a ball and leave it to rest in a bowl for 1 hour or until it doubles in size. Make sure to cover the dough with a towel and place it in a warm area to keep the humidity inside the bowl.
While your dough is resting, place your softened butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Fold the edges of the plastic wrap to make a 4"x6" rectangle.
Roll the soft butter so it fills the rectangle evenly. Place the rectangle of butter into the fridge to firm up.
Once your dough rises, roll the dough with a floured rolling pin into a rectangle ( 8" x 6") and place it in the freezer covered with plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes.
Place the butter in the center of the dough and give the dough a book fold by folding each end towards the middle the mimic the look of a book.
Roll your dough out once again to form a long rectangle (8"x 6").
Create another book fold by folding each end of the dough in half to where the ends meet in the middle.
Place your dough back on the sheet pan and cover it again with plastic wrap. Let your dough rest in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
Repeat the book folding process once more.
Rest your dough in the freezer one last time for 30 minutes.
Once your dough is frozen, roll your dough into a rectangle about 20" x 7".
Cut the ends of your dough to create sharp edges.
Roll the dough from top to bottom with your hands to form a spiral shape. Dust away the access flour on the dough as you fold.
With a sharp knife, Cut small 1" tall pieces. These are your danishes. Pro Tip: You can use a 5-wheel stainless steel cutter to cut each danish accurately.
Take the cut end of one of your danishes, and fold it under the center to the opposite corners. Then press down firmly on the danish with your hand. This will create that classic danish shape.

Making The Cream Cheese Filling

Place your softened cream cheese into a large bowl.
Add your room temperature cream on top of your cream cheese little by little while mixing the cream cheese with a spatula until it becomes the consistency of mayonnaise or butter.
Add your powdered sugar on top and mix until it forms a cream cheese frosting consistency. This is your danish filling. Set it aside until you are ready to use it. You can also make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge.

Assembling The Cheese Danish

Place the danishes on a large baking sheet with parchment paper underneath. Cover the sheet with plastic wrap, then proof them in a warm area (80º-90ºF) for one hour, or until they double in size.
Once your danishes are proofed, remove the plastic wrap, and create a small hole in the center of each one using your fingers. Pro Tip: wear gloves when creating holes in the center to create clean circular holes.
Brush a thin layer of egg wash around just the sides of your danishes with a pastry brush, making sure to leave the top plain since this is where we will pipe our cheese filling.
Place your cream cheese filling inside a piping bag, then cut off the tip.
Fill the center of each pastry with the cream cheese filling. Fill them to your liking.
OPTIONAL: This is the time you can get creative and add any other fillings you'd like. Use any jams, fresh fruit, or fillings that you'd like and spoon them on top of the cream cheese mixture. My raspberry or peach filling is a perfect addition to these danishes and you can fill them in many different ways!
Bake your danishes at 360º F (182º C) for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are nice and golden brown.
Leave them to cool then dust them with powdered sugar. Serve them right away as you'd like! The danish pastries are best freshly baked but can last in the fridge for up to a week if they are kept tightly wrapped or in an airtight container.

Video

Notes

Cream Cheese: For these Cheese Danishes, we are using cream cheese but you may also use other cheeses that are easily spreadable or pipeable such as ricotta or burrata.

Using a Scale: I suggest purchasing a kitchen scale if you don't already have one to make the best scratch recipes. One cup of flour can vary from scoop to scoop depending on how packed the flour is, humidity, and the type of flour, which can ruin your recipe. All my cake recipes (except doctored box mixes) use a scale.

Practice Mise en Place: (Everything in its place) which means you measure everything before you start mixing so you don't accidentally forget something or add any ingredients out of order. I use a set of medium and small pyrex glass bowls I got from goodwill for this and it makes things SO much easier.

Nutrition

August 2, 2022 4th of July

Boston Cream Pie

This classic Boston cream pie is two layers of fluffy, moist yellow cake stuffed with thick vanilla pastry cream and crowned with a glossy chocolate ganache that drips down the sides. The name is a bluff (it is not a pie, it is a cake), but the flavor is the real deal. If you love my chocolate drip cake finish, this is the dessert that puts the same shiny pour over a soft homemade cake.

I had a Boston Cream Donut before I ever had a slice of actual Boston Cream Pie, and the first time I made this recipe I realized the donut is just the cake stuffed into a fried shell. Same pastry cream, same chocolate top, same comfort. If you love my pastry cream filling work in cream puffs and éclairs, you already know the technique. The hard part with BCP is patience: the assembled cake needs at least 6 hours in the fridge to set, so plan ahead or turn the batter into Boston cream cupcakes (my personal favorite) and have dessert in an hour.

Quick Glance at the Recipe: Boston Cream Pie

Recipe Name: Boston Cream Pie
Why You'll Love It: Cake-meets-donut comfort dessert with three textures in one slice: tender yellow cake, silky vanilla pastry cream, glossy chocolate ganache. Looks like a fancy patisserie cake but uses pantry staples.
Time and Difficulty: Intermediate. About 20 minutes of active prep, 40 minutes of baking, and a 6-hour chill before the ganache. Plan a full day or split it across two.
Main Ingredients: Yellow cake (cake flour, butter, eggs, milk, oil), pastry cream (whole milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, butter, vanilla), and chocolate ganache (semi-sweet chocolate + heavy cream).
Method: Cook pastry cream and chill, bake two yellow cake layers and chill, stack with pastry cream inside an acetate-lined ring, chill overnight, pour ganache over the top, slice.
Texture and Flavor: Pillowy yellow cake, cool silky vanilla custard, shiny chocolate top. Sweet but balanced, the kind of slice that disappears off the plate.
Quick Tip: Make the pastry cream the day before so it has time to set firm. Warm pastry cream will sag between your cake layers and ruin the clean slice.

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Boston Cream Pie Ingredients

Most of this you probably already have in your pantry. I always recommend weighing your ingredients with a digital kitchen scale for the most accurate results, especially with the yellow cake. The pastry cream and ganache use whole milk, fresh eggs, and good chocolate, so do not skimp on any of those.

photo of ingredients for Boston Cream Pie.

Whole milk. Base of the pastry cream and an ingredient in the yellow cake. The fat in whole milk gives the cream richness and helps it set firm. You can substitute almond, soy, oat, or coconut milk in the pastry cream and the cake will work too, but the texture is best with whole dairy.
Eggs and egg yolks. Yolks plus a whole egg make the pastry cream rich and the yellow cake yellow. If you pulled out the yolks of a yellow cake recipe, you would end up with a plain vanilla cake; pull the yolks AND use only whites, you have a white cake. The yolks here matter.
Granulated sugar. Sweetens the pastry cream and the cake. Adding sugar to the milk as it heats helps prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.
Cornstarch. Thickener for the pastry cream. Cornstarch gives a cleaner, less starchy mouthfeel than flour and sets firm enough to slice between cake layers. Do not swap it for flour.
Unsalted butter. Finishes the pastry cream (whisked in at the end for shine) and is the main fat in the yellow cake. I like Plugra (European butter, 82% fat) for the pastry cream because it makes the cream extra silky. Any unsalted butter works in the cake.
Vanilla extract. Pastry cream and yellow cake both call for it. Use pure vanilla extract, paste, or scraped beans if you have them. I like Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste when I want the strongest hit of vanilla.
Cake flour. Lower protein than all-purpose flour, which means less gluten development and a more tender, fluffy crumb. Do not fall for the "just add cornstarch to AP flour" workaround for this cake; the texture comes out closer to cornbread because AP has too much protein. If you do need a swap, my cake flour substitute is what I use. In the UK look for Shipton Mill soft cake and pastry flour, or any flour with 9% protein or less.
Baking powder and baking soda. Both are leaveners. The combination gives the cake lift without making it taste like soda.
Vegetable oil. A small amount alongside the butter keeps the yellow cake moist for days. Canola oil works the same way.
Semi-sweet chocolate. For the ganache. Use good chocolate. I like Guittard, Cacao Barry, or Ghirardelli chips because they do not need chopping. If you want the ganache darker, swap in bittersweet.
Heavy whipping cream. The other half of the ganache. If you are out of heavy cream, try my water ganache recipe, which works really well for a drip on a chilled cake.
Salt. Wakes everything up in the cake batter.

What Is Boston Cream Pie?

Boston Cream Pie is two layers of yellow cake sandwiched with vanilla pastry cream and finished with a chocolate ganache or chocolate glaze on top. The dessert was created in 1856 at the Parker House Hotel in Boston (now the Omni Parker House) by French chef Augustine François Anezin, who served it as "Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie." It only got the "Boston Cream Pie" name when Betty Crocker put a recipe for it in her cookbook in 1950, and it has been Massachusetts's official state dessert since 1996.

So why is a cake called a pie? Because in colonial America, the words "cake" and "pie" were used pretty interchangeably, and the early versions of this dessert were baked in pie tins (most home kitchens had pie tins; fewer had layer cake pans). The name stuck even after pie tins stopped being the default vessel.

What Makes This Boston Cream Pie So Good

This recipe gives you a real boston cream pie experience without making you babysit a finicky French sponge or a stovetop custard that breaks on you. Here is what wins:

The yellow cake is a real layer cake, not a sponge. Plenty of recipes use a sponge cake or chiffon base, and the slice falls apart the moment a fork goes in. This one uses cake flour, butter, oil, and extra yolks (more on those in a minute) so the texture is moist, sliceable, and stands up to the weight of the pastry cream without going soggy by day two.
Real pastry cream, not pudding mix. Stovetop crème pâtissière is the kind of filling that bakeries put inside éclairs and tarts. It is thicker, richer, and tastes a hundred times better than anything from a box. The cornstarch makes it sliceable; the butter at the end makes it silky.
Acetate ring assembly = clean slice. This is the part most home recipes skip. Stacking the cake inside an acetate-lined ring forces the pastry cream to set in a clean disc between the layers instead of squishing out the sides. The slice the next day looks like a patisserie display.
Chocolate ganache, not glaze. Half of the BCP recipes online use a powdered-sugar-and-water glaze. Ganache is two ingredients (chocolate + heavy cream), tastes like real chocolate, and gives that shiny mirror finish that makes the cake look like dessert from a real bakery. Same technique as my chocolate ganache recipe.
Scales to cupcakes in 20 minutes. Same batter, same pastry cream, same ganache. You can also turn this into 24 Boston cream cupcakes if you do not want to wait 6 hours for the assembled cake to set. Details below.

How to Make Boston Cream Pie Step-By-Step

Before you start: this is a three-component recipe (pastry cream, yellow cake, ganache + assembly) and the pastry cream and cake both need to chill before you put the cake together. The smart play is to make the pastry cream first thing in the morning (or the night before), bake the cake while the pastry cream chills, stack and chill overnight, and pour the ganache the day you are serving. Pull all your dairy and eggs to room temperature before you start the cake, and preheat your oven to 350º F.

whisking pastry cream ingredients in stainless steel pot with blue whisk

Cook the pastry cream. Whisk the yolks, the whole egg, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl until smooth. Bring the milk and vanilla to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.

Adding hot milk mixture slowly to cold egg mixture with measuring cup and blue whisk

Temper the eggs by streaming in about a third of the hot milk while whisking. Then pour the whole thing back into the pot and whisk constantly over medium heat until thick and bubbling for a full minute. Strain into a bowl, whisk in the butter, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill in the fridge.

PRO TIP: Pour the hot milk into the eggs in a thin, slow stream while whisking aggressively. A fast pour or a paused whisk equals scrambled eggs. If you do get lumps, strain through a fine-mesh sieve while the cream is still warm so the cornstarch network does not break down and turn the cream loose.

closeup of thickened pastry cream in metal pot with blue whisk

Then pour the whole thing back into the pot and whisk constantly over medium heat until thick and bubbling for a full minute. Strain into a bowl, whisk in the butter, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill in the fridge.

pastry cream in a square glass container with plastic wrap on top

Strain into a bowl, whisk in the butter, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill in the fridge.

hand adding vanilla to milk and oil mixture in a measuring cup.

Mix, bake, and chill the yellow cake. Prep two 8-inch cake pans with cake goop. In a small bowl, combine half the milk, vanilla, and oil; in another bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, and the rest of the milk.

hand adding egg mixture into mixing bowl..

In the bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer with the paddle, combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and butter on low until the mixture looks like coarse sand.

Stream in the oil mixture, bump speed to medium, and mix for a full 2 minutes (set a timer; this is what builds the structure). Add the egg mixture in a slow stream on low until homogeneous.

picture of two cake pans filled with cake batter.

Divide between the pans, bake 30 to 35 minutes.

finished yellow cake layers in baking pans.

Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then flip out and either flash-freeze for an hour or wrap warm in plastic and freeze overnight.

hands adding second cake layer on top of pastry cream filling.

Assemble inside an acetate ring. Set an 8-inch cake board inside an 8-inch cake ring lined with acetate that stretches about 6 inches above the ring. Trim the cake domes flat, place the first layer at the bottom of the ring, pipe all the chilled pastry cream on top in an even half-inch-thick layer, set the second cake on top, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours (overnight is better).

hand pouring ganache on top of filled cake layers.

Make the ganache and pour. Pour the chocolate chips into a glass bowl, microwave the heavy cream until steaming, pour the cream over the chocolate, wait 5 minutes, then whisk smooth. Let the ganache cool until it is around 92 to 95º F (warm to the touch, not hot). Unmold the cake, peel the acetate, pour the ganache over the top, and nudge it toward the edges so it drips down in clean ribbons. Smooth the top with an offset

PRO TIP: Pouring ganache that is too hot onto a cold cake makes a thin, runny coat that pools at the base. Ganache around 92 to 95º F is thick enough to cling to the chilled cake and form actual drips. If yours is too hot, give it 5 more minutes; if it has firmed up, microwave in 10-second bursts.

Cake Batter, Pastry Cream, and Ganache Calculator

This recipe makes approximately 6 cups of yellow cake batter (enough for two 8-inch layers, two 9-inch layers, three 6-inch layers, or about 24 standard cupcakes), about 2.5 cups of pastry cream filling, and about 1 cup of chocolate ganache for the top. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card if you need to scale up or down.

Cake Batter and Frosting Calculator

Select an option below to calculate how much batter or frosting you need. Adjust the servings slider on the recipe card to change the amounts the recipe makes.

Choose a pan type

Choose a cake pan size
(based on 2" tall cake pan)

Cupcake Tin Size

Choose number of pans

Cups of Batter Needed

8 cups

Cups of Frosting Needed

5 cups

Note: measurements are estimated based off the vanilla cake recipe using standard US cake pans and sizes. Measurements used are for 2" tall cake pans only. Your results may vary. Do not overfill cake pans above manufacturer's recommended guidelines.

Pan size swaps

Pan	Batter	Bake time at 350º F
Two 8-inch rounds (standard)	Full batch	30 to 35 minutes
Three 6-inch rounds	Full batch	28 to 32 minutes
Two 9-inch rounds	Full batch (thinner layers)	22 to 26 minutes
9x13 sheet pan	Full batch	25 to 30 minutes (slice and layer like a trifle)
24 standard cupcakes	Full batch	15 to 20 minutes
12 jumbo cupcakes	Full batch (fill ½ full)	20 to 25 minutes

A toothpick in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Check on the early end of the range and add 2 to 3 minute increments until set.

Common Boston Cream Pie Problems To Avoid

Pastry cream is too thin to slice. You pulled the cream off the heat before it really cooked the cornstarch. Once the mixture starts bubbling, keep whisking for a full minute. Less than that leaves a starchy taste AND a cream that loosens up overnight in the fridge.
Pastry cream weeps under the cake top after chilling. Your cream cooled with a skin on top, or it was strained too late and lost its structure. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream while it cools, and strain it while warm if you need to. Cornstarch sets the cream into a smooth disc only if the starch network stays intact.
The slice smears when you cut it. You skipped the acetate ring or did not chill long enough. The 6-hour chill is what lets the pastry cream firm into a clean half-inch layer between the cake. Under 4 hours and the cream is still pourable.
Ganache drips run all the way to the bottom and pool. Your ganache was too hot when you poured. Wait until it cools to 92 to 95º F (warm but not hot to the touch). Onto a fridge-cold cake, ganache at that temp grabs and stops.
Cake comes out dense or sunken in the middle. Cold eggs or cold milk fought the butter and broke the emulsion. Pull your dairy and eggs to room temp before mixing. The 2-minute medium-speed mix after the oil goes in is also doing the structural work; do not skip it.
Slice gets soggy by day three. This is a moisture-heavy cake by design, and the pastry cream will start to migrate into the crumb after about 48 hours in the fridge. Eat within 2 to 3 days for the cleanest texture.

Boston Cream Cupcakes (no chill needed)

I almost like Boston cream pie cupcakes better because of how cute they are and how much faster they are to build. Divide the yellow cake batter into 24 cupcake liners, bake at 350º F for 15 to 20 minutes, cool fully, then carve a small core out of the top of each cupcake (the slit method works best, just cut a 1-inch deep slit, push it open with a small spoon, and pipe in the pastry cream). Replace the top, drizzle a spoonful of ganache over each, and serve. No acetate ring, no 6-hour chill, all the flavor.

picture of Boston cream pie cupcakes with one cut in half.

Boston Cream Pie FAQs

What is the difference between Boston cream pie and Boston cream cake?

There is no real difference. "Boston cream cake" is the more honest name (because it really is a cake), but "Boston cream pie" is the original name from the 1850s and has stuck around because of tradition. They use the same components: yellow cake, vanilla pastry cream filling, and chocolate ganache or glaze on top.

Should I refrigerate Boston Cream Pie?

Yes. The pastry cream filling is dairy-based and needs to stay cold. Cover the assembled cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate the whole time. Pull it out about 20 minutes before serving so the cake softens up and the ganache loses its fridge edge.

Can I freeze a Boston Cream Pie?

The cake layers freeze great on their own (wrapped warm in plastic and stored up to 3 months). The assembled cake does not freeze well because the cornstarch in the pastry cream takes on a grainy, watery texture when it thaws. If you want to get ahead, freeze the layers, hold the pastry cream up to 2 days in the fridge, and assemble the day before serving.

How long will a finished Boston Cream Pie last in the fridge?

About 3 days. The slice tastes best in the first 24 hours, gets a little soft and integrated on day two (still delicious), and starts to feel soggy around day three as the pastry cream migrates into the cake.

Can I make this without a cake ring and acetate?

You can, but the slice will be messier because the pastry cream will spread under the weight of the top layer. If you do not have the gear, I really recommend doing the cupcake version (no ring needed) or just embracing the rustic naked-cake look and accepting that the slice will smear a little.

More Cake Recipes To Try

Watch: How To Decorate A Cake Step-by-Step

Before you start decorating, watch the video below where I show you every step of decorating a cake from start to finish. Seeing the process in action makes it much easier to follow along

- Liz Marek.

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smiling woman holding a decorated cake in her hands

Recipe

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4.67 from 24 votes

Boston Cream Pie Recipe

The name might be deceiving, but Boston Cream Pie is not a pie at all, it is a cake. Two layers of moist yellow cake stuffed with homemade vanilla pastry cream and crowned with rich chocolate ganache. Make the whole cake or convert it into cupcakes for a faster version.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Chill Time6

Total Time7

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 569kcal

Author: Liz Marek