Boston Cream Pie

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Quick Bite

Boston cream pie is actually a cake: two layers of sponge filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate glaze. It is soft, custardy, chocolatey, and one of Boston’s sweetest name mix-ups.

History

Boston cream pie was created at Boston’s Parker House Hotel, now the Omni Parker House. The dessert is generally traced to the mid-1800s, when hotel kitchens were producing elegant cakes and pastries for a growing city.

The name “pie” can be confusing today, but in the 19th century, cakes and pies were sometimes baked in similar pans and the terms overlapped more than they do now. The dessert was also known as Parker House chocolate cream pie.

The classic version is simple and elegant: sponge cake, vanilla pastry cream, chocolate glaze, and sometimes nuts or decorative icing. It became so closely tied to Massachusetts that it was named the official state dessert in 1996.

Today, Boston cream pie shows up everywhere from hotel dining rooms to doughnut shops, cupcakes, ice cream, and candy bars. Still, the original cake-style version remains the one to know.

Fun Facts

• Boston cream pie is cake, not pie.
• It was named the official Massachusetts state dessert in 1996.
• Boston cream doughnuts are inspired by the same custard-and-chocolate flavor combination.

Where to Try

Omni Parker House Boston, Massachusetts
The birthplace of Boston cream pie and the essential place to try the original-style dessert.

Mike’s Pastry Boston, Massachusetts
A North End bakery known for Boston cream cake and other classic Boston sweets.

Flour Bakery + Cafe Boston / Cambridge area, Massachusetts
A beloved local bakery group known for polished versions of classic American desserts, including Boston cream-inspired treats when available.

About the Game

This recipe is part of Van Life Challenge, a travel-themed board game from Gray Dog Games where players explore the United States, discover regional foods, and collect memorable experiences along the way.

Each featured food celebrates a real place, a local flavor, and the kind of delicious roadside discovery that makes every trip feel like an adventure.

Recipe

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Home-Cook-Friendly Boston Cream Pie Serves: 8–10 Prep: 35 minutes, plus chilling Cook: 30–35 minutes Difficulty: Medium Style: Massachusetts / Boston Custard Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup whole milk

For the pastry cream

• 2 cups whole milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the chocolate glaze

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup or butter, optional for shine

Instructions

1. Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans.
2. Mix dry ingredients: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Cream butter and sugar: Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla.
4. Finish batter: Add the flour mixture alternately with milk.
5. Bake: Divide batter between pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely.
6. Heat milk: For the pastry cream, heat milk until steaming.
7. Temper eggs: Whisk sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch in a bowl. Slowly whisk in hot milk.
8. Cook pastry cream: Return mixture to the saucepan and cook until thick.
9. Finish pastry cream: Stir in butter and vanilla, then chill until cold.
10. Fill cake: Spread pastry cream between the cake layers.
11. Make glaze: Heat cream until steaming, pour over chocolate, and stir until smooth. Add corn syrup or butter if using.
12. Glaze: Pour glaze over the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides.

Traditional note: To make it more traditional, use sponge cake, pastry cream, chocolate glaze, and keep the decoration simple. Remember, it is a cake even when the name says pie.

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