We put an almond twist on this classic dessert with rich Amaretto Pastry Cream. Fold whipped cream into the batter to achieve a light, spongy cake (yes, the “pie” name is a long-held misnomer). Find out the full story and history behind this pie, here!
Amaretto Boston Cream Pie
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (4 grams) almond extract
- 2 large eggs (100 grams)
- 3 large egg yolks (56 grams)
- 2 cups (250 grams) cake flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
- ⅓ cup (80 grams) whole buttermilk
- ½ cup (120 grams) heavy whipping cream
- Amaretto Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
- 1 cup (113 grams) sliced almonds, toasted
- Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Spray a 9-inch springform pan or 3-inch tall-sided round cake pan with baking spray with flour. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add oil, vanilla, salt, and almond extract, beating just until combined. Add eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
- In another medium bowl, beat cream with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold whipped cream into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake until light golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Using a serrated knife, cut cooled cake in half horizontally. Reserve ¼ Amaretto Pastry Cream; spread remaining Amaretto Pastry Cream onto first cake layer. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining Amaretto Pastry Cream on sides of cake; press almonds onto sides of cake. Pour Chocolate Ganache over top of cake. Refrigerate until ganache is set, about 15 minutes. Serve at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Amaretto Pastry Cream
Makes about 2¼ cups
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (360 grams) whole milk
- ⅔ cup (160 grams) heavy whipping cream
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
- 7 large egg yolks (130 grams)
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (32 grams) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) amaretto
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring milk, cream, and vanilla bean and reserved seeds to a boil over medium heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually add milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain mixture into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Pour into a medium bowl, and stir in amaretto. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Chocolate Ganache
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups (227 grams) chopped bittersweet chocolate
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 4 teaspoons (28 grams) corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over medium-low heat. Remove from heat; stir in corn syrup and 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water. Let stand until thickened, about 15 to 30 minutes. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat over low heat before using.
I made three desserts from your latest issue.
Boston Cream Pie
Cake with cherries
Blackberry bars
All recipes were wonderful!
I felt the dough for the blackberry bars was better when I kept it in the freezer for one hour. Mainly because the heat from my hand softened the dough.
But I am really enjoying this issue!
Thank-you.
Maureen
Maureen,
Thank you for reaching out and thank you for your feedback! We will pass this along to our test-kitchen but are happy to hear you enjoyed the issue.
Happy baking!
Hi..I couldn’t find 1 tall 9 inch can I use 2×9 inch pan and divide the batter ?
Majid,
Thank you for reaching out! Yes, that should be fine. We do recommend cutting the baking time from 40 minutes to around 20-25 minutes. Happy Baking!
This cake tasted great but it fell in the middle! What do you think I did wrong?
Hey Toni,
The cake may have been under-baked slightly. Also, were you using the recipe in the magazine or on the website? Unfortunately, we had an error in our published recipe. We doubled our bake time. So it might not be your fault at all, merely an error within the recipe. Happy baking!
So how long to put in the oven??
Hi Dianne,
Thanks for reaching out! If you look at step 5, this cake bakes for 40 to 45 minutes. Happy baking!