Changes at Have the Cake

Gorgeous Boston Cream pies, cakes and cupcakes this month! My mouth is watering from all the yummy goodness.

Have the Cake is almost 2 years old! We have had many members throughout those two years and some original members are still hanging on. I'm thrilled that everyone is enjoying our challenges and are inspired to bake and create! For now, I will be taking over the challenges. If you have been anxiously awaiting your turn, please let me know and I will gladly give you a month. If there is something you have been itching to try and you've already had a turn, I'd be happy to give you another.

Thank you for participating and keeping our baking group alive and kicking!
New challenge coming tomorrow.

Egg Free Boston Cream Pie

Posted by - Nancy

So after 5 months with the new baby and my rapidly approaching 3 years old and now potty trained preschooler, I feel like I am finally getting back to groove of getting stuff done. Now if I only could type one handed a bit faster!

Anyway, I was excited about this months challenge, I have never made Boston Cream pie before. However, as I started looking for recipes I quickly realized I would need to make a variation since my baby girl is showing the signs of having the egg allergy my son has. So I am on an egg free diet to help keep her eczema at bay. But of course, BCP is full of eggs, from the cake to the luscious cream filling. I thought I would be doomed.

However, after a quick Google search I came across a vegan recipe from this blog and after reading through it I figured it would work. I am not vegan though so I did use real milk, butter and yogurt. Below are my modifications:

INGREDIENTS:

Dry:
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Wet:
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c or 6 oz. greek yogurt
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. milk

Cream filling:
1/3 c. sugar
pinch of salt
2 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. milk
1 T. butter
1 t. vanilla

Chocolate Ganache:
1/4 c. or 1/2 stick butter
1/3 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. milk, at room temperature

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake rounds and line bottoms with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine sugar and vegetable oil. Add soy yogurt and vanilla and mix until creamy. Mix in milk. In another bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add to wet in batches. Ladle batter between the two cake pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on rack.

While cakes are cooling, prepare cream filling. In a saucepan, combine sugar, salt and cornstarch. Add milk and whisk together. Bring the mixture to a light boil over medium heat while whisking constantly. Lower to a simmer and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add margarine and vanilla. Pour into a bowl and let cool, stirring every few minutes. Filling will continue to thicken as it cools.

After cream filling is cooled, prepare ganache. In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt the margarine completely, stirring constantly. Add milk and whisk to combine. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips, stirring rapidly to melt. Let cool for several minutes.

Spread cream filling between cake layers. Top cake with Chocolate Ganache. Let cake set in fridge for at least 45 minutes. Remove from fridge 20 minutes before serving to let ganache soften for easier cutting...


So we set out to make the cake one morning during nap time. Of course, behind every aspiring home chef is an even better sous chef:



And the final product:



And I bet you're wondering how it tastes? Pretty good actually. Don't get me wrong, this is no substitute for the luscious cream filling portion, but the cake is wonderful. In fact I think I will save the cake recipe for my daughters first birthday cupcakes!

Boston Cream Pie (Cake, whatever)

Posted by -colleen
This month's recipe challenge could not have been more perfect! First, I've never made a Boston Cream Pie before and that is the point of Have the Cake (to try more recipes)! Second, I have a dinner party on the 29th and need to bring dessert. Third, the dinner party hostess has an all-time favorite dessert and it is-Boston Cream Pie. Last, I got these very pretty measuring cups from Anthropologie for my birthday and I got to put them all to use.
I used the recipe for the cake and custard filling from grouprecipes.com but I used a glaze recipe from allrecipes.com (because it involved using more chocolate and well, it involved using more chocolate).
The whole thing was easier than I thought it would be. The only "problem" I had was that it was super humid outside and baking is just not as fun when you're sweating. I made the cake first and while it was baking (it took exactly 20 minutes) I got the custard completed. I left the cakes and custard cooling for about an hour and then assembled before putting the chocolate on the stove to melt. It made a nice, thick but still pourable frosting that covered the cake perfectly and dribbled just a bit over the edges. I then wrapped the poor thing in a TON of plastic wrap and put it in the fridge hoping it would stay nice and fresh for the dinner.
Then, I just had to wait and see how it was received...
The conclusion was...the custard was perfection. The chocolate top was divine. The cake was...good. A few people thought the texture was excellent. Personally, I would have liked it a little more moist. I would make this again and just try a slightly different version of the cake.
Yum!

boston cream cupcakes

Posted by -Vivian

When I heard that this month's challenge was going to be Boston cream pie I knew exactly what to make, Martha Stewart's Boston Cream Cupcakes.  cupcakes just always seem to fit the bill for me... I mean, who doesn't like cupcakes??? they turned out yummy and were just the right size for this rich dessert.
The recipe for her cupcakes can be found here.   If there were to be any changes I would make in her recipe it would be to add more vanilla into the cream.  Using an actual vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste would have put this recipe over the top!

Boston Cream Pie

Posted by -Cindy

I love Boston Cream pie, but not this version! I must have the kiss of death on recipes! Maybe it's me, maybe it's my oven, I don't know. This is another disappointing recipe. I used the recipe from the Hershey 's website. This chocolate topping was too thin & grainy. The cake was so-so. I thought the crumb was coarse.

I made mine in a small tube pan because my cakes have a tendency to sink in the middle & I wanted to avoid that. After splitting the cake in half, I dug out a small trench to hold the pastry cream so it wouldn't ooze out the sides. That idea turned out well.

Over all, this was a disappointing recipe that I wouldn't make again. I've had better from Publix super market.

P.S. I just tried a slice this morning after the cake had been sitting over night in the fridge. It was much better, almost good. The chocolate topping was stilling disappointing. Ganache would have been so much better.

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/8347/Classic-Boston-Cream-Pie.aspx

Boston Cream Pie

Posted by -Angela/Soap Mom's Kitchen

I was very excited about this challenge on Have the Cake. I happen to love Boston Cream Cake. I must admit I never made one before, and was excited to do so. I don't know what took me so long this cake is delicious!!!! I got the recipe from Country Living. I did have to modify the Chocolate Glaze it was too runny. I highly recommend this cake if you are a Boston Cream Lover!

Recipe from Country Living

Ingredients for Cake:
All ingredients should be at room temperature
(1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoonbaking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk

Directions for Cake:
1.Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Butter and flour the pan. Beat the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolks, one at a time, and add the vanilla extract.

2.Stir the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together using a whisk. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat the flour mixture into the butter-egg mixture, adding it in thirds and alternating with the milk. Beat until the batter is smooth.

3.Transfer to the prepared pan and bake on the center shelf of the oven until the cake tests clean when a skewer is inserted into the center, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4.To assemble, split the unmolded cake using a long serrated knife. Spread Vanilla Bean Pudding over the bottom half of the cake and place the top layer over the pudding.I ran a spatula around the cake to smooth out the oozing vanilla pudding. Pour Chocolate Glaze over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides of the cake if desired. I personally like it the way I did it in the pic above.  I want to see that thick layer of vanilla pastry cream.  You can't tell from the pics, but you can see all the specks of the vanilla bean throughout the cream. YUMMY!!!!


Vanilla Bean Pudding for Filling

Ingredients for Pudding
3/4 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 vanilla bean
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon butter

Directions for Pudding
1.Heat the milk, cream, and vanilla bean (with the seeds scraped into the milk) until just simmering in a heavy-bottomed medium pot. Whisk the yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and salt together and stream the hot milk mixture, while whisking continuously, into the eggs. Return to the pan and cook, while whisking over medium heat, until the mixture thickens and just begins to boil. Immediately transfer to a clean bowl. Pick out and discard vanilla bean. Stir in the vanilla extract and the butter. Press plastic wrap against the surface to cover. Chill very well.


Chocolate Glaze for Boston Cream Pie
I recommend some modifications of the glaze: The Country Living recipe was to runny even after cool down. There is about a 1/2 cup left over, which I did not mind, I could use it on top of ice cream.

Ingredients for chocolate glaze
1/2 cup heavy cream (I would use 1/3 cup)
4 ounces chopped dark chocolate ( You might have to add a little more to get a slightly thicker consistency)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoon corn syrup ( I would use 1 T.)

Directions for Chocolate Glaze
1.Heat cream to a boil and pour into a medium-size heatproof bowl filled with the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup. Let sit for 1 minute and stir until smooth. Let cool to thicken slightly before glazing cake.

Boston Cream Pie = messy but yummy

Posted by - Jessica B.

For this challenge I used the recipe found on the Food Network. The ganache made enough to drown a small city as you can tell by my picture and that wasn't even all of it!


I made the pastry cream first and let it cool in the fridge for 2 hrs. You need to be very careful with this as it can burn easily. I think it really needs to be removed from the heat as soon as it starts to come to a boil in the last part. After it's removed from the heat it will probably still finish coming to it's thickened stage. I used vanilla extract instead of vanilla beans (1/2 tablespoon) and it seems to have worked just fine.

Next came the cake which was fairly straight forward but I wonder if my not liking to use cake flour caused the cake to not rise as much. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract just for a little added flavor which I was very happy with. Next time I think I would be better off using an 8 inch pan instead of a 9 inch in order to make the cake layers a little bit thicker. My oven bakes pretty hot so the cake was done at about 22 and 1/2 minutes. I very carefully cut the big layer in half, smoothed on the pastry cream, slapped the top on and made my ganache. The recipe says to boil the heavy cream and mix that in with the chocolate morsels causing them to melt. It doesn't say anything about letting the ganache cool a little before drenching the cake but looking back on it I think it's probably a good idea as it would thicken some. Anyway, the cake is NOT pretty but it sure is good.