This moist cake filled with velvety pastry cream and topped with a luscious chocolate ganache will be your new favorite dessert. Everyone will be begging for a second slice of this Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake.
I’ve recently mentioned how much I fell in love with the concept of poke cakes, right? I’ve been thinking about all the ways I can make poke cakes into something seriously delicious and amazing.
This Boston cream pie poke cake has been on my mind for a while and I’ve finally made it. Lucky for me, it turned out even better than what I could ever have imagined.
I used the same base as my cannoli poke cake instead of a traditional hot milk sponge cake used in Boston cream pies. This is because it is sturdy enough to hold up to being poked and filled while also remaining light and fluffy.
It makes it perfect to be filled with the pastry cream to create pockets of delicious. The longer the cake sits out, the better it gets as the flavors of the pastry cream seep into the cake more.
I recommend making the cake the day before you plan to serve it, adding the ganache just prior to serving. Just bake the cake, fill the holes with the pastry cream, and let it sit overnight.
Refill the holes as needed, then when you are ready to serve, top with the ganache. If you can’t let it sit that long, it is perfectly fine! The cake will still be incredibly delicious!
You can store the finished and assembled cake covered for up to three days at room temperature. You can prepare the different components of the cake ahead of time.
The plain cake can be frozen if stored in an airtight container. The pastry cream and ganache should be stored in airtight containers and the pastry cream should remain refrigerated.
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Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 2 cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 large Egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 cups Buttermilk room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups Cold Milk
- 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 large Egg
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 8 ounces Chocolate
- 2 teaspoons Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Whisk well until completely combined. Set aside.
- In a mixer, add the butter and sugar together. Beat for about 4 – 5 minutes on medium until it is well-combined and light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Alternate between adding the flour mixture in three additions, and the buttermilk in two additions. Mixing each until it is just combined. I recommend mixing the last addition of flour by hand with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 50 – 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. You may need to place aluminum foil over the cake before the last 10 – 15 minutes to keep it from over browning at the top.
- While the cake is cooling, make the pastry cream.
- Whisk together the milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together until it is well combined and there are no lumps. Whisk in the eggs and mix until well combined.
- Pour into a medium saucepan and heat on medium.
- Continue to whisk as it heats until it thickens to al almost pudding consistency. Immediately remove from heat.
- Add in the butter and vanilla and stir well until the butter is melted and completely combined.
- Pour into a container and place plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream to prevent skin and allow to cool completely.
- Remove the cake and allow to cool completely.
- Poke holes on the top of the cake.
- Fill the holes with pastry cream. I prefer to use a piping bag to ensure the holes were fully filled. Spread a thin layer of the pastry cream over the top of the cake.
- Make the ganache. Heat the heavy cream until it is steaming. Add the chocolate and allow to sit for about 5 – 10 minutes, then add the oil and stir well. Allow to sit to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and spread over the cake.