Blue Ribbon Group Blue Ribbon “Boston Cream Pie” Pie
Winner at Woodstock Fair
This Blue Ribbon “Boston Cream Pie” Pie is divine, plus it’s easy, fun to make, and epic in taste. You par-bake a pie crust and bake a chocolate layer on top of that. Then comes a creamy custard layer and cubed pound cake. You finish it with a chocolate drizzle. Wow! This may need to go into the “best dessert ever” category.
Before making this pie, I had only experienced Boston cream doughnuts and not the traditional dessert, Boston Cream Pie, which is actually a cake. Confused? Apparently, long ago, cakes and pies were baked in the same pan, so that’s how the Boston Cream Pie got its curious title.
Great for Birthdays, Special Occasions, or Any Time
I pulled this recipe from the Blue Ribbon Group archives when a good friend requested something like it for his birthday. I wished I had sooner. This Blue Ribbon “Boston Cream Pie” Pie is an absolute winner!
Woodstock Fair Winner
Recipe credit goes to Vanessa Sullivan, who won 1st place for it at the Woodstock Fair in Connecticut (2011). It was for a pie baking championship supported by Pillsbury pie crusts. Refrigerated and frozen pie crusts can be such time savers. For this Blue Ribbon Boston Cream Pie, you can use a pre-made pie crust or make your own crust. If homemade is your thing, search for our Best Pie Crust Recipe to find a favorite of ours.
When I made this Blue Ribbon “Boston Cream Pie” Pie for photographs, I used that Best Pie Crust Recipe of ours but replaced half the butter with coconut oil. That gave me a much more firm crust. This held up well against the chocolate layer baked on top of it, and the overall weight of the pie.
I made a few other modifications to Vanessa’s recipe also. I used whole milk and butter instead of heavy cream in the chocolate layer, and upped the chocolate ingredients in order to have more drizzle on top.
For the pound cake layer, I used a Japanese castella, a sponge cake from my nearby, favorite Asian grocery store, United Noodle. (Why stop at two stores when you can get it done with one.) A Sara Lee pound cake or Entenmann’s “all butter cake” would work nicely too. Those products are also more widely available.
You can make the crust, chocolate and custard ahead of time and do the pound cake layer and drizzle just before serving.
Or you can fully make it and refrigerate it.
Any way you go about it, this is a winner. I know I’ll be making this pie again and again. I hope you love it too.
More for Pie Lovers:
Dinner idea: Savory Butternut Squash Carrot Pie
Into fruit pies? Get this Raspberry Peach Pie in your oven!
Looking for a traditional Boston Cream Pie? Try this Betty Crocker version.
Blue Ribbon Boston Cream Pie
1 pre-made pie crust
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 dash salt
For filling:
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
2 cups milk
For topping:
1 store-purchased pound cake (10 or more ounces)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pie crust in 10-inch pie plate. Prick bottom with a fork. Bake just until lightly brown, about 12-15 minutes. Break bittersweet chocolate into 1-inch pieces. Place in medium-sized bowl. In a saucepan, bring milk and butter to a boil. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Set aside 1/2 the chocolate. Add egg, vanilla and salt to remaining chocolate. Pour into baked pie crust. Bake 10 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
For the filling: combine flour, sugar and salt in a double boiler. Beat the egg yolks and milk together. Pour into the flour mixture. Cook on top of the double boiler until thickened, about 10-12 minutes. Add the vanilla. Pour onto the cooled chocolate layer and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, cut the pound cake into square pieces and scatter over the pie. Drizzle the reserved chocolate mixture over the pie. Cut into 8 slices (or any desired size pieces).
