Boston Cream Pie

My birthday is in two days and I'm very excited because it gives me an excuse to bake something yummy for myself. All for me! And a few pieces for the other special people around here. ;o)

Some years I decide on a new recipe that I've come across in the several months leading up. Some years I go with an old stand-by. I really love cake and have many favorites but I don't think anything compares to Boston Cream Pie. I really just love that combo in any shape or form: eclaires, doughnuts, cupcakes....really any kind of pastry/baked yummy with rich vanilla custard pudding and a thick chocolatey glaze is just right up my alley. John always knows what to come home with when doughnut shopping for me. He doesn't have to ask.

This is the only recipe I've ever tried for Boston Cream Pie, because it's so good why mess around? It comes from the 1978 (and '79, and '81) edition of Betty Crocker's cookbook. My mom has a copy that no longer has the cover, and it's sort of falling apart. Lots of great classic recipes in this cookbook, and I was a bit giddy when I came across a like-new copy at an antique store last weekend. You can bet I snatched it up!

So here you go! It involves several steps but if you plan ahead you don't need to do them all on the same day, and each part is fairly simple on it's own. And best of all, you probably have most of the ingredients on hand already.

Dinette Cake

1 1/4 c. flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c. milk

1/3 c. shortening (I use butter)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a round 9" cake pan. Beat all ingredients in large bowl, at low speed, 30 seconds. Beat on high for 3 min. Pour into pan. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, 35 min. Cool.

Split cake into two layers, and fill with Cream filling. Spread top with chocoalte glaze.

Cream Filling

1/3 c. sugar

2 Tb cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 c. milk

2 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla

Mix 1st 3 ingr. in 2 qt sauce pane. Stir in milk gradually. Cook over med. heat, stirring, until thickened and boiling. Boil and stir 1 min. Stir at least 1/2 of mixture gradually into egg yolks. Blend into hot mixture in pan. Boil and stir 1 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to room temp.

Chocolate Glaze

2 sq. (1 oz ea.) UNsweetened chocolate

3 Tb butter

1 c. powd. sugar

3/4 tsp. vanilla

    About 2 Tb. hot water

Heat chocolate and butter over low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Stir in powd. sugar and vanilla. Stir in water, 1 tsp. at a time until glaze is of desired consistency.  

Winter Slumps

My brother asked me the other day when I was going to update this blog. So I guess it's time, although really - there's not much to say! We had to pretty much put everything at a stand-still while we save up mucho dinero to replace the garage floor and front walk. This would definitely NOT be top priority for us if we had our own way. We'd rather have actual light fixtures, instead of bare bulbs; paint on the walls; a larger dining room table; a comfier couch; nice floors....you get the idea.

But the last thing on the list of required repairs (given to us by the city when we bought the place - most of the listed projects were inexpensive and we've completed all but this) - is the uneven, cracked garage floor. And that comes with a hefty price tag. At the same time, we've had such an unusually warm winter that work by now has slowed down quite a bit for John. So the saving money part - a minor detail - is taking us longer than it normally would. Everything we would rather do and pay for is put on hold until that garage floor is taken care of. Sigh.

One perk of a warm winter is that spring is arriving so much sooner! And that of course means gardening is just around the corner. Seeds are ordered, and I'm excited to give Straw Bale Gardening a try for the first time. John even has my grow lights all set up in the laundry room! Be on the lookout for more happenings, posts, and pictures once my seeds and bales arrive. ;o)

Meanwhile, here are some pictures from Joseph's birthday party....