The famous dessert in a new form! Boston cream makes for a delicious topping and chocolate ganache is just always a great choice!
This cheesecake has it all: Homemade vanilla cake layer, creamy vanilla cheesecake, Boston cream topping and chocolate ganache! If that does not make your mouth water, what is?
The secret behind Boston Cream!
Boston cream is basically a cooked vanilla custard with the addition of butter. It has a rich vanilla flavor and a creamy texture. You could even add vanilla bean paste for it to have a real vanilla burst and beautiful speckles!
The vanilla pastry cream is one of the most popular donut choices for many reasons. Its rich flavor derived from the best ingredients like egg yolks, whole milk, butter and vanilla essence.
So how to make Boston cream filling. You mix all the ingredients besides milk in a sauce pan until smooth. Alternatively you can heat up milk until it comes to a simmer and mix the other ingredients in a separate bowl. Then combine the two gently by adding a bit of hot milk at a time whisking continuously but for me that sounds too complicated. I rather use less dishes and have it an easier way. So after you mixed it until the corn starch has dissolved mix in milk until smooth. Heat it at medium heat until it boils while stirring it continually. It should take about 2 to 3 minutes. Once it started boiling keep whisking for 2 to 3 minutes while it keeps bubbling so that the starchy flavor of corn starch disappears. I recommend to strain it with a metal strainer just to make sure there is no cooked egg pieces left in the cream and it makes it creamier. At last add some butter for a richer flavor and more creaminess and you are all set!
These are the cheesecake pans that I always use in my recipe videos: Springform pan and Removable bottom pan
A 8 inch springform pan is the traditional choice to make most cheesecake recipes. I usually use it for no bake cheesecakes. For baked cheesecakes I prefer the removable bottom pan. It has the advantage of fitting a water bath snuggly around it.
Boston cream pie cheesecake
Ingredients:
For the vanilla cake layer:
1/4 cup (56g) salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, room temperature
3/4 cups (100 g) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup (60ml) milk, room temperature
For the cheesecake batter:
24 oz (680 g) cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp flour
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, room temperature
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) heavy cream, room temperature
4 large eggs
For the Boston cream:
3 egg yolks from large eggs
1/3 cup (70 g) sugar
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) milk
1 1/2 tbsp (21 g) salted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate ganache:
1 cup (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, hot
Check out my full video tutorial with tons of helpful tips!
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1:
To make the cake layer prepare one 8 inch cheesecake pan with parchment paper and grease it with butter or baking oil. Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Into a big mixing bowl combine sugar and butter. Cream it for about 4 minutes until light in color and fluffy. Add sour cream, milk and vanilla and mix it in. Mix in the egg until smooth. Then fold in all the dry ingredients. You can mix them in a separate bowl first but it is not necessary. So add flour and baking powder. Mix it until it is just combined. Be careful not to over mix it as it leads to a dense cake.
Step 2:
Fill the batter in the cheesecake pan and bake it in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. If you are using bake even strips add 10 minutes to the baking time but it is not necessary as it is a thin layer. Check the doneness with a wooden skewer. When the skewer comes out clean of with a few moist crumbs it is done. Reduce the oven temperature to 310 °F. Let it cool in the cake pans for about 10 minutes. I like to clean the sides of the cheesecake pan to remove any crumbs and grease it again before adding the cheesecake batter.
Step 3:
For the cheesecake batter mix softened cream cheese, flour, vanilla, salt and sugar until smooth. Use the lowest setting of a hand mixer. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is mixed in. Then mix it again with a hand mixer. Mix in sour cream and heavy cream until smooth. Add eggs last. Mix until well combined. Then fill it on top of the cooled cake layer and bake it in a water bath for 90 minutes at 310. (see notes)
Step 4:
Turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven for about 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven and water bath and cut around the edge with a knife to prevent cracking. Let it come to room temperature for another 30 minutes to 2 hours. Then let it cool over night or for at least 6 hours in the fridge.
Step 5:
To make the Boston cream filling use a medium sized sauce pan and combine all ingredients until smooth. Then add in milk and whisk it in. Heat it at medium heat until it starts boiling. Whisk it continuously. Strain it through a metal strainer to remove any boiled egg. Then mix in butter until smooth.
Step 6:
To make the chocolate ganache topping. Heat up heavy cream in the microwave and pour it over chocolate chips. Let it sit for a few minutes before stirring it. When it is all smooth and shiny it is ready to use. Remove the cake from the cheesecake pan and place it onto a cake plate. Then spread the Boston cream filling on top and smooth it out. Reserve some for decoration if you want to. (see notes) Let it chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Then top it with chocolate ganache and let it drip down the sides if you want to. Make sure that the chocolate ganache is not hot anymore.
Enjoy!
**PRO-TIPS**
To bake the cake cover the spring form pan in at least 3 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil or with a silicon baking pan to make sure no water can enter. Place it in a slightly bigger baking pan and fill it 1/2 to 1 inch high with hot water.
If you want to pipe swirls on the cake I would recommend to add about 3 tbsp of whipped butter into 1/3 cup of the pastry cream. Then let it chill in the fridge for a few minutes and then whip it until fluffy. Fill it into a piping bag with a star tip.
