Ingredients

• Boston Cream Pie
• This recipe only uses one of the baked cakes. Freeze the other one for another use.
• Makes 2 – 8-inch cakes or 30 cupcakes
• Make the cakes:
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 2 2/3 cup cake flour (not self- rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup half and half, room temperature
• Preheat oven to 325.
• Butter and flour 2 8-inch cake pans, line the bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter and flour the parchment.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract, and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to egg mixture in three additions, alternating with half and half, starting and ending with flour.
• Pour the batter into the pans, and bake until the top is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack, remove paper, and cool completely.
• Pastry Cream
• 2 cups half and half or whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• 6 egg yolks, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
• Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. (The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until 1 hour before using.)
• Ganache
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• In a saucepan bring cream to a boil and remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted.
• Decoration:
• 1/4 cup white chocolate or almond bark, chopped
• In a baggie, add chocolate and melt in microwave for 20 seconds at a time and squeeze the chocolate to mix it and continue microwaving the white chocolate for 20 second intervals until it is completely melted. Set aside.
• To assemble cake:
• With a serrated knife, cut 1 cake in half. Place one half of cake on serving platter that has been lined with pieces of waxed paper to protect serving platter. Spread the cold pastry cream over cake. Slowly pour ganache over top of cake allowing it to drip down the sides. With a pair of scissors, cut a small end on one of the edges of the baggie and starting in the center of the cake, make a spiral almost to the edge of the cake. Take a toothpick and start from the center and draw it all the way to the edges. Start again in the center and make 3 more lines dividing the cake in fourths. In between the lines, draw 4 more lines drawing the toothpick to the edges. Then start from the outside edge of the cake in between each of the lines and draw the line to the center of the cake to make the pattern. Remove the waxed paper and serve.