This Is For You, Tulla!

I made a decision yesterday, to make a Boston Cream Pie today for my daughter's friend, Tulla...not a very wise decision, considering it was rainy and damp today. I don't like baking certain things in damp weather...cream puffs is one and the other is a sponge cake. The basis for the Boston Cream Pie is a Hot Milk Sponge Cake...the top never did dry out, it was really too sticky when I poured the chocolate glaze over. I really should have waited for a nice dry sunny day...living in eastern Kansas, who knows when that would be!

From this...


Hot Milk Sponge Cake

1 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup half and half cream
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and sides of 2 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter is melted and the cream is steaming. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
In the mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until they are pale in color and about tripled in volume, this will take about 4-6 minutes. If the cream has cooled, reheat until steaming. With mixer on medium speed, slowly beat the hot cream into the egg mixture.
Sift or slowly sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture while folding gently with a large spatula.
Divide the batter between the 2 prepared cake pans.
Bake 15-20 minutes, until the tops are golden and the cake springs back slightly when touched.
Cool the cakes in pans for about 15 minutes on racks. Run a knife around the edges and invert layers onto the wire rack. Cool completely.

Pastry Cream
1¼ cups half and half cream
4 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1½ tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat 1 cup half and half cream in heavy pan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges. Whisk the remaining ¼ cup cream with the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt until pale and light. Gradually whisk about half of the hot cream into the egg mixture and then return the mixture to the saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to pudding consistency and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and ad the butter and vanilla extract, whisking until butter melted. Transfer to bowl, cool to room temperature, place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until cold and firm.

Chocolate Glaze
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Heat the cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Remove pan from heat, add the chopped chocolate, set aside for a few minutes while chocolate melts. Stir until smooth.

To assemble:
place a layer on a cake plate, insert strips of waxed paper under the cake to catch drips.
Spread the pastry cream thickly and evenly over the cake, coming almost to the edges. Place the second layer on top.
Pour the glaze over the cake, spread it to the edges with a spatula, letting any excess flow down the sides.
Remove waxed paper strips and refrigerate cake for at least one hour to set the glaze.
Adapted from New England Cookbook

To this!




Tulla, will save you a piece, but you have to be here...SOON!