Boston Cream Pie

Allow me to dedicate this recipe to the Boston Bruins, who this week took home hockey’s Stanley Cup. Let me also dedicate it to every Bostonian, whose charmingly vibrant city is exceeded only by the beauty of the state of Massachusetts.

Boston Cream Pie is a small, delicate sponge cake, split into two layers, filled with custard cream, and topped with a chocolate glaze. The cake is thought to be called a “pie” because - having no actual “cake” tins - New England’s colonists resorted to baking cakes in pie pans. The dessert’s origins lie in New York, where a version of both cake and cream filling was topped with powdered sugar. It took a Boston restaurateur to omit the sugar topping and replace it with chocolate glaze, upon which the name “Boston Cream Pie” eventually took hold.

On the assumption that some of you are novice cooks, I’ve given you very precise instructions for making this cake. I’ve also mentioned a couple of favorite kitchen gadgets I used in the process. While special tools make any job simpler, you’ll do just fine if you don’t have them. Cooking is my hobby, so I'll be the first to admit that I probably have many more tools than I need!

Boston Cream Pie:

To Prepare the Sponge Cake:

1-1/4 c. (310 mL) all-purpose flour

1 c. (250 mL) granulated sugar

1-½ tsp. (7.5 mL) baking powder

1/4 tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

¾ c. (180 mL) milk

⅓ c. (80 mL) shortening

1 egg

1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla

20 (yes! 20) drops of gel food coloring (see Note)

Combine and beat all ingredients.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan.

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Grease and flour 9-inch circular cake pan. Place all ingredients in mixing bowl, beating 1 min. on low speed with an electric mixer and scraping down sides of bowl. Beat 3 min. on high speed, continuing to scrape down sides of bowl each minute. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 35 - 40 min., until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake on rack. After 30 min., run edge of knife around cake in pan, placing rack over top of cake to gently ease from pan. Cool completely, 30 min. longer. Split cooled cake horizontally into two thin layers. See second Note. 

Note: You will think this is far too much food coloring. In principle, I agree. I used gel food coloring made by Wilton, the bakery specialists. Achieving even the palest shade of yellow required 20 drops. This is outrageous. In future, I’ll use a liquid or paste concentrate. Measure drop by drop or bit by bit, to achieve the light golden color that makes a classic Boston Cream Pie. 

My German-made

cake splitter: 

Precision every time!

Note: For picture-perfect layers, use a professional cake splitter. Mine is the German-made “Westmark Simplex Duo” brand. I paid $18 for it several years ago at Dean & DeLuca in New York; you’ll find it online for roughly $20 plus shipping. This is one of my favorite kitchen tools!

To Prepare the Cream Filling:

⅓ c. (80 mL) granulated sugar

2 tbsp. (30 mL) cornstarch or tapioca starch

Dash of salt

1-½ c. (375 mL) milk

2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

2 tsp. (10 mL) vanilla

As cake cools, prepare Cream Filling. Combine sugar, cornstarch or tapioca starch, and salt in medium saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg yolks. Gradually stir into sugar mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 1 min. Remove from heat. Stir several times while cooling to room temperature, Stir in vanilla while Cream Filling is still warm, but not hot. To cool Cream Filling faster, decant from cooking pot to bowl, cooling on rack. Cool to room temperature - not in the fridge.

Transfer cream filling from pot to
bowl to cool faster.

Spoon over bottom cake layer.

Place top layer lightly on cake - don't compress!

Cream Filling will be quite firm when it has fully cooled. Carefully spread over bottom layer to edge of cake. Gently top with second layer, being careful not to compress or “sandwich” layers together. See Note. Wipe any excess filling that oozes beyond the layers. Pop one or two tall toothpicks through assembled cake to keep top layer from sliding. Refrigerate cake while preparing Chocolate Glaze.

Note: I transport delicate cake layers into plates with another great kitchen tool - a metal spatula that fans out as three connected parts. This tool is exactly right for the job! I love it! It’s an oldie but goodie (why, thank you, Dollinks, but I’m talking about a kitchen gadget). I inherited it from my much-beloved mother-in-law, some 35 years ago.

This spatula opens ...

... into a wide cake fan.

To Prepare the Chocolate Glaze:

⅓ c. butter or margarine

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 c. icing sugar (“confectioner’s sugar”), sifted

1-½ tsp. vanilla

2 - 4 tbsp. boiling water

Prepare Chocolate Glaze while filled cake is cooling in refrigerator. In medium saucepan on low to medium heat, melt butter or margarine with chocolate, stirring constantly. Blend in sifted sugar, mixing well. Add vanilla. Stir in boiling water until glaze is desired consistency - still pourable, but not too thin. Stir well, pouring glaze through sieve to remove small, persistent lumps. 

Sift confectioners’ sugar into chocolate sauce.

Spoon glaze over top layer so it drips down sides.

Stir glaze several times as it cools. Glaze will thicken slightly. When chocolate has reached room temperature, pour over top of chilled cake, allowing to drip over sides randomly. Return cake to refrigerator until ready to serve. Remove toothpicks before serving.

 
Note: This cake’s several steps and assembly may look daunting, but it’s tremendously simple to make! It’s just one layer of cake, split in two, so it usually goes fast. Men always ask for seconds. That’s what I like best about this delicious “pie” - no leftovers to call my name in the middle of the night! In the unlikely event of leftovers, call 1-800-RONEATS. He’ll take care of the problem!

Gunning for Bear!

“Pick the best spot, and caliber, when taking aim at a bruin” - Author Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Online Life Magazine, © 2009

In the Time Zone and at the Latitude Where I Live, people take their hockey very seriously. That means nothing to me! I stick to my cooking! I’m above the brutish fray! 

“No one will argue that an acceptable firearm for bear hunting must be capable of putting the bruin down right now, instantly disabling it” - Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life Magazine

I found an interesting recipe for Bruin Pot Roast this week.

“A bear is incredibly tenacious but has no supernatural powers” - Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life Magazine

If your teeth are sharper than the bear’s, you could rip and shred the meat to bits. 

“If a bear is directly facing you and standing, a shot to the exact center of its chest will ... put it down instantly” - Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life Magazine

I’m sure that would be quite satisfying, especially if you serve the dish on a bed of ice.

“None of those bruins needed more than one shot, and none traveled more than 75 yards after being hit” - Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life Magazine

Some people like their bear fricasseed or braised. I personally enjoy seeing bruins in a stew - up to their necks in hot water. The meat can be tough and unpalatable. You may have to work overtime to chew it up. The paradox is that you must think “outside the box” ... no biting!

“I recently went on a bear hunt in Canada where five members of our party dropped bears instantly …” - Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life Magazine

Canada’s the place to do it! Bruins are unpopular in the time zone where I live. Here’s how I’d like to deal with them:

This recipe requires extra time 

for marination

Bruin Pot Roast:

1 (4-to-6 lb.) bear haunch

To Prepare the Marinade:

2 c. beef broth

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. oregano

1 large onion, thinly sliced 

½ tsp. basil

1 tsp. paprika

Place all ingredients in deep bowl to marinate overnight. Turn haunch at least twice, ensuring meat is fully immersed. Add all to crock pot or slow cooker, cooking on “low” setting 1 hr. per lb. or until tender. 

Serve with a side order of Boston Baked Beans. Offer Boston Cream Pie for dessert. I’ll give you the recipes after I calm down - which may be never! 

GRRRRR!

Ca-n'yuk, n'yuk, n'yuk!

Sächer Torte

Sächer Torte is arguably the world’s most famous cake. Its public début to Europe’s aristocracy in 1832 made Vienna’s Hotel Sächer (and this cake) a sensation. The recipe for the original torte is a secret, but this version from The Joy of Cooking - which I’ve modified - is surprisingly easy to make. You’ll need a 9-inch spring-form pan (the kind with a removable ring) to make this cake, which should never be pried or pounded from the pan. Because I used a 10-inch pan, my cake was slightly broader and shallower, but every bit as delicious. If you use a 10-in. pan, reduce the recipe’s baking time by 5 min.

Other special tools I used? A food processor makes quick work of grating the chocolate for the cake. A horizontal cake slicer (as pictured in my post for Boston Cream Pie) and a fan-type spatula (also shown in that post) are very handy tools. A candy thermometer is useful for preparing the Glaze finish for this exquisite cake. None of these items is essential - but they may make this recipe easier.

The lightness of this cake is entirely dependent upon the seven egg whites in it. Resist the temptation to bang your beater blades on the side of the bowl after you’ve beaten those whites, or you’ll damage the lovely air pockets you’ve created by whipping the whites until they’re stiff. Grease and flour the bottom of your pan, but don’t grease the sides, or your cake won’t gain the foothold it needs to rise over its hour-long baking time. Savor this cake’s time in the oven! Your kitchen will be scented with the most delicious aroma of chocolate as it bakes! 

I have many, many favorite recipes for chocolate cake - some with ground hazelnuts, some with sour cream, some light, some dark, some with several different types and flavors of chocolate. While Sächer Torte isn’t my very favorite chocolate cake, it’s near the top of the heap. The only thing better than serving it in my kitchen would be people-watching over a slice of Sächer Torte served with dark, rich coffee and a large dollop of Schlag - unsweetened whipping cream - in the Hotel Sächer’s café. My mother was born in Vienna: When I next visit, I’ll send you a postcard!

Back to our cake: I used to buy baker’s slabs of costly Callebaut chocolate to make cakes as special as this. But a professional chef recently told me that using Lindt 70% dark chocolate was every bit as good. With quality chocolate essential to the taste and texture of this cake, don’t cut corners.

I consider myself fortunate that I don’t crave treats like this. Baking Sächer Torte satisfies my desire to create and enjoy something special, but a sample is ample. Ron and I will be sharing this special cake with friends, and I hope you’ll do the same. Sächer Torte makes a fine conclusion to a delicious Austrian meal! 

Sächer Torte:

This recipe has three parts - the cake, the filling, and the glaze.

To Prepare the Cake:

6 oz. (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate

½ c. (125 mL) butter (no substitutes)

½ c. (125 mL) sugar 

6 egg yolks

¾ c. (180 mL) fine, dry bread crumbs 

¼ c. (60 mL) finely ground blanched almonds

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

7 egg whites

Preheat oven to 325 deg. F. Have all ingredients at room temperature. That’s always a good idea when you bake, because it helps the ingredients to combine better and produce the air pockets that produce good rising. If I plan to bake in the morning, I usually take everything from the fridge the night before. 

Grate chocolate into bowl and set aside (My food processor did this job in less than five seconds!). Using electric mixer, beat butter well, gradually adding sugar. 

Combine butter and sugar.

Cream at least 5 min., until mixture is pale yellow, with only minimal (or no) graininess. Separate eggs, adding yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the grated chocolate, bread crumbs, ground almonds, and salt, continuing to beat at high speed. Mixture will feel grainy. Set aside.

Break eggs ...

Separate whites from yolks.

Add grated chocolate.

Add bread crumbs and ground almonds.

Finish beating. 

Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

In separate bowl, beat six reserved whites and one extra white until stiff, but not dry. Using a “lift and twist” motion, fold into chocolate mixture. Pour into 9-in. or 10-in. (22.5 cm or 25.4  cm) spring-form pan with ungreased sides and a greased and floured bottom. 

Spring-form pan with removable rim.

Pour into spring-form pan.

Bake 50-to-60 min. Cake is ready when toothpick inserted in center comes out dry, or when top springs back when lightly touched. Do not over-bake. When cake is completely cool, slice horizontally into two layers (Note: A wire horizontal cake cutter makes this job easy). Open each layer flat and set aside.

Remove cake from oven; cool completely.

Next step: Slice cooled cake horizontally.

To Prepare the Filling:

⅔ c. (160 mL) apricot jelly or jam 

Warm the jelly in a pan over very low heat until it starts to liquify. Spread over one layer of cake, pressing both layers gently together. Place filled cake on large square of parchment paper; set aside.

Spread with apricot filling.

To Prepare the Glaze:

6 oz. (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate

1 tbsp. (15 mL) butter (no substitutes)

1 c. (250 mL) sugar

3 tbsp. (45 mL) strong coffee plus enough water to make 1/3 c. (80 mL) 

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water (see Note). Set aside. In a separate pan, combine sugar, coffee, and water, stirring constantly to form a syrup. Boil gently until syrup reaches 230 deg. F. or until water-drop test shows syrup has reached the “thread stage” (see Note). 

Combine chocolate and butter in double boiler.

In separate pot, combine water, coffee, and sugar.

Bring resulting syrup to a boil.

Slowly pour syrup into chocolate.

Return double boiler containing chocolate mixture to stove element set at medium heat. Slowly pour syrup into chocolate, stirring constantly until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Beat well until shiny and smooth. Wiping steam from bottom of double boiler or metal bowl, pour glaze over cake, starting from the center and ensuring enough drips over edges to glaze the sides. Allow glaze to cool and set. Transfer cake to serving dish. Serves 16-to-20 small slices. 

Pour glaze over cake.

Note: If you don’t own a double boiler, position a stainless steel mixing bowl over a pot of water. The “thread” stage of sugar-syrup making occurs when your syrup reaches a temperature of 223-to-235 deg. F (106-to-113 deg. C). No candy thermometer? Test for this stage by dropping a small spoonful of very hot syrup into very cold water. If the syrup forms thread-like strands, you’ve achieved the correct temperature. If it forms a soft ball, cook it a little longer. It should take about 3 min. for your sugar-syrup to reach the thread stage, using a medium pan and medium heat. 

Serve small slices with unsweetened whipped cream.