Made with yellow cake mix and pastry cream, and topped with a rich chocolate ganache, this Boston cream pie poke cake is one easy and delicious dessert. Simple to make, this is one crowd pleaser!
Boston Cream Poke Cake
If you love Boston cream pie, you are going to fall head over heels with this poke cake!
The fluffy yellow cake mix is soaked in a vanilla pastry cream for a wonderfully rich flavor, before being topped with a decadent chocolate ganache.
Perfect to serve as a crowd pleasing dessert, even the most novice of bakers will be able to master this delicious recipe!
Be sure to try my Boston Cream Pie Cheesecake and Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes too!
Why You’ll Love this Poke Cake Recipe:
- Easy: Made with a boxed yellow cake mix, this Boston cream pie dessert comes together easily with everyday baking ingredients.
- Make ahead: This cake can be made several days in advance and has a pretty good shelf life so that you can enjoy the leftovers!
- Made for sharing: This cake serves 12, so it’s a great option for special occasions like birthdays and Easter.
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How to Make Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Whisk together the cake ingredients.
- Pour into a baking dish and bake. Let cool.
- Heat the milk and mix it into the egg yolk mixture.
- Whisk the mix over heat til it thickens and stir in the vanilla.
- Poke hole in the cooled cake and pour the pastry cream over.
- Cover and chill.
- Heat together the cream and chocolate to make the ganache.
- Pour the ganache over the chilled cake.
Boston cream pie is a cake with a pastry cream filling and chocolate ganache icing. The terms cake and pie used to be used interchangeably because both cakes and pies were baked in the same pans.
A poke cake is an invention of the 1970s that features a regular cake with dozens of holes poked in the top to allow the topping (be it pudding, pastry cream, Jell-O, etc.) to sink into the cake, creating pockets of flavor.
Yes. Pastry cream is a perishable product that needs to be refrigerated. Boston cream poke cake can be left out of the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.
Use the handle of a wooden spoon or a skewer to poke large, deep holes about ¾ of the way through the cake. Do not poke the holes all the way through or the filling will seep out when the cake is cut.
Yes, you can use store-bought frosting, but the texture and flavor will be different. Ganache has a deeper chocolate flavor and firms up when cooled. Store-bought frosting will remain mostly soft, even at cool temperatures, and includes more ingredients that soften the chocolate flavor.
Absolutely! If you can’t find vanilla bean paste, use 2 tablespoons of pure vanilla extract in its place.
The texture and flavor of this poke cake is so indulgent and rich! Wonderfully creamy, and the chocolate ganache will have you licking out the bowl!
I love that this cake can be prepped way ahead of time, making it an ideal dessert if you are hosting friends and family. It comes together easily and I’m pretty sure it will disappear quickly!
Make Ahead Instructions
This Boston cream pie poke cake is a great make ahead dessert. Make the entire cake except for the ganache up to 3 days in advance of serving. Cover tightly with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent it from forming a skin. Make the ganache just before serving.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover Boston cream pie poke cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Cake Mix Substitutions
You can change this cake up with your favorite boxed cake mix. Try white, vanilla, or chocolate cake!
Pastry Cream Tips
- If the egg yolks curdle in the pastry cream, press the mixture through a mesh sieve. You can also use an immersion blender to make the mixture smooth as long as there are not very many curdled pieces. If the egg yolks curdle and the mixture is extremely chunky, start over.
- If you’re really struggling to make the pastry cream or you’re pressed for time, you can substitute 1-2 packages of vanilla instant pudding prepared according to the directions.
This Boston cream pie poke cake is a must for chocolate, cream and cake lovers! Wonderfully moist and fluffy, this recipe is not to be missed!
If you make this recipe be sure to leave us a comment or rating. Enjoy!
Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix (1 box)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
For the Pastry Cream
- 2¼ cup milk room temperature
- 7 large egg yolks room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1½ tablespoons vanilla bean paste
- 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
For the Ganache
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups chocolate chips
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 9×13 Baking Pan
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch cake pan with baking spray and set aside.
- Add all of the cake ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.15.25 ounces yellow cake mix, 3 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, ½ cup milk, ½ cup water, ½ cup vegetable oil
- Place the pan into the oven and bake for 28-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with slightly moist crumbs. Once baked, remove from the oven and let cool completely.
For the Pastry Cream
- Pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat to simmer.2¼ cup milk
- While the milk is heating up, place the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk well until combined and smooth.7 large egg yolks, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- Once the milk has begun to simmer, remove from the heat. Slowly stream half of the heated milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to avoid curdling the yolks.
- Once half of the milk is whisked in and smooth, stream the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, again, whisking well.
- Place the pan back over medium heat, whisking constantly. As soon as the mixture starts to thicken and there is a resistance when whisking, remove the pan from the heat immediately. Continue whisking as the mixture will continue thickening.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and butter and whisk to combine.1½ tablespoons vanilla bean paste, 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon or a skewer to poke holes into the top of the cooled cake.
- Pour the pastry cream over the surface of the cake and spread to all of the edges. Gently press the pastry cream down onto the cake so that it goes down into the holes that have been poked into the cake.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is down on the pastry cream. This will help to prevent a skin from forming. Place the pan into the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.
For the Ganache
- Place the heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute. Pour the heated heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let set for 1 minute to allow the chocolate to melt. Stir together until a smooth, silky ganache has formed.3 cups chocolate chips, 1 cup heavy cream
Assembly
- Once the cake has chilled, uncover. Pour the ganache onto the cake and spread to the edges. Let set for 5 minutes to allow the ganache to set up slightly. Slice and serve.
Notes
- If the egg yolks curdle in the pastry cream, press the mixture through a mesh sieve. You can also use an immersion blender to make the mixture smooth as long as there are not very many curdled pieces. If the egg yolks curdle and the mixture is extremely chunky, start over.
- If you’re really struggling to make the pastry cream or you’re pressed for time, you can substitute 1-2 packages of vanilla instant pudding prepared according to the directions.
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