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featured boston cream pie poke cake.

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake Recipe

Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 5 hours
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 595kcal
Author: Becky Hardin - Easy Dessert Recipes
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!
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Kitchen Scale (optional)
  • 9x13 Baking Pan

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 15¼ ounces yellow cake mix 432 grams (1 standard box)
  • 3 large eggs 150 grams
  • 1 egg yolk 14 grams
  • ½ cup milk 114 grams
  • ½ cup water 114 grams
  • ½ cup vegetable oil 99 grams

For the Pastry Cream

  • 2¼ cup milk 511 grams, room temperature
  • 7 egg yolks 98 grams, room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 grams
  • 5 tablespoons cornstarch 38 grams
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1½ tablespoons vanilla bean paste 8 grams
  • 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter 21 grams, room temperature

For the Ganache

  • 1 cup heavy cream 227 grams
  • 3 cups chocolate chips 510 grams

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch cake pan with baking spray and set aside.
    overhead view of ingredients for boston cream pie poke cake.
  • Add all of the cake ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
    15¼ ounces yellow cake mix, 3 large eggs, 1 egg yolk, ½ cup milk, ½ cup water, ½ cup vegetable oil
    yellow cake batter in a glass baking dish.
  • 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, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk well until combined and smooth.
    7 egg yolks, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 5 tablespoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    egg yolks sugar cornstarch and salt in a white bowl.
  • 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.
    simmered milk poured into pastry cream ingredients for boston cream pie poke cake.
  • Once half of the milk is whisked in and smooth, stream the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, again, whisking well.
    pastry cream mix poured into a saucepan with a blue whisk.
  • 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
    butter and vanilla added to pastry cream in a saucepan.
  • Use the handle of a wooden spoon or a skewer to poke holes into the top of the cooled cake.
    baked poke cake in a glass baking dish.
  • 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.
    pastry cream layered on baked poke cake in a glass baking dish.
  • 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
    chocolate ganache in a glass bowl.

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.
    boston cream pie poke cake in a glass baking dish.

Video

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.
Storage: Store Boston cream pie poke cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 595kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 658IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 1mg