Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake

We love this fun variation on the classic Boston Cream Pie! It’s got all of the flavors of a traditional Boston Cream Pie, with half of the effort. 

Boston Cream Pie was first invented in 1856, by an Armenian-French chef named Sanzian. At that time, both pies and cakes were baked in the same tins, making the names interchangeable. Confusing, yes, but the Boston Cream Pie we know today is actually considered a cake, though the name remains the same. 

Boston Cream Pie consists of two layers of yellow cake with a rich custard filling and a coating of chocolate ganache. Our version leans into all three of these components, while replacing the layering of custard with a newer-age “poke cake” method. We used box cake and pudding mix to make the job even easier, but feel free to use your favorite yellow cake recipe in its place!

**The recipe below will make 1 poke cake along with a handful of cupcakes! 

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake (plus cupcakes!) Recipe

Serves 6

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 20-30 min

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix, prepared according to box directions
• 1 cup water
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 packet vanilla  instant pudding mix
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and spray the Massachusetts dish with non-stick spray. For the extra batter, prepare a cupcake pan with non-stick spray or paper liners. 
2. Make the cake batter: In a large bowl beat the cake mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan until it reaches halfway up the edge of the dish (about 2 cups total). Pour the remaining batter into the prepared cupcake pan.
3. Bake the plate and cupcakes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes throughout the cake and one center hole in each cupcake. 
4. Make the pudding: In a large bowl beat the vanilla pudding mix and milk. Immediately pour the pudding mixture over the cake and into the wells of the cupcakes. Spread the pudding over the cake evenly. Work quickly, this pudding begins to set as it cools! Chill the cake and cupcakes for 1 hour. 
5. Make the ganache: Add the chocolate chips to a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the the heavy cream to a bubble. Remove from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate chips and gently stir until smooth. Spread the ganache over the cake and cupcakes and chill before serving. 

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