A Boston cream pie is a

cake Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabor ...

with a

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

filling. The dessert acquired its name when

cakes Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabora ...

and

pies A pie is a Baking, baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweetness, sweet or Savoury taste, savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts (pecan pie) ...

were baked in the same pans, and the words were used interchangeably. In the late 19th century, this type of cake was variously called a "cream pie", a "chocolate cream pie", or a "custard cake". The cake has been popular in Massachusetts since its creation.

History

The dessert is estimated to have been created between 1834 and 1856. The invention of the pie is most commonly credited to French-Armenian chef Augustine François Anezin (also named as M. Sanzian) at the Parker House Hotel in Boston, who reportedly made the dessert for its opening in 1856. A direct descendant of earlier cakes known as American pudding-cake pie, Beecher's cream cake, Washington pie, the dessert was referred to as chocolate cream pie, Parker House chocolate cream pie, and finally Boston cream pie on Parker House's menus. The cake consisted of two layers of French butter

sponge cake Sponge cake is a light cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar, sometimes leavened with baking powder. Some sponge cakes do not contain egg yolks, like angel food cake, but most do. Sponge cakes, leavened with beaten eggs, originated during ...

filled with thick

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with Eggs as food, egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in con ...

and brushed with a rum syrup; its side was coated with the same custard overlaid with toasted sliced almonds, and the top coated with chocolate fondant. While other custard cakes may have existed at that time, baking chocolate as a coating was a new process, making it unique and a popular choice on the menu. The name "chocolate cream pie" first appeared in the 1872 ''Methodist Almanac''. An early printed use of the term "Boston cream pie" occurred in the ''Granite Iron Ware Cook Book'', printed in 1878. The earliest known recipe for the modern variant was printed in ''Miss Parloa's Kitchen Companion'' in 1887 as "chocolate cream pie". Boston cream pie is the official dessert of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, declared as such on December 12, 1996.

Variations

Boston cream doughnut

A Boston cream doughnut (or Boston cream pie doughnut, also spelled donut, or simply Boston Cream) is a

Berliner Berliner is most often used to designate a citizen of Berlin, Germany Berliner may also refer to: People * Berliner (surname) Places * Berliner Lake, a lake in Minnesota, United States * Berliner Philharmonie, concert hall in Berlin, Germany ...

filled with vanilla custard or ''crème pâtissière'' and topped with icing made from chocolate. It is a round, solid, yeast-risen

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and fran ...

with

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

frosting Frosting or Frosted may refer to: * Frost, a thin layer of ice on a solid surface * Icing (food), the sweet glaze used in confectionery * FROSTING, a surveillance programme * Frosting (crime), a form of vehicle theft * Frosting (decorative arts) ...

and a custard filling, resulting in a doughnut reminiscent of a miniature Boston cream pie, from which it was inspired. The doughnut adaptation of the pie is popular not only in Massachusetts but throughout the United States and Canada. Also filled with the same cream, the Dunkin Donut's Bavarian cream doughnut differs from the Boston cream doughnut in that, instead of a chocolate glaze topping, the Bavarian cream doughnut is tossed in powdered sugar.

State doughnut of Massachusetts

The Boston cream doughnut was designated the ''official doughnut'' of

in 2003; the Boston cream pie itself had already been chosen as the state dessert in 1996. Although the doughnut's popularity made it the natural choice for the state, it is one of only two official state donuts—the only other one being the ''

beignet Beignet ( , also , ; ) is a type of deep-fried pastry of French origin. It is commonly made from choux pastry, pâte à choux, but can also be made using rice flour (rice beignets) or yeast-leavened batters. Beignets can be served in a variety o ...

'', the state doughnut of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

References

External links

*
"Has Boston Cream Pie Been Manipulated Beyond Recognition? It's a Question with Many Layers."
by Kara Baskin, ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

''
"How Boston Cream Pie Changed Americans' Relationship With Chocolate"
by

Atlas Obscura ''Atlas Obscura'' is an United States, American-based travel and exploration company. It was founded in 2009 by author Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker/author Dylan Thuras. It catalogs unusual and obscure travel destinations via professiona ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boston Cream Pie American cakes Chocolate desserts Custard desserts Layer cakes Massachusetts cuisine Symbols of Massachusetts Culture of Boston