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Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake Recipe
4.7 from 74 votes

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake Recipe

The Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake Recipe transforms a classic yellow cake into a moist dessert by poking holes into the cooled cake and filling them with rich pastry cream. The combination of smooth vanilla bean pastry cream and a glossy chocolate ganache topping results in a layered dessert that captures the essence of the traditional Boston cream pie.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Additional Time
4 hrs
Total Time
5 hrs
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 595 kcal
Course: Dessert, Cake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

For the Cake
  • 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix (1 box)
  • 3 large egg
  • 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 room temperature, yolk
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1½ tablespoons vanilla bean paste
  • 1½ tablespoons butter room temperature, unsalted
For the Ganache
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

For the Cake
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch cake pan with baking spray and set aside.
  2. Add all of the cake ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
  3. 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
  1. Pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat to simmer.
  2. While the milk is heating up, place the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk well until combined and smooth.
  3. 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.
  4. Once half of the milk is whisked in and smooth, stream the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, again, whisking well.
  5. 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.
  6. Add the vanilla bean paste and butter and whisk to combine.
  7. Use the handle of a wooden spoon or a skewer to poke holes into the top of the cooled cake.
  8. 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.
  9. 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
  1. 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.
Assembly
  1. 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

  • Store the poke cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days to maintain freshness and texture.
  • If the pastry cream curdles, press it through a mesh sieve or use an immersion blender to smooth it out.
  • In case of severe curdling creating large lumps, it is best to prepare a fresh batch of pastry cream.
  • For a quicker version, substitute the pastry cream with 1-2 packages of prepared vanilla instant pudding following package instructions.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1slice Calories 595kcal (30%) Carbohydrates 69g (23%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 33g (51%) Saturated Fat 15g (75%) Polyunsaturated Fat 6g (35%) Monounsaturated Fat 7g (35%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 212mg (71%) Sodium 419mg (17%) Potassium 149mg (3%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 49g (98%) Vitamin A 658IU (13%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 180mg (18%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 595

% Daily Value*

Serving 1slice
Calories 595kcal 30%
Carbohydrates 69g 23%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 33g 51%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Polyunsaturated Fat 6g 35%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 212mg 71%
Sodium 419mg 17%
Potassium 149mg 3%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 49g 98%
Vitamin A 658IU 13%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 180mg 18%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.