Vegan Boston Cream Pie
Vegan Boston cream pie - this incredible vegan cake (not pie!) consists of fluffy vanilla sponge cakes with a vanilla pastry cream filling and chocolate ganache topping.
Servings 10 people
Ingredients
Cakes:
- 380 g (3 cups + 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 20 g (2 packed Tablespoons) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 280 g (1 + heaped ⅓ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 240 ml (1 cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
- 120 g (½ cup) plain non-dairy yogurt (I use soy)
- 120 g (½ cup) vegan butter melted
- 120 ml (½ cup) neutral oil (I use olive)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Ganache:
- 150 g (5 oz) dark chocolate finely chopped
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) full fat coconut milk or vegan double cream
To Assemble:
- 1 batch vegan pastry cream chilled
Instructions
- Start by making the vegan pastry cream as it needs to chill for at least 4 hours. It can be made a day in advance.
- To make the cakes, preheat the oven to 180℃/160℃ fan/350℉/gas mark 4. Line two 20 cm/8 in round cake tins with baking paper.
- Whisk together the flour, cornflour, baking powder and soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the milk, vinegar, yogurt, oil, melted butter and vanilla extract in a jug.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a balloon whisk until no dry lumps remain.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cake tins and spread it level. Bake for about 30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- To make the ganche, place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the coconut milk or cream until almost boiling then pour it over the chocolate. Leave to sit for 5 minutes then stir until smooth and melted.
- Set the ganache aside to cool and firm up slightly. You don't want it to be runny but it shouldn't be too set either so keep an eye on it; you are looking for a soft but spoonable and spreadable consistency.
- Meanwhile, trim the tops of the cooled cakes to level them.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Give the chilled pastry cream a good whisk until it becomes smooth and creamy then spread it over the cake, do not go all the way to the edges as it will squish out when you add the second cake layer.
- Place the second cake layer on top and press it down very slightly. Place the cake in the fridge until the ganache is ready.
- Once the ganche has thickened a little but is still soft, spoon it on top of the cake and use a palette knife or the back of a spoon to spread it towards the edges. Keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- For extra shine, add a tablespoon of golden or corn syrup to the ganache.
- If the ganache gets too firm, simply gently re-warm it over a pan of hot water (don't let the base of the bowl touch the water), or in short bursts in the microwave.