Go Back Email Link
A double 8 inch Boston Cream Pie on a cake stand. The cake stand has a scalloped white rim and light wooden turned base. The cake is crumb-coated with vanilla buttercream frosting. Dark chocolate ganache drip on the top and sides. Topped with chocolate buttercream swirls and vanilla custard swirls.

Ultimate Boston Cream Pie | Ganache Drip Cake

The classic combo of yellow cake layered with creamy vanilla custard, yet so much more. Rich, dark chocolate ganache drip covers this crumb-coated vanilla buttercream cake. And finally, to top it off, chocolate buttercream and creamy vanilla custard swirls.
Print Pin
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cake
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 871kcal
Author: Faith

Ingredients

Yellow Cake

  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla powder*
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1½ cup sugar granulated
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup whole milk room temperature

Vanilla Custard

Vanilla & Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

  • ½ cup salted butter softened at room temperature
  • ½ cup shortening butter flavored, room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla powder
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • 3½ - 4 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder

Dark Chocolate Ganache

Instructions

Yellow Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8" cake rounds and line bottoms with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and pure vanilla powder until combined. Set aside.
  • Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream the butter and sugar on med-high until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed and add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. 
  • Add flour mixture and milk, alternating between the two. Begin and end with flour mixture. Fully incorporate after each addition.
  • Bake for 30-35 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
  • Place the cakes on a wire rack and allow them to cool, almost completely. Turn cakes out of pans onto the wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
  • Wrap the completely cooled cakes in saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to level and assemble.

Vanilla Custard (Filling & Swirls on Top)

  • In a medium bowl, whisk the pudding mix and powdered sugar until combined.
  • Pour in the cold milk and whisk for two minutes.
  • Add spoonfuls of Cool Whip, folding with each addition until incorporated and there are no lumps.
  • Place the custard into an airtight container and refrigerate.

Vanilla & Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

  • Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream together the softened butter, shortening, and almond extract.
  • Add in the heavy whipping cream and mix well.
  • With the mixer on low speed, add in the powdered sugar and pure vanilla powder. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Reserve ¼ of the mixture, setting aside in a small bowl. (The cacao powder will be added to this mixture for the chocolate buttercream.)
  • Continue to mix remaining vanilla buttercream, adding additional powdered sugar or cream, until the desired consistency is reached. Place the vanilla buttercream mixture into an airtight container. Set aside.
  • Place the reserved ¼ part mixture back into the mixing bowl. Add the cacao powder and mix until the desired consistency is reached, adding additional cream, if needed. Place the chocolate buttercream into a separate airtight container. Set aside.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Drip

  • Place finely chopped chocolate into a medium metal bowl.
  • Scald the cream by bringing it just barely to a simmer. Pour over chopped chocolate.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the warm cream and chocolate stand for 2 minutes. Then, gently stir mixture from the center, working your way out until the ganache is smooth and shiny.
  • Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ganache. Don’t stir or agitate the ganache when it’s setting. Do not refrigerate.
  • Allow ganache to cool completely and thicken overnight.
  • Before using the ganache for a drip, the cake should be assembled with the custard filling, crumb coated with the vanilla buttercream, and refrigerated until chilled. Then, gently stir the set ganache from the center working your way out until the ganache is shiny and smooth. Transfer to a microwavable bowl and warm it *slightly* in the microwave, approximately 5-10 seconds.
  • Use a funnel and pour ganache into a squeeze bottle.

Level, Assemble, and Frost the Cake

  • Level the tops of the cakes using a cake leveler.
  • Add a small smear of vanilla buttercream to an 8" cake board. Place one of the cakes on the board.
  • Place the cake board with the first layer of cake on a cake turntable.
  • Use the Wilton 2A tip and piping bag to pipe a border of vanilla buttercream around the top edge of the cake.
  • Then, use the Wilton 2A tip and piping bag to pipe a continuous swirl of vanilla custard in the center of the cake, starting inside the outline of vanilla buttercream.
  • Place the remaining cake layer on top of the filling layer.
  • Crumb-coat the sides and top of the cake with vanilla buttercream using an offset spatula. Use a pastry scraper to smooth the frosting and remove any excess.
  • Refrigerate the cake until chilled.
  • Use a cake lifter to remove the cake from the turntable and set it on a cake stand.
  • Apply the ganache drip. Place the tip of the squeeze bottle, containing the ganache, just a little bit above the top edge of the cake, and gently squeeze the bottle to release the ganache. Release the pressure on the bottle when you’ve added enough of a drip, leaving just a little pressure to fill in the gap as you move to the next drip. After adding drips around the top edge of the cake, pour the remaining chocolate into the center of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate ganache evenly to the edges of the cake, connecting with the drip border.
  • Return the drip cake to the refrigerator to chill and firm up. Then, it's ready to add swirls of vanilla and chocolate buttercream to the top of the cake.
  • Use a Wilton 2D (closed star) tip and piping bag to pipe the chocolate buttercream swirls on top of the ganache.
  • Use a Wilton 1M (open star) tip and piping bag to pipe the remaining vanilla custard into swirls, between the chocolate buttercream swirls.
  • Refrigerate until chilled. Serve & enjoy!

Notes

Keep cake refrigerated.  Remove cake to sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 871kcal | Carbohydrates: 129g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 106g | Vitamin A: 911IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 2mg