Boston Cream Cake

Late February. The twins' basketball season is in playoffs. Marco's team is in the championship game. Elena's team lost in the first round. Marco played in the championship Saturday. His team won by six. He scored ten points. He was named tournament MVP for his age group. He brought home the trophy and put it on his dresser. He grinned for two days. He is eleven. He has won his first championship. He has beaten his older brother to the punch in this respect — Diego did not win a championship until he was seventeen. Marco let me know this fact at dinner Saturday with great solemnity. Diego called and pretended to be devastated. The road bends. Feed your people. The game is won at the table.

When Marco set that trophy on his dresser Saturday night, I knew the weekend called for something more than a weeknight dinner — it called for a real celebration cake. Boston Cream Cake felt exactly right: layered, a little dramatic, sweet all the way through, just like a kid who scores ten points and spends two days grinning about it. Diego got the phone call, the pretend heartbreak, and a promise that there’d be a slice waiting next time he came home.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 1 hr 45 min (includes cooling) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups cold whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Bake the cake layers. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Prepare cake mix according to package directions using the eggs, oil, and water. Divide batter evenly between the pans and bake 28–30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.
Make the vanilla cream filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the instant pudding mix and cold milk for 2 minutes until thickened. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to firm up before using.
Make the chocolate glaze. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Remove from heat and add chocolate chips and butter. Let stand 2 minutes, then stir until completely smooth and glossy. Stir in vanilla extract. Let cool 10 minutes until slightly thickened but still pourable.
Assemble the cake. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Spread the vanilla cream filling evenly over the top, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the edge. Set the second cake layer on top and press gently to level.
Glaze and serve. Pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the assembled cake, letting it drip naturally down the sides. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before slicing to allow the glaze to set. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Boston Cream Cake — A Trophy on the Dresser and Cake on the Table