Boston Cream Pie

Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup milk, heated
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons unbleached flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup milk or 1 cup cream, scalded
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, shaved
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe

• 1 cake: preheat oven to 350°; grease and flour an 8" round cake pan.
• 2 beat the egg whites until stiff in a large bowl; in a small bowl beat the egg yolks until light; add to the whites and beat together; slowly add the sugar, beating for 5 minutes.
• 3 sift the flour, baking powder and salt together; in a saucepan heat the milk and melt the butter.
• 4 stir the dry ingredients and milk mixture into the egg mixture as quickly as possible; stir in vanilla and lemon extract if using.
• 5 pour batter into pan and bake 25-30 minutes, until toothpick tests clean; cool 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack; slice the cake into two layers.
• 6 filling: in a double boiler over medium-low heat, cook sugar, flour, salt and milk for 15 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.
• 7 temper the egg with the cooked mixture and pour back into the pan; cook another 3-5 minutes until thickened; remove from heat, stir in vanilla or orange extract and cool completely with plastic wrap on custard surface; spread on bottom cake layer, add top layer.
• 8 frosting: bring the sugar, cornstarch, chocolate, salt and water to a boil; cook, stirring, 3-5 minutes or until thickened enough to coat a spoon thickly; remove from heat, add butter and vanilla and stir until combined.
• 9 cool a bit, but while still warm, pour and spread frosting over the top of cake, allowing some to drip down sides if desired; there may be more frosting than you need, use it for another purpose.