Boston Cream Pie's Origin and Development
The Boston Cream Pie, a beloved dessert, has been a staple in American cuisine for over 150 years. It all began in 1856 when French chef M. Sanzian created the "Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie" to celebrate the opening of Boston's Parker House Hotel.
Originally named the "Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie," the dessert was an immediate success. M. Sanzian filled a butter sponge cake with rum-infused pastry cream, coated the sides with toasted sliced almonds, and topped it with a layer of chocolate, a touch that was considered cutting-edge at the time.
Over the years, the recipe for the Boston Cream Pie has been adapted into various forms, such as cupcakes, ice cream, and donuts. However, the original recipe, made from scratch, requires a bit of TLC in the preparation.
The Parker House Hotel, now known as the Omni Parker House, still offers a service to ship the Boston Cream Pie directly to customers. For those who prefer to make it at home, Megan Conner from Jumping Branch, WV, shared a recipe for Boston Cream Cupcakes.
In 1878, the term "Boston cream pie" was first used in the Granite Iron Ware Cook Book. In 1958, Betty Crocker even created a boxed mix for the Boston cream cake. Despite its commercial availability, the effort put into making the Boston cream pie at home is considered well worth it.
In 1996, the Boston Cream Pie was named the Official Dessert of Massachusetts. Today, it continues to be a symbol of Boston's rich culinary history and a testament to the enduring charm of a classic dessert.
It's interesting to note that in the past, pie and cake tins were interchangeable, leading to the loose usage of terms like "Boston cream pie." However, the Boston cream pie is made by sandwiching pastry cream between two layers of yellow butter cake and covering the top in a chocolate glaze, making it undeniably a cake.
Despite several claims about its invention, the Boston Cream Pie is most commonly attributed to M. Sanzian. Regardless of who created it, one thing is certainβthe Boston Cream Pie is a dessert that has stood the test of time.
