Massachusetts - Boston Cream Pie

Massachusetts was another one of the "easy" states - just about everyone has heard of this state's special (and official) dessert - Boston Cream Pie. 


While I had most certainly heard of Boston Cream Pie, I had never actually eaten it in it's original form.  Instead, I have been known to fancy it's spin off treat, the Boston Cream Doughnut.  oh, i miss you krispy kreme...


History
The Boston Cream Pie (which is actually a cake) was created around 1855 by Monsieur Sanzian at the Parker House Hotel in Boston - same hotel that created the Parker House Roll.  Sanzian took a traditional British dessert called Pudding Cake-Pie consisting of vanilla sponge cake filled with pastry cream, and topped it with chocolate ganache.  The hotel named his version Parker House Chocolate Pie.  Over the years, the popular dessert's name became Boston Cream Pie - but it's still actually a cake.  


This recipe is from Gale Gand. 


for the sponge cake

ingredients
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sifted cake flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 


recipe

• preheat oven to 350 degrees
• combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
• make a well in center and add milk, oil, egg yolks and vanilla
• beat on low to medium speed until combined
• beat an additional 3 minutes on high and set aside
• in another bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form
• pour egg yolk mixture over egg white mixture and fold in
• gently pour batter into a 9 inch greased pie or cake pan
• bake 25 - 30 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched
• invert pan on wire rack and cool completely

for the pastry cream

ingredients

2 cups milk

1/2 vanilla bean

6 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 Tablespoon butter

recipe

• pour milk into medium sized pot
• split vanilla bean in half and scrape out vanilla seeds, put seeds and pod into milk
• simmer milk until steaming, but not boiling
• in a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch
• once milk is steaming, temper the egg yolk mixture 
• add tempered egg yolks into pot and cook until the mixture thickens and reaches a boil 
• it is important that the pastry cream boils to cook out the cornstarch, but stir constantly to avoid scorching 
• pour pastry cream into bowl of mixer, add the butter and paddle until butter is incorporated and the pastry cream has cooled
• remove vanilla bean pods 

for the ganache

ingredients

8 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 cup heavy cream 

recipe

• chop chocolate into smaller pieces and place in heat proof bowl
• boil cream and pour over chocolate
• let stand for 1 - 2 minutes, whisk together until smooth

assembly

• remove cake from pan and cut in half horizontally
• fill with pastry cream 

*note - I did not use the full amount of pastry cream this recipe made.

• top with remaining cake layer
• cover the top with ganache 

And that, friends, is my first Boston Cream Pie!  


Enjoy!
mbf

Maryland - Smith Island Cake

Oh. My. Goodness.
What else can you say when you see a cake like that?! Well, maybe you say - cut me a slab!  Anyway, that picture of loveliness is the famous Smith Island Cake from Smith Island, MD. 


I have so been looking forward to making (and eating) this cake!  A good friend who is from Maryland told me about the Smith Island Cake last year when I started Sweet State of Mine and I was excited to learn more about it.  


How did such a tiny island come up with such a big cake?
Smith Island was settled in the late 1600's and today has a population of only 400 people.  No one knows the exact origins of this cake, but many assume that it is an adaptation of an English torte brought by the first settlers.  


What makes a Smith Island Cake?
Lots of layers!  A Smith Island Cake has between 6 and 12 pencil thin layers of spongy yellow cake separated by thin layers of an old fashioned cooked chocolate icing that sets like fudge.  The exact number of layers made seems to be a source of competition between the ladies of Smith Island and local bakeries.  


And yes, the Smith Island Cake is the official state dessert of Maryland.  
A little prep work...

• position oven racks in the center and bottom third of oven and preheat to 375 degrees
• lightly butter 4 (8.5 inch or 9 inch) cake pans or 10 disposable cake pans
• line the bottoms with parchment rounds, butter parchment and coat pans with flour tapping out excess

For the layers...

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs at room temperature
3 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 


Recipe

• sift dry ingredients together, sift again and set aside
• cream together butter and sugar with paddle in mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes
• beat in eggs one at a time
• scrape down bowl often
• on low speed, add flour mixture in 3 additions alternating with milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour
• mix until smooth
• mix in the vanilla extract 
• using a scant cup for each layer, spread the batter evenly in pans.  very thin layers! 

* I used a kitchen scale to divide my batter between the 10 pans to ensure they would all be the same size. 

• stagger the pans on the racks so that they are at least 2 inches from each other and the sides of the oven and not directly over each other
• bake until they spring back when touched and are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans, about 12 minutes 
• cool in pans 5 minutes, invert onto wire racks, remove parchment and cool completely
• repeat until all 10 layers are baked

for the icing...

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces

12 ounces evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Recipe

• bring sugar, cocoa powder, butter and evaporated milk to a boil in a large saucepan
• reduce heat to medium low and cook until the icing has thickened slightly (it will resemble chocolate syrup) 
• remove from heat and stir in the vanilla
• cool until thick enough to spread, but still pourable

Assembly

• place one layer of cake on a wire rack set over a jelly roll pan (I used a cake board to give me a sturdy base and the ability to move the cake after it was assembled)
• spread a few tablespoons of the icing on the layer, letting the excess run down the sides
• stack the remaining cakes, icing each layer
• use toothpicks to hold layers in place as they will slide as you build the cake
• pour remaining icing over the last (top) layer of the cake
• if you wish, smooth the icing on the edges to cover the sides
• let stand until the icing sets
• this cake is best served the day it is made
• to store, cover loosely with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to 1 day

I just have to say, this cake is "slap your granny" good!  And talk about impressive - it looks modest from the outside, but once you cut into this cake, WOW!  

Enjoy!

mbf

Maine - Whoopie Pies

Mainers' love their sweets!  The state legislature has designated two sugary confections with official state titles - official dessert of Maine - Wild Maine Blueberry Pie and official treat of Maine - the Whoopie Pie.  


Whoopie Pie's can be found everywhere in Maine - from bakeries, to gas stations, to baked bean suppers (a unique Maine / New England tradition) and home kitchens so I decided to feature the Whoopie Pie on Sweet State of Mine.  


History
Maine, Pennsylvania and Boston all claim to be the birthplace of the Whoopie Pie, but none have indisputable proof that their story is true.  


The story told in Maine is that an employee of a commercial bakery in Bangor ended up with extra chocolate cake batter and decided to scoop it onto a baking tray in small mounds rather than waste it.  Once the small cakes were baked, she sandwiched them together with extra vanilla frosting and exclaimed "Whoopie - it worked!"


The Filling Debate 
The origins of the Whoopie Pie aren't the only subject of debate surrounding these little treats - there's the matter of what type of filling you use.  


Vanilla Frosting vs. Marshmallow Fluff vs. Shortening & Sugar 


From what I can tell, Vanilla Frosting is common in Pennsylvania, Fluff in Boston and the shortening & sugar variety is most common in Maine.  
Let's make some Whoopies! 
for the cake...

Ingredients
1/4 cup crisco
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt 

• cream together crisco and sugar
• add in the egg and vanilla
• mix together the dry ingredients and then add to crisco mixture alternately with milk 
• drop by tablespoon full onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I used a size 70 scoop) 
• bake exactly 8 minutes at 375 degrees.  If toothpick comes out clean, it is done.  If not, bake another 2 minutes
• remove from pan immediately to a wire rack to cool

for the filling...

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)

1/2 cup crisco

1 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup warm, whole milk 

• beat together butter, crisco and sugar with electric mixer
• add flour, vanilla and warm milk and continue beating until it comes together to make a smooth, fluffy filling
• when you first add the milk, flour and vanilla - you will think you have done something totally wrong because of the ugly, curdled looking mess that will be in your bowl.  fear not - this is normal.  keep mixing and like magic - it will transform into a beautiful filling!  ; )

Assembly

• Once the cakes have cooled, spread a generous amount of filling on half of the cakes then top with the remaining cakes
• Whoopie Pies are a casual treat and meant to be a little messy.  Licking the ooozy filling while eating the pie is completely OK. 

 

Now, to make this truly a Maine experience - wash down your Whoopie Pie with the Official Soft Drink of Maine... 

Must be the northern version of a Moonpie and RC Cola!  

These are a really fun treat and have become very popular over the last year or so throughout the US with flavors like red velvet, pumpkin and lemon joining the traditional chocolate variety.  I think the people of Maine are on to something with this one! 

Enjoy!

mbf