Granny’s Step By Step Guide To Making Boston Cream Cake

Granny’s Boston Cream Cake is a shortcut recipe for your beloved Boston Cream Pie.  Topped with chocolate fudge icing, a yellow cake mix is taken to a whole new level with a decadent cream cheese layer.

Boston Cream Cake Recipe

My Granny has never steered me wrong. Her classic Double Chocolate Fudge Fanciful Cake was a favorite among her kids and grandkids. I tweaked her original recipe in her honor for this shortcut Boston Cream Cake.

My Granny lived in the time before cake mixes and tubs of chocolate icing lined the grocery store shelves. I can only imagine how many from scratch cakes and desserts she made. (Her Homemade Chocolate Brownies are a favorite of mine). You see, she was a homemaker who cared and fed 8 kids (with 5 being boys).

With that being said, Granny truly appreciated the convenience behind a store-bought cake mix. It’s for this reason alone that I will never apologize for using shortcut ingredients.

Easy Yellow Cake Mix Boston Cream Cake

Let’s talk about this easy Boston Cream cake:

• Granny’s cake is rich.
• It’s decadent.
• And moist.
• It’s a home-run.

I swear the cake feels like it weighs 10 pounds when you lift it.  That’s because there’s a thick, cream cheese layer that sinks to the bottom.

Traditional Boston Cream Pie consists of a round yellow cake with a custard layer in the center.  My shortcut Boston Cream Pie has the custard layer at the bottom instead.  It magically sinks to the bottom during the cooking process.

If you are wondering should Boston Cream Cake be refrigerated?  Yes, you should cover and refrigerate due to the cream cheese layer.

Ingredient List

• Yellow Cake Mix
• Water
• Vegetable Oil
• Large Eggs
• Cream Cheese, room temperature
• Granulated Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Milk
• Softened butter
• All Purpose Flour
• Chocolate Frosting

How to Make Boston Cream Pie Cake

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking dish or cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, make cake by mixing yellow cake mix, water, oil and eggs. Beat on low speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes or until smooth. Set aside.
3. Beat softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, milk, softened butter, flour and eggs until smooth and lump free.
4. Pour half the yellow  cake batter into the prepared pans.
5. Slowly pour the cream cheese mixture over the batter; pour the remaining cake mix on top.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cool completely.
8. Top with chocolate fudge icing.

For the full instructions for Granny’s Boston Cream Cake, scroll to the bottom of this post. 

Recipe FAQs

• Substitute margarine for butter, if desired. Be sure each is at room temperature.
• Use a yellow box cake mix for this shortcut Boston Cream Pie.  A white cake mix would work but yellow is the classic flavor.
• Traditional Boston Cream Pie has a chocolate fudge icing. Feel free to make homemade, but we usually buy the pre-made tubs.  You can use chocolate but chocolate fudge is the classic flavor.
• Let the Boston Cream Cake cool completely before icing.
• Be sure to refrigerate Boston Cream Pie.
• Try our Granny’s Double Chocolate version!

Recipe Variations

• Use a chocolate cake mix instead of yellow.
• Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cream filling.
• For even more flavor in the cream, add a box of instant vanilla pudding mix.
• Instead of chocolate frosting, top the sponge cake with chocolate ganache or a chocolate glaze.

Our Favorite Recipes Using Boxed Cake Mix

We love using boxed cake mix for shortcut recipes. Here’s some of our favorites:

• Gooey Bars
• Darn If I know Cake
• Easy Caramel Bars
• Applesauce Cake
• Amaretto Poke Cake
• Triple Fudge Cake

Linking up to Weekend Potluck.