Boston Cream Eclair Cake: this showstopper homemade eclair cake is filled with custard cream and piped with a decadent chocolate ganache frosting! Make this dessert in three easy steps.
Nothing’s more important than dessert. And CHOCOLATE! I’m all about the chocolate.
So here’s a decadent recipe: Boston Cream Eclair Cake. It looks grand, but trust me, you can easily make this too. This simple recipe was given to me by dear Italian friends in Rhode Island many years ago. It’s a crowd pleaser, gorgeous and delicious.
There are three simple parts to the Boston Cream Éclair Cake: the éclair pastry crust, the cream filling and the rich chocolate frosting. You can make this dessert all at once or in stages.
The crust is just four simple ingredients: butter, flour, eggs and water. (This recipe had me at the butter.)
Your pastry dough is ready when it looks like this, smooth without lumps.
Dollop the dough by large spoonfuls onto a greased round pizza pan, into a ring.
After baking, crust should be a deep golden brown. (Resist the temptation remove from the oven too early.)
Cool on a wire rack, then split horizontally with an electric or serrated bread knife.
I often make the éclair pastry crust ahead, then freeze.
A day or two before serving, make the custard filling and chocolate frosting. On serving day put it all together and pipe the chocolate frosting on the Boston Cream Éclair Cake in about 15 minutes. It’s such an amazing dessert. It gives me great joy to deliver “pastry happiness” to friends and family.
Here’s a big tip, and once in a while I forget to do it myself. After filling the cake and before piping the chocolate, carefully cut the Boston Cream Éclair Cake into serving slices with an electric knife (or serrated bread knife.) THEN pipe the chocolate on top. It’s so much easier to keep the cake pieces intact for easy and beautiful serving.
Let me know if you make the Boston Cream Eclair Cake, I’d love to hear how you like it!
Boston Cream Eclair Cake
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup flour
- 4 large eggs
- Cream Filling:
- 2 3.125 ounce packages instant vanilla pudding
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 6 ounces Cool Whip 3/4 of an 8 ounce Cool Whip
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Topping:
- 1 and 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate 1.5 ounces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Crust:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Boil together the water and butter
- Stir in 1 cup flour until throughly combined and cook until ball forms and it pulls away from the sides.
- Remove from the heat.
- Add in eggs one at a time, mixing throughly by hand after each. (I use a wooden spoon or my King Arthur bread dough whisk.)
- Drop by spoonfuls into a ring on a lightly grease cookie sheet or round pizza pan.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the middle is dry. Sometimes it takes as long as 55 minutes, so watch very carefully towards the end.
- Check with a cake tester to make sure it's dry inside.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cut in half horizontally with a serrated or electric knife.
- Cover the bottom half with filling, put the top half back on.
- Filling:
- Using an electric mixer or whisk, mix the instant vanilla pudding with milk for two minutes.
- Gently fold in the Cool Whip and vanilla with a rubber spatula.
- Rich Chocolate Frosting:
- Melt chocolate in a saucepan over low heat.
- Add in butter 'til it melts.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in milk 'til combined.
- Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Pack frosting in a pastry bag and pipe with a decorating tip (or use a ziploc bag with snipped corner), going around the entire cake.
- Refrigerate for a short time 'til chocolate sets, cover in plastic wrap, then return to refrigerator.
- Refrigerate leftovers. (If you have any!)
Notes
Use a pastry bag and decorating tip to pipe your chocolate icing, or snip a hole in the corner of a ziploc bag.
There will be lots of extra filling. Save it for another use or get out your spoon for a treat.
You may also like: Famous Brick Street Chocolate Cake
Sheryl says
This always brings smiles when Allie serves this at her house or brings it to a family event. I don’t recall EVER seeing any leftovers of this dessert. It is so yummy and makes such an exciting presentation. You won’t lack for friends if you decide to serve it up at your next party. 🙂
[email protected] says
Hmmm… Why have you never served it to us then??? New staple to add to the coffee cake.
nikkiana says
And my first thought was, “I want THAT for breakfast…”
[email protected] says
Nikki — I did it. Just because I could. Thanks for the awesome idea. XO #best breakfast ever
Tracy Costa says
Can’t wait to try this! I think I will make it for Thanksgiving. Looks delicious! Coming from you there is no doubt in my mind that it will be scrumptious! Thanks Allie!!
Mary says
Many warm memories of you serving this at pot luck dinners in Easley
Christy says
I love the “crazy hair” on top. I am not a good cake piper so this looks do-able to me, not to mention drop dead delicious!
Karla @SmallTownRambler says
Pinned! Looks delicious!!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Holy guacamole this looks fabulous! I love the combo and cannot wait to give this a try!
Heather / girlichef says
This is crazy – and ENTIRELY GENIUS! It looks fantastic.
Gina says
This is like my favorite donut turned into a cake, love it!
Melissa Falk says
My brother would love this one 🙂 Saving it. Thanks!
Jessica says
Allie – can I come to Thanksgiving at your house?! This looks delicious!
Manila Spoon says
This is a show stopper Allie! It looks superb and deliciously tempting! Definitely adding on my must-try list!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
What a fabulous variation on Boston Cream Pie. My husband adores eclairs – I’ll bet he could eat this entire cake himself.
Sarah says
Awesome idea. Easy to follow recipe Love it thank you. Instead of packaged pudding mix, i made my own and added some custard powder also.
Allie says
Hi Sarah, this sounds wonderful. I’ve thought many times about creating a homemade custard for this recipe. You beat me to it!!! So glad you enjoyed, thanks for dropping by!
Kristen Chidsey says
Oh Allie, this is stunning!! I love it!
laura@motherwouldknow says
Wow, this eclair cake is gorgeous! I have a friend who adores Boston cream pie and I’ll bet he’d go crazy for this. Will have to try it for his next birthday.
Catherine says
Dear Allie, what a decadent treat! Sometimes all you need is a slice of cake. I love how easy this cake is too…the filling sounds fabulous. I must save this and try it soon! xo, Catherine
Toni says
What kind of pan do you use?
Allie says
Hi Toni – I usually use a round pizza pan. You could also use a cookie sheet. 🙂
Toni says
Hi! I guess I mean what brand is that metal with the holes. Made this on my stone pan and cooked it the full 55 minutes and it was still not dried out but the outside was very brown. Thought maybe the stone had something to do with that. For some reason my dough was thinner than yours too so I didn’t get any rise at all. So next time I tried adding a little more flour. Still pretty flat. If I mixed it longer would it thicken up more? Just trying to figure out how to do better next time. :). Thanks Allie!!
Allie says
Hey Toni,
I’m bummed yours didn’t come out perfectly. I’m trying to figure out why your dough would be thinner. Are you using 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup water, 1 cup flour, then stirring in the 4 eggs one at a time? The recipe actually says 1 stick butter and I wonder if you could have used 1 cup instead? That would be easy to do. In fact, I just changed it from saying “1 stick of butter ” to say 1/2 cup butter, because I see it could be confusing. It is the eggs that make this dough rise. I’m really wondering if it might be the butter, because my dough is always very thick.
You are boiling the water and butter together first, then stirring in the flour, then eggs one a time?
The pan is by Wearever, and I think I got it at Bed Bath & Beyond, but it was years ago now.
So let me know if you think it might be the butter. I’ve just never had a rise problem, not once, so I’m thinking something is funky with the amounts of the ingredients. I’ve also not cooked it on a stone, but I don’t think that’s it. This dough is also the base of the lemon cream puffs on the blog, and I’ve had no problem with them rising either. I don’t mix these extra long, FYI. I just incorporate each egg into the dough by hand, one by one, and then I stop. I sure hope we can figure this out!
Chris says
In a large heavy saucepan, heat butter and water to boiling over medium-high heat. Add flour and reduce heat to low. Cook and stir until it forms a ball and pulls away from the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.
This is the difference in the dough…. these directions need to be changed.
Toni says
Thanks! Yes, just did the one stick of butter boiled it together with the water, then mixed in the flour then eggs one at a time. I tend to be domestically challenged so it is probably something I’m doing wrong. ;). Actually lit my burner on fire when the butter/water mixture boiled over while I was making my second batch asking you about the pan. Set the fire alarms off this morning!! :). Thanks for the input!
Allie says
Hi Toni – Hope all is well there! I had another reader mention this past week that their dough was thinner too. We e-mailed back and forth and FINALLY figured out that after she boiled the water and butter together, she removed from the heat and put the water and butter in a regular mixing bowl, then mixed in the flour. By the time she had incorporated all the eggs, the mixture was just warm or even cool. What happens with this recipe is that you boil the butter and water together, then mix in the flour, all in that same sauce pan. Remove from the heat, but the mixture will still be piping hot. While it’s still very hot, and still in the same saucepan, you incorporate the eggs one by one, somewhat quickly. What happens is the eggs are actually cooking and thickening up the dough as you are mixing them in. I wonder if your flour/water/butter mixture was cool? Just wondering, because that’s what happened with the other lady and that’s why it didn’t thicken up. I really want to solve this mystery! xo
Kathleen says
Oh. That is what I did. I removed from the heat and put in a regular bowl. My cake was so thin that you couldn’t even cut it in half. Going to try again when I get home. Thank you thank you thank you.
Allie says
Hey Kathleen – Dying to know – did it work for you on the second try? Oh I hope so!
Beverly says
This looks Delicious , will try making that for my ladies Bible study they will love it.
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
OH. MY. GOSH. What a beauty, Allie. I have never had Boston Cream éclair cake, but I can tell I will love this custard cream filled homemade eclair cake. And that chocolate ganache frosting is a wonderful addition. I am sure we will enjoy each others company, even more, when we have this eclair cake to share. 🙂
Marlene says
Hi there. I also ended up with a thin runny batter. I boiled the water and butter and added the flour and eggs in the same pan. It was also very lumpy,not a smooth texture look as your photo. I did bake it and it looked like a giant flat donut. I will try the recipe again due to the many positive posts.
Allie says
Hi Marlene – so sorry to hear this. My sister-in-law brought this dessert for Easter yesterday. We were chatting about this very issue, as several people have commented here about it. We’ve both been making this recipe for 25 years and never had an issue with a runny batter, so we are mystified. I boil the 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water together. Then I stir in the 1 cup flour until it is as smooth as possible. It immediately forms a very thick dough, then I remove from the heat, but keep it in the saucepan. It’s still very hot. To that very thick hot dough, I add one egg at a time, stirring very thoroughly after each egg is added until it is thoroughly incorporated before I add the next one. I have used a wooden spoon to do all the stirring in the past, but I’ve had the best success with a very a smooth dough using a King Arthur Bread “dough whisk” found here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/dough-whisk-11-long I wish you all the best and if i can figure out what the issue is, I will certainly comment back and let you know. Thank you so much for dropping by.
Lori says
If I make the ganache the get before, do i need to add milk or water to it the next day. Will It get too thick
Allie says
Somehow your question slipped by me – I’m sorry to just be getting back to you now Lori. I’m thinking if you covered it well, and then slightly warmed it – and whisked it up with a little hand whisk — you might be just fine. I’ve never made the ganache the night before, I often make the pastry or the filling the night before but I haven’t tried doing that with the ganache. Chocolate is funny, sometimes it seizes up, and I haven’t experimented with this one to know. I’m thinking if you slightly warm it – it should be ok.
Zoë says
Hi all. I have my dough in the oven as I post this. I followed it step by step to avoid it cooking flat. Fingers crossed!!!!!!
Zoë says
Awesome. It rose as it was suppose to and and I just had a bite. Delicious!! Thanks for the easy recipe.
Allie says
Hi Zoë – so glad to hear, thank you! You made my day. Enjoy. This is one of the favorite desserts at our house!
juesgosio says
Looks festive and delicious#…
Comfy says
Hi made your chocolate leclair but is it suppose to be doughy n middle I put n oven for 45 minutes I don’t have cake tester I just used a toothpick to me it doesn’t look cooked. Or how is it suppose be when it’s cooked lol
Allie says
Hi Comfy – the eclair should not be doughy in the middle. But it will definitely still be soft inside. You want the outside to be a dark golden brown color – you may even think it is starting to look overdone. But that is ok if it is a deep golden brown on the outside. Sometimes it takes mine as long as 55 minutes to cook. You might have to experiment a little! Hope you can get it just perfect! Thanks so much for dropping by.
hinh nen says
I am so excited to try these recipes. I have wrote down a bunch and bookmarked your page just incase I lose the pages!! It all looks so good.
Allie says
Thank you! 🙂
cakengifts.in Faridabad says
I have learnt how to make cake, with the help of this recipe. It’s taste was fantastic!!! I would like to recommend this cake to all my siblings.
stickman stickman says
Oh! This article has suggested to me many new ideas. I will embark on doing it. Hope you can continue to contribute your talents in this area. Thank you.
Online Shopping Coupons says
i like Boston Eclair cake it’s home made wow. could you send me the Recipes of this please.
can you make one recipe on vanilla CAKE.
Newborn Baby Photography in Delhi says
Wow Boston Home make cake, I am mad about the food. and cake is my weakness thanks for sharing this.
Ravi cake_delivery says
Even this recipes can be made in busy time also. It’s really special for me. thanks for sharing it here on this site.
Pamela G. says
There has rarely been a dessert more perfectly designed for both myself and my mom. This may be one of the very rare and few things in the world I’ll break my gluten free diet restriction to enjoy. I try SO hard, so very hard to be good what I have for my health but I am almost positive I couldn’t resist this. I ADORE both Boston Cream Pie AND an Eclair with pastry custard or pastry cream. Put the two together and I’m just left speechless. I do have one question however, I KNOW it makes one cake, what I need to know for the yield is how many servings should this beautiful indulgence give me?
Allie says
Hi Pamela – I do think this one is worth the indulgence if you’re going to cheat. It’s not heavy, and that’s what I love about it. It tastes light and airy and I love the piped on chocolate frosting…just right. It reminds me of childhood eclairs at Greg’s in RI. The eclairs were in that mesmerizing, spinning glass case. Maybe I already said that in the post, I wrote it some time ago. So I think this will give you a generous 8 servings, maybe more if you slice skinnier. Or less if you’re having it as a main course for dinner. LOL! I hope you make it and that you and your mom thoroughly enjoy every delicious bite! Happy New Year!
Allie says
And P.S. I use a serated electric knife to slice this, so it doesn’t squish and you get the pretty presentation. Best wishes!
Tara says
I also made this twice and the dough was very runny. It also came out a lot heavier than I expected.
Allie says
Hi Tara – have had a few mentions of this, I’m sorry to hear it and it may be because my directions were unclear. My sincere apologies. I have gone into the recipe and clarified a step or two after receiving your comment. So add the flour to the boiling water and butter and stir until throughly combined. It will make a thick dough. Cook on the stovetop, stirring all the while until it is a ball, pulling away from the sides of the pan. (It will be a very short time.) Remove the dough from the heat, then add in your eggs, one at a time, stirring in by hand after each addition. The rest of the recipe stands. I hope this is a help.
Cathryn Gross says
A good friend of mine gave me this recipe 44 years ago at a couples dinner. Everyone Loves the rich, Eclair taste. I still make it and pipe whipped cream “dollops” around the top, put a cherry in the middle of each dollop and sprinkle with chopped walnuts! It’s a HIT! I still make it to this day for New Years and/or Easter!
Allie says
Thanks Cathryn, what a beautiful way to garnish it! Will def. have to try. I like how this dessert is so pretty but isn’t heavy — the pastry is light and airy. Just love it. So glad you dropped by!
Cathryn G. says
Thanks for having me! 😉❤️
LJ says
I learned a big lesson here! When I first printed this out, I read all the reviews, although…. they didn’t help much. All seemed to be friends of Allie, just stating how good this sounded. None of them had actually made it! By the time I got around to making it, and it failed, I came back online, only to discover reviews of people who had the same problem as I, ending up with a round hard donut that looked nothing like eclair pastry.
I am going to re-try this, and hopefully, the change in directions will be the answer. My husband loves Boston Cream Pie for his birthday, and this year, I wanted to do something different. But…. lesson learned. Always go back and re-read reviews if time has passed since looking up a recipe. 😀
Village Talkies says
Nice post!!
Linda says
The first time I made this it was perfect, I’ve tried to make it today and it didn’t rise, but it’s also raining so I think humidity might have something to do with it. It is an amazing dessert.
Village Talkies says
This post is really amazing
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