A classic favorite Boston Cream Cake made into a cake roll. Soft, fluffy cake is rolled with creamy homemade custard and topped with a layer of rich chocolate ganache.
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Let’s talk about self control for a minute…
Let’s imagine this cake. This luscious, soft cake with creamy homemade custard and rich chocolate ganache on top. It’s pretty, it smells amazing and it’s one of your favorites.
Now imagine you are gluten free and you can’t have it. Yeah, tears! That was me, making this divine cake for my husband’s birthday. One of my favorite cakes and his all times favorite cake, made into a cake roll, and I can not have any. I surprised hubby with it spring training tickers for his birthday and while he was away, I made him this version of his favorite cake. The whole time I was making it, I just wanted to dive into the custard and I really wanted to devour the cut off ends of the cake…but nooooo, it’s not gluten free. So I had to wait, somewhat impatiently, for my guys to come home and taste the cake.
They whole time they were enjoying the cake, I was like a hungry dog, sitting there, watching them eat this cake. Have you ever seen a dog, wanting a bite of your food so badly that it follows your fork from the plate to your mouth…from the plate to your mouth…from the plate to your mouth? That was me, watching my boys devour this cake. (And, even get up and get a second slice.) I’m pretty sure that I had the same pitiful look on my face too, and the sad puppy eyes.
And even though I could not enjoy this birthday cake with them, I very much enjoyed watching their face like they were eating something straight out of heaven. That’s almost as satisfying as eating the cake…almost.
Boston Cream Cake Roll
Ingredients
- Custard:
- 1 cup whole milk
- ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- Pinch salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Cake:
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- Ganache:
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate finely chopped
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream boiling
Instructions
- Custard can be prepared a couple of hours ahead of time or a day before. I like to make it the day before because I can split the work in two days and custard gets a good amount of time to cool and set in the fridge.
- Custard:
- Vigorously whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until completely combined and lightened. Add flour and corn starch, whisk very well and set aside while heating the milk.
- Heat milk, heavy cream, butter and salt until simmering.
- Slowly add heated milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture stirring constantly. Whisk well, slowly. Return the mixture into the pot and bring to simmer stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken within a few minutes. (Keep whisking the custard while it's cooking, do not walk away or it will be nothing but lumps.) Take off heat! Whisk in the vanilla, set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer custard into a container, cover it with saran wrap or a lid and refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Cake:
- Preheat oven to 375 and line 17x11x1 pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil spray (make sure to get the sides too).
- Beat eggs with electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes until thick and light yellow.
- Slowly beat in granulated sugar.
- Lower speed to low and add water and vanilla extract.
- Still on low, slowly add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat just until batter is smooth. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and mix just until combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 8 minutes and touch the center of the cake to make sure it's done.
- Run a spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Let it rest for a couple of minutes.
- Generously sprinkle a clean kitchen towel with powder sugar. Carefully, turn the cake pan upside down onto the towel. Gently remove parchment paper. Trim off crusty edges if necessary.
- While the cake is still hot, gently roll cake with the towel from narrow end (don't make it too tight and don't press).
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.
- Gently unroll the cake. Spread cold custard all over the cake, leaving about an inch and a half one of the short ends(not the one you start rolling on). You might have a little bit custard left over.
- Carefully roll the cake back up (starting with the side that has filling to the edge) and place cake on the serving dish, seam down.
- Ganache:
- Bring heavy cream to boil, be careful not to let it actually boil or it will raise.
- Pour boiling cream over the chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Let it cool for a few minutes.
- Pour ganache over the top of the cake roll and gently spread it around.
Nutrition
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barbara A berkheiser says
Can you use cake flour instead of regular flour. If so, what is the ratio Thankyou
Grace White says
Since your gluten free have you ever tried making this with gluten free flour?
I was wondering it the cake would break up when rolling it.
Sounds delicious.
LyubaB says
I do think it would break apart with regular gluten-free flour but I haven’t tried it so I cant say for sure. I have seen gluten-free cake rolls so I think there is a flour that would work I just haven’t researched it so I am not sure which to recommend. Sorry, I couldn’t be more helpful but let me know how it goes if you do try it.
Lynn says
I think the ratio would be better with more filling. I just made this. Also, I think it would be better to make the custard on the same day. The cake would absorb a little more of the filling if it weren’t so cold.
Pat Gray says
I’m anxious to try this !
Any thoughts or tips for a high altitude version? I’m at 5,400 ft. Thanks!
LyubaB says
I am so sorry, I am not familiar with high-altitude baking at all!
Deb says
The custard and the ganache were great, but I had a similar problem as someone above with the cake not rising much at all and coming out a bit chewy. (Used a fresh can of baking powder.) In my baking experience, I’ve always separated the whites and yolks for a jelly roll-type cake, and used a 10 x 15 baking sheet. It was hard to spread the amount of batter over an 11 x 17, especially with the cooking spray. Anyway, I thought the custard was just divine.
Joann Steffens says
Excellent cake always a hit when I bring it to a gathering.
LyubaB says
Thank you, Joann! Glad you liked it!