Yum – It’s National Vanilla Pudding Day!

Do you think Vanilla Pudding is boring? Yeah, I can see that. But as part of a berry trifle or the filling of a cake and suddenly that boring vanilla pudding captures our interest.

This has to be the easiest Boston Cream Pie ever. Unlike Boston Creams we’ve shared in the past, both the cake and the cream filling come from a box. Yeah, a box! That said, there are a few tricks up my sleeve. First off, the cake uses milk in the batter. Milk has a higher fat content and will bake up a cake more closely resembling that of a cake baked from scratch.

Next there’s the vanilla pudding – the star of the show. After all, it’s National Vanilla Pudding Day. Our pudding uses slightly less milk that what the box calls for, creating a thicker, heavier pudding. Coupled with the additional vanilla, and you have the perfect, quick filler for this Boston Cream Pie. But this isn’t just a filler. Nope, we’re making a poke cake. So the pudding is going to drip deep inside the cake. Yeah.

Finally the Ganache is about as simple and basic as they come. No need to dice chocolate from a bar, ours is chocolate chips. Combined with heavy cream and slowly tempered in a microwave and there you go – Ganache.

Hope you have an amazing day. And I truly hope you enjoy this oh so simple yet creamy delightful Bean Town favorite.

Boston Cream Vanilla Pudding Poke Cake
Boston Cream Pie
1 box Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Water
3 Eggs
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

Note: For best results, let eggs warm to room temperature.

Heat oven to 325-degrees. Grease the bottom only of a 13-inch by 9 inch cake pan. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, bean cake mix with milk and water until just blended. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add oil, increase speed to medium, beat for 2 minutes.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and place in the center of the heated oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove cake from oven, let cool completely. Once the cake has cooled completely, poke holes all over the cake using the end of a wooden spoon. Set cake aside and make the pudding

Vanilla Pudding Poke
2 (3 oz) boxes Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
3-1/2 cups Milk
1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

In a large bowl whisk instant pudding mix with milk and vanilla. Work quickly, before the pudding has a chance to set, pour over the poked cake.

Spread pudding out evenly using an off-set spatula. Place cake in the refrigerator for an hour for the pudding to set.

Chocolate Ganache
12 oz bag Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1-1/2 cups Heavy Cream

Place chips in a heatproof bowl, set aside. Heat cream in a saucepot over low heat until just simmering. Pour hot cream over chocolate chips. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften the chips. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Pour chocolate Ganache over the cake. Spread smooth with a spatula. Chill poke cake in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serve and enjoy.