It Depends
The answer depends on which Massachusetts dessert you’re talking about.
The Bay State has given us everything from Boston Cream Pie and the chocolate chip cookie to Fig Newtons and Boston cream donuts. Some were created in elegant hotel dining rooms, others in inns and bakeries, but all have become part of the American dessert landscape.
Just a quick list is loaded with icons of the dessert world:
- Chocolate Chip Cookies (better known as Toll House Cookies)
- Fig Newtons
- Sky Bars
- Junior Mints
And then there’s the Boston Cream Pie.
This sweet treat has spent most of its life struggling to find its identity. It’s called a pie, but it looks like a cake. Then someone turned it into a donut, and suddenly you could hold a little piece of heaven in your hand.
Think about it: rich creamy vanilla filling tucked inside a soft, pillowy donut and topped with a smooth chocolate glaze. Messy? Maybe. Delicious? Absolutely.
Chefs at the Parker House Hotel, now known as the Omni Parker House, developed the original Boston Cream Pie. It seems they’re experts at creating foods that stand the test of time. After all, we’ve all heard of Parker House Rolls. They were a must-have at many family gatherings, especially Thanksgiving. The hotel is also known for Boston Scrod, a classic New England fish dish featuring our native cod, or sometimes haddock
But getting back to our confused dessert…
Over the years, it has appeared on menus under several different names, including American Pudding Pie and Chocolate Cream Pie. At one point it was even known as American Pudding Cake Pie. Now that’s a mouthful.
It’s said that some of the confusion came from the pans used to bake it. Back in the day, cakes were often baked in pie tins. Somewhere along the way, the name stuck while the dessert evolved. If you think about it that way, it’s really a cake pretending to be a pie.
Or maybe it’s a little bit of both.
And thanks to the Boston Cream donut, perhaps it’s part donut, too.
Pie. Cake. Donut.
Whatever you call it, it’s delicious.
Martini Anyone?
Today, you can even enjoy a Boston Cream Martini at the Parker House bar. For a dessert that can’t decide what it wants to be, that’s quite an accomplishment.
And it just keeps getting better. As if pie, cake, and donut weren’t enough, I recently discovered Boston Cream Pie Cookies. They look suspiciously like moon pies.
It seems this Massachusetts classic continues to reinvent itself. At this point, the Boston Cream Pie may be the most confused dessert in Massachusetts.
Making a Boston Cream Pie from scratch can be a bit of a project. You’ve got the vanilla sponge cake, the pastry cream filling, and the chocolate ganache topping. That’s a lot of steps for one dessert.
So for those of you who are feeling adventurous, I’m going to link to a recipe from Preppy Kitchen. They even have a YouTube video that walks you through the entire process.
If you decide to make one, let me know how it turns out.
As for me, I think I’ll save myself the effort and stop at my local Dunkin’ for a dozen Boston Cream donuts.
Enjoy! 😊
