Sunday Baked: Boston Cream Pie Cake

Let's just clear this up right now.... This is no more a pie than I'm a size 2 beauty queen. There is no pie crust or pie dish to speak of. Nope. This is cake through and through. I imagine when the first versions of this dessert appeared in Colonial America, cake pans were not commonplace. So, the Colonial bakers of yore grabbed whatever they had available, which happened to be pie tins.

Sunday Baked: Blackberry Pie (Galette)

I have been wanting to try my hand at a fruit galette for quite some time now. I love their rustic charm and carefree form. This week's Blackberry Pie challenge from Matt & Renato's cookbook Baked Explorations was a perfect chance to give it a go. So, I tweaked the recipe a tiny bit to suit my needs... I hope I do not offend.

Blackberries for me are fruit with lots of potential, but they need to be gussied up a bit to really shine. It the receptacle of the blackberry, which is the fibrous central core, that causes all the problems. While the seeds get into my teeth and can be annoying, it is the darn core that I can do without. It is bitter and hard and really takes away from the delicious fruit.

There is a rather easy (though messy and slightly time consuming) solution to this issue. I have a little fondant tool I use for cake decorating that works like a charm for removing the receptacles (it also pits cherries like a champ). Stick this wonder tool in the blackberry and give it a little twist... out comes the core. Yeah! Problem solved.

 

Yes, this recipe called for fresh lemon juice and zest, but when there are beautiful limes leftover from a night of Gin and Tonics, it would be irresponsible of me to pass them over. Right!? So, in they went. I was a little afraid to go straight lime though, so I threw some lemon zest in to keep 'em honest.

This was my first experience working with Matt & Renato's pie crust. I prefer butter crusts, and this one was tasty and really a breeze to work with. I had some reservations as to whether I would be able to pleat the dough without breakage, but alas, it was not a problem.

"Wow, Mom! Those look like blackberry volcanoes! Can we go blow them up? Please!!"   

Jackson, my 6-year old son

We really enjoyed these. I thought they were quite tasty, and I loved the added kick the citrus provided. I thought the galettes came together well, and I was quite pleased they didn't erupt in my oven as my son would have liked to witness. My husband (the "Pie Guy") liked the flavor, but found the seeds slightly distracting. He also mentioned that he would have preferred them as an actual pie... with a top crust... I can never win :)

If you will excuse me now, I have to go floss.....

Please check in my my fellow club members to see what they thought of this delicious recipe and to view some great photos of their experiences.

Happy Baking!
Jaime @ The Great Cake Company

Lemon Meringue Pie

Tuesday was my husband's 35th birthday. Every year I ask him what he wants for his birthday dessert. It is never cake. He isn't a fan, which is interesting since that's what I do. Nope, it's always pie. He is a pie guy through and through. Last year we had blueberry. The year before was apple. This year it was deliciously tart, make you smile lemon meringue. 

There is something so pretty about these pies. Actually, I think all pies have their own unique beauty, but the lemon meringue really gets me. I love the billowy clouds of golden meringue that sit atop the the creamy, perfectly tart filling. It's like a ray of sunshine. A thing of beauty. 

 

Lemon Meringue Pie

Prebaked Pie Crust
I recommend this all butter recipe or this graham cracker recipe. Both are very good.

Filling

1 1/4 cups sugar

5 Tbs cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup whole milk

4 egg yolks

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/2 lemon juice, fresh squeezed

2 Tbs butter

Meringue

4 egg whites, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Place rack in the middle of the oven.

Place sugar, cornstarch, salt, water and milk in a large, nonreactive saucepan. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to thicken and become opaque, add the egg yolks two at a time. Stirring constantly, whisk in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk for one more minute and remove from heat. Whisk in butter. Pour filling into prebaked pie shell and place plastic wrap on surface to prevent a skin from forming and to retain heat.

In a large mixing bowl, whip egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Stop mixer and add cream of tartar. Continue mixing on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, and continue to whip whites until stiff peaks form. 

Place scoops of meringue around the outside edge of pie. Add the remaining meringue into the middle. Using a spatula, gently spread the meringue over pie making sure to seal the edges at the crust. To create peaks in the meringue, take the back of a spoon and gently press into the meringue and lift.

Bake pie for about 20 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown. Remove pie from oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow it to cool to room temperature before serving.

Happy Baking!

Jaime @ The Great Cake Company