Amazingly, some desserts—really great American desserts—enter the American consciousness, linger for years, and slowly disappear. For some reason, they never reach icon or classic status. They become unfashionable or, even worse, caricatures of their former selves. This has been the fate of the once-beloved Boston cream pie. It used to be ubiquitous on dessert menus, in diner cases, and even at the odd birthday party. My theories for its disappearance are many, but mainly I blame the inadequate (or bad) versions that started to appear throughout the country. A poorly executed Boston cream pie is one bad dessert. There is nothing worse than fake pastry cream or an over-spongy sponge.

Our Boston Cream Pie Cake is a tribute and an homage. We tweaked the original to make a four-layer beast with all the important parts intact: a bouncy milk sponge, classic vanilla and chocolate pastry cream, and a gooey chocolate glaze. Messy? Yes. Good? Absolutely.