Daring Bakers October Challenge: Bostini Cream Pie

Whew! What a dare! That’s right this month marks my first entry as a Daring Baker. Mary of Alpineberry was our lovely host this month. She chose Bostini Cream Pie for our monthly dare. Yum! Then fear and anxiety set in. First, I have never made a successful chiffon cake (until now). Oh, I had my worries and doubts. I was so sure it was not going to work out for me; that I bought 5 dozen eggs and a half gallon of heavy cream. Everything worked out in the first run through so, if you need to borrow a pint of cream or a dozen eggs stop on by.

The chiffon cake is unbelievable; it’s like rich angel food cake with a hint of orange. Mmm! Like the chiffon cake, I had never made pastry cream that had to set either. This is where it got tricky. The problem was that I had a ton of ramekins all the same size, but I was not sure what size they were. (I ended up with 16 tiny Bostini Cream Pies). I knew that I was going to be giving away all but two of the Bostini’s. My plan was to place the cream in between the tiny cake layers that way I could transport them easily. A little of the pastry cream oozed out but, it tasted so good that no one minded.

I really enjoyed the cake, thanks Mary, and I am definitely going to make this again very soon. My mom would love this cake (sans the cream and chocolate) with her morning tea. Again, Mary thanks for hosting and picking a recipe that allowed me to acquire two new baking skills. If you’d like to see the rest of the Daring Bakers Bostini Cream Pie click here.

Bostini Cream Pie
(From Donna Scala & Kurtis Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni and Scala's Bistro)
Serving Size: 8 Generous Servings

Ingredients:

Custard:
3/4 cup whole milk
2 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 whole egg, beaten
9 egg yolks, beaten
3 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar

Chiffon Cake:
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup beaten egg yolks (3 to 4 yolks)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Chocolate Glaze:
8 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate
8 ounces unsalted butter

Instructions:

To prepare the custard:

Combine the milk and cornstarch in a bowl; blend until smooth. Whisk in the whole egg and yolks, beating until smooth. Combine the cream, vanilla bean and sugar in a saucepan and carefully bring to a boil. When the mixture just boils, whisk a ladleful into the egg mixture to temper it, then whisk this back into the cream mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain the custard and pour into 8 large custard cups. Refrigerate to chill.

To prepare the chiffon cakes:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray 8 molds with nonstick cooking spray. You may use 7-ounce custard cups, ovenproof wide mugs or even large foil cups. Whatever you use should be the same size as the custard cups.

Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the oil, egg yolks, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Stir until smooth, but do not over beat.

Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into the orange batter. Fill the sprayed molds nearly to the top with the batter.

Bake approximately 25 minutes, until the cakes bounce back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Do not over bake. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, remove the cakes from the molds. Cover the cakes to keep them moist.

To prepare the glaze:

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat until it is just about to bubble. Remove from the heat; add the chocolate and stir to melt. Pour through a strainer and keep warm.

To assemble:

Cut a thin slice from the top of each cake to create a flat surface. Place a cake flat-side down on top of each custard. Cover the tops with warm chocolate glaze. Serve immediately.