Despite its name, Boston cream pie is not a pie but a light, airy sponge cake that is cut in half, filled with thick, cold vanilla custard and topped with glossy chocolate ganache. This American classic looks as if it came from a pastry shop, but when you make Boston cream pie in the air fryer, you bake the sponge in a small springform tin without turning on the oven.
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Most of the time is spent waiting. The custard must be completely cold before the cake is assembled, and afterwards the cake has to stay cold so the layers set. On the other hand, you do not have to do it all in one go, because the custard can be made the day before. The result is a cold cake that is ready to serve with coffee or as a dessert after a meal.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love Boston cream pie in the air fryer
It is the contrast I fall for: the light sponge, the cold, thick custard and the dark chocolate that takes the edge off the sweetness. The ingredients are completely ordinary: eggs, sugar, flour, milk, vanilla and chocolate. Even so, it is a cake people want the recipe for.
The air fryer suits this cake well, because you only need to bake one sponge in an 18 cm springform tin, and it is a waste to heat up the whole oven for so little. The heat, on the other hand, is closer to the cake than in an oven, so the cake gets aluminium foil over it for the last part of the baking time, to stop the top from getting too dark.
Why is a cake called a pie?
Boston cream pie originated in Boston in the 1800s and is today the official state dessert of Massachusetts. The usual explanation for the name is that cakes and pies were often baked in the same tins back then. The name has stuck, but what you are baking is a cake.
My kitchen test of Boston cream pie
I baked the cake in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has heating elements both above and below in its single basket. At 150 °C it baked for 20 minutes without me opening it, and by then the surface was golden and had set. Then I put aluminium foil over the tin, folded tightly around the edge so it does not blow up against the heating element, and 12-15 more minutes finished it. A toothpick in the middle of the cake should come out clean, and the cake should spring back when lightly pressed.
Allow 200 minutes in total: 45 minutes of preparation, 35 minutes of cooking and 120 minutes of chilling time. Most of it is waiting time. The 18 cm tin sat flat in my basket with air all the way around, but measure your own first. If the basket is too small, use a 16 cm tin and give the cake 3-5 minutes more, as it will be taller.
Do not open the air fryer during the first 20 minutes, and do not pour the ganache over the cake until it is lukewarm and thick but still pourable. These are the two things that most often decide whether the cake turns out well.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is to check on the cake too early. If you open the air fryer during the first 20 minutes, the sponge can collapse, so leave the basket where it is. The second mistake happens at assembly: if the vanilla custard is not completely cold and firm, it is pushed out to the sides when the top layer goes on. Give it at least 1½ hours in the fridge, and keep it about 1 cm from the edge when you spread it. The third mistake is ganache that is too hot and runs off the cake. Let it cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, until it is lukewarm and thick but still pourable, and push it slowly out towards the edge with a palette knife.
How to serve Boston cream pie
Serve the cake cold, straight from the fridge. It does not need much alongside:
- Fresh berries, such as raspberries or strawberries, which add a little acidity to the sweet custard
- A cup of coffee, which goes well with the dark chocolate
- 4 large slices to serve with coffee or 6-8 thin slices after a meal
- A chef’s knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between each cut, so the cut surfaces look neat
Storage and reheating
The cake keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge, but it tastes best on the same day or the day after. It is not suitable for reheating and should be eaten cold. The assembled cake is not suitable for freezing either, because the custard splits as it thaws. The sponge, on the other hand, can be baked in advance and frozen without filling for up to 2 months, and the 3 egg whites you have left over can also be frozen and made into meringues another day.
The hardest part of Boston cream pie is waiting for it. Keep the custard cold, leave the cake in the fridge until the ganache has set, and only cut it after that. That way you get the neat layers the cake is known for.
FAQ
It is a cake. It is called a pie, but it consists of sponge cake, vanilla custard and chocolate ganache with no pie crust at all.
Use an 18 cm springform tin that can sit flat in the basket with a little air all the way around. If the basket is too small, you can use a 16 cm tin. The cake will then be taller and needs 3-5 minutes more.
Yes. The vanilla custard can be made the day before, and the sponge can be baked in advance and frozen without filling for up to 2 months. The assembled cake must not be frozen, but it keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Recipe
Boston cream pie in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Springform pan - 18 cm
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Electric mixer
- 1 Sifter
- 1 Dough scraper
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Whisk
- 2 Bowl
- 1 Shallow dish
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Aluminum foil
- 1 Toothpick
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Offset spatula
- 1 Bread knife
- 1 Serving platter
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Chefs knife
Shopping list
Ingredients
Vanilla custard
- 3 dl whole milk
- 3 pcs egg yolks
- 60 g sugar
- 25 g cornstarch
- 1 pcs vanilla pod
- 15 g butter
Chocolate ganache
- 75 g dark chocolate (About 60% cocoa)
- 75 ml whipping cream
- 1 tsp golden syrup (Adds shine)
How to make it
Vanilla custard
- Split 1 pcs vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife. Put the seeds and the pod in a saucepan with 3 dl whole milk, and heat the milk until it steams and is just about to boil.
- Whisk 3 pcs egg yolks, 60 g sugar and 25 g cornstarch together in a bowl until you have a smooth, pale mixture with no lumps.
- Fish out the vanilla pod, and pour the hot milk in a thin stream into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously. Pour everything back into the saucepan, and heat the custard over medium heat, whisking constantly. When it thickens and starts to bubble, let it boil for 1 more minute so the cornstarch thickens fully and the custard becomes thick and glossy.
- Take the saucepan off the heat, and whisk in 15 g butter until melted. Pour the custard into a shallow dish, lay cling film directly on the surface so a skin does not form, and chill it in the fridge for at least 1½ hours, until completely cold and firm.
Sponge cake
- Secure a piece of baking paper in the base of the springform. Do not grease the sides – that way the batter can climb up the sides and the cake rises evenly. Check that the tin can stand flat in the basket with a little space all the way around.
- Preheat the air fryer to 150 °C fan.
- Heat 50 ml whole milk and 25 g butter in a small saucepan until the butter has melted and the milk is hot but not boiling. Keep the mixture warm over low heat.
- Whisk 3 pcs eggs, 100 g sugar and 1 tsp vanilla sugar with an electric whisk in a mixing bowl for 6-8 minutes, until the mixture is very pale, thick and airy and leaves a clear trail when the whisk is lifted.
- Stir 2 tbsp of the batter into the warm milk mixture, then quickly and lightly fold it into the rest of the batter until there are no more streaks. Pour the batter into the springform and tap the tin lightly on the work surface so large air bubbles disappear.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Place the tin in the basket and bake the cake at 150 °C for 20 minutes without opening the air fryer, until the surface is golden and has set.
- Lay a piece of aluminium foil over the tin and fold it tightly around the edge so it does not blow up against the heating element. Turn the tin half a turn if the cake is darker on one side, and bake on at 150 °C for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
- Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes. Loosen it around the edge with a palette knife, remove the ring, and let the cake cool completely on a wire rack for about 45 minutes.
Assembly
- Briefly beat the cold vanilla custard with a whisk until smooth, and spread it over the bottom layer with a palette knife. Keep the custard about 1 cm from the edge, as it spreads when the top layer goes on.
- Place the top layer on with the cut side facing down, and press very lightly. Put the cake in the fridge while you make the ganache.
Chocolate ganache
- Finely chop 75 g dark chocolate on a cutting board, and put it in a bowl.
- Heat 75 ml whipping cream and 1 tsp golden syrup in a small saucepan until the cream is just starting to boil. Pour it over the chocolate, and leave it for 2 minutes without stirring.
- Stir from the centre outwards with a dough scraper until the ganache is completely smooth and glossy. Let it cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, until it is lukewarm and thick but still pourable – that way it stays on the cake instead of running off.
- Pour the ganache onto the middle of the cake, and slowly push it out towards the edge with a palette knife, so that only a little runs down the sides.
Serving
- Put the cake in the fridge for at least 1 hour, so the ganache sets and the layers settle.
- Cut the cake with a chef’s knife dipped in hot water, and wipe the knife between each cut so the cut surfaces look neat. Serve the cake cold.
Our notes for the recipe
Measure the basket before you start: the tin must sit flat with a little space all the way around, so the hot air can circulate. Do not open the air fryer during the first 20 minutes, or the sponge may collapse. The vanilla custard must be completely cold and firm before the cake is assembled, and the ganache should be lukewarm and thick but still pourable – if it is too hot, it will run off the cake. Make ahead:
The vanilla custard can be made the day before, and the sponge can be baked in advance and frozen without filling for up to 2 months. The assembled cake does not tolerate freezing, because the custard splits as it thaws. The 3 egg whites can be frozen and used for meringues another day. Variation:
Stir 1 tbsp rum or orange liqueur into the cold vanilla custard, or place a handful of raspberries on the custard before the top layer goes on. With milk chocolate the glaze becomes milder – use 100 g chocolate for the same amount of cream, so it still sets. Serving:
Serve the cake cold, straight from the fridge, preferably with fresh berries and a cup of coffee. It tastes best on the same day or the day after. Portion size:
The recipe makes 4 large slices, and the nutritional values are calculated per large slice. Cut the cake into 6-8 thin slices if it is served after a meal. If the basket is too small for an 18 cm tin, use a 16 cm tin instead – the cake will be taller and needs 3-5 minutes more. About the name:
Boston cream pie originated in Boston in the 1800s and is today the official state dessert of Massachusetts. Despite the name, it is a cake and not a pie.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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