BOSTON — The birthplace of the Boston cream pie does not accept any substitutes.
You can pick up a Boston cream pie from pretty much any grocery store in Massachusetts. But if you want the real thing, you need to go to the place where it was invented — the Omni Parker House in Boston.
“I say that all the time. You haven’t had it until you’ve had ours,” says Parker House pastry chef Sheri Weisenberger.
That’s because the Parker House pastry kitchen still uses the original recipe from when it was invented 170 years ago.
The original Boston cream pie
A Parker House Boston cream pie is remarkably light in texture, subtle in flavor and unique in presentation.
But more than anything, it’s like a time warp for your mouth.
You can tell that this is a recipe from the 1800s by how little sugar is used. The sweetness from the cake is nothing like any modern cake you’ll try.
Instead, most of the flavor comes from the light, delicate pastry cream and the bittersweet buzz of chocolate on top.
Visually, the most striking feature is the layer of toasted almonds on the outside of the cake. You’ll also notice the Parker House’s signature white chocolate “spider web” pattern in the ganache.
Then there’s the Boston cream pie’s most illogical trait: its name.
A Boston cream pie, as its made at the Omni Parker House, where the pie was invented in 1856.(Nick O’Malley/MassLive)The Boston cream pie is not a pie
Let’s get one thing out of the way: a Boston cream pie is actually a cake.
It’s called a pie for a couple of reasons. First, because it’s baked in pie tins. Second, the concept dates back to before people made a distinction between the two.
Parker House historian Susan Wilson says that, in the 19th century, the terms “cake” and “pie” were used interchangeably because most cakes at the time were made in pie tins.
A look around the Omni Parker House in Boston, which recently underwent a “complete rebirth,” upgrading its amenities and updating its decor.(Nick O’Malley/MassLive)The hottest dessert of 1856
Boston’s most famous pie-that’s-really-a-cake was invented by Parker House pastry chef Augustin Anezin in 1856 — just a year after the hotel opened.
Anezin’s original concept remains the foundation of the pie we know today: two layers of vanilla cake filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate ganache.
Today, it may not seem like anything special. But in the 1800s, the idea of putting chocolate on top of a cake was revolutionary.
Fast-forward 170 years, the Boston cream pie is an institution when it comes to desserts in Massachusetts. In 1996, it was named the official state dessert.
But it took some time to get there. According to Wilson, Anezin’s sweet invention was simply called “cream pie” on menus. Later, it was called the “Parker House chocolate cream pie.”
In fact, the term “Boston cream pie” wasn’t coined until the 1950s. That’s when companies like Pillsbury started pushing the recipe and selling box mixes to use at home.
Parker House pastry chef Sheri Weisenberger. A look inside the kitchen at the Omni Parker House, where Boston cream pies and Parker House rolls are made.(Nick O’Malley/MassLive)The ‘real’ Boston cream pie
Executive chef Gerry Tice says the hotel’s pastry kitchen uses the same “core” recipe that Anezin developed 170 years ago.
The cake, pastry cream and ganache are the exact same as what you’d get in the 19th century.
However, in his 25 years running the kitchen at the Parker House, Tice has tweaked the presentation in two ways to modernize the Boston cream pie.
First, the dessert is coated with toasted almonds on the outside, which adhere to a thinned-out layer of pastry cream spread on the outside of the cake layers.
Second, the Parker House uses a light drizzle of white chocolate to make a “spider web” pattern atop the ganache. This is accomplished by making a swirl pattern and then cutting across it with a skewer.
Omni Parker House executive chef Gerry Tice.(Nick O’Malley/MassLive)Accept no ‘imposters’
The chefs at the Parker House are tasked with an important task: protecting the legacy of one of the area’s most iconic desserts.
As a pastry chef, Weisenberger is tasked with maintaining the high standards of the original Boston cream pie. Sometimes, that extends outside the Parker House.
“When I go out and somebody’s eating it, I definitely am probably the harshest critic on all of it, no doubt about it,” Weisenberger says with a laugh. “I’ve never seen one that looks like ours in my travels. Nobody puts the nuts on the side.”
Tice has been at the Parker House for a quarter of a century and says it’s an “honor” to be the hotel’s executive chef.
He’s an expert at pointing out the differences between a common Boston cream pie and the Parker House version.
First, there’s the presentation, which he developed. Tice also notes that the version you see at grocery stores tend to have chocolate dripping off the sides. Finally, copycat versions tend to be a lot sweeter.
“There’s a lot of impostors out there that try to make the Boston cream pie. But we are the original,” Tice says.
A look at the Tremont Street entrance of the Omni Parker House in Boston, which recently underwent a “complete rebirth,” upgrading its amenities and updating its decor.(Nick O’Malley/MassLive)How to get a Boston cream pie today
It’s pretty easy to get your hands on the original Boston cream pie via the Parker House.
The quickest and easiest way is to go to the Last Hurrah bar or Parker’s Restaurant, both on the first floor of the hotel. They have personal-sized Boston cream pies on the dessert menu for $12.
The Parker House also makes 8-inch versions that feed 10-12 people. You can also order those online and have it shipped to you via Goldbelly — for just under $100.
Dining and Cooking