Today I'm sharing a moist, beautiful, and delicious Boston Cream Pie from cake mix!

Two Layer Boston Cream Pie Cake (doctored cake mix)

I just love the look of a Boston Cream Pie, with it's moist cake layers filled with cream and topped with decadent ganache.

We have a great scratch version of Boston Cream Pie, and are happy to now include a simpler doctored cake mix version as well!

Not only are the cake layers delicious, but the vanilla cream filling is a much faster option than the usual homemade pastry cream.

How to Make Boston Cream Pie from Cake Mix

We have all of the details in our printable recipe card further down in this post- but here is a quick rundown of our steps!

You can use any favorite yellow or vanilla doctored cake mix recipe for this cake.

For the Cake Layers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, grease and flour two 8x2 or 9x2 inch round pans. We like to add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom of each pan as well.

Add the cake mix, sugar, and flour to the bowl of your mixer. Whisk to blend.

Dry cake ingredients in a silver mixing bowl

Add the remaining five ingredients to the mixing bowl (vanilla extract, milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and sour cream.)

With an electric mixer set to low speed, mix for 30 seconds to combine. (Use a paddle attachment if using a stand mixer.)

Increase speed to medium and mix for two minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans. For 8 inch pans, bake 25-30 minutes. For 9 inch pans, 23-28 minutes. Baking times may vary.

The cake layers are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for five minutes before turning out.

Vanilla Cream Filling

Our scratch Boston Cream Pie recipe calls for vanilla pastry cream filling.

This vanilla cream filling made from heavy cream and vanilla pudding can be whipped up and ready in minutes! If you've never tried it, you must. It is delicious!

(We've used variations of this recipe in many of our cakes, changing up the pudding flavor based on the type of cake. So many great options!)

Bowl of Vanilla Cream Filling & Hand Mixer

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

This decadent chocolate glaze is a simple ganache made from chocolate and heavy cream. It can be prepared in the microwave!

To prepare it, simply combine the dark or semi-sweet chocolate and cream in a microwave safe bowl, and heat it for 30 seconds. Give it a stir, and heat for 30 seconds more (adjust to a shorter time if much of the chocolate has melted).

Once the chocolate has almost completely melted, remove from the microwave and stir until smooth.

The ganache with thicken as it cools. Cool to desired consistency for spreading over the cooled, assembled cake.

*We used Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips for today's cake. If using a bar of chocolate, you can grate it or break it into smaller pieces for easier melting.

Putting it all Together

After the cake layers have completely cooled, place the first layer on a cake plate or pedestal. Spread with a layer of vanilla cream and top with the second cake layer.

Fill in any gaps between the cake layers with more vanilla cream (you can do this with a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away, and smooth away the excess with a spatula.

Top with thickened (but still soft) ganache and use a spoon or spatula to guide the chocolate ganache over the top and slightly down the sides of the cake.

If you notice that your ganache is running too quickly down the side of the cake, just allow it to cool a bit longer before continuing to apply it.

You can also chill the cake to slow down the flow of the ganache. As you can see, my drips have a mind of their own, but I love the look!

Boston Cream Pie resting on a white pedestal

More Doctored Cake Mix Recipes!

If you're looking for even more cake mix recipes, we have many!

I'll link to a few more below, but you can find our full collection here: Favorite Box Cake Mix Recipes!

Cinnamon Roll Layer Cake- Cake Mix

Italian Cream Bundt Cake Recipe- Cake Mix

Mocha Cake from Cake Mix

Carrot Cake- Doctored Cake Mix

Enjoy the Recipe

We hope that you enjoy this doctored cake mix Boston Cream Pie! It really is SO good.

If you give it a try, make sure to leave a comment and photo below. We would love to hear from you!

Make sure to check out our full collection of favorite Cake Recipes and free Cake Tutorials!

Yield: 15 servings

Boston Cream Pie (Doctored Cake Mix)

This moist Boston Cream Pie starts with a cake mix! It is such an easy, delicious recipe and is so beautiful too. Perfect for birthdays and other celebrations!

Prep Time 28 minutes 23 seconds

Cook Time 28 minutes 23 seconds

Total Time 56 minutes 46 seconds

Ingredients

1 box White Cake Mix or Yellow Mix (15.25 oz) -(Our photo was using Duncan Hines Yellow)
½ Cup (100g) Sugar
½ cup (61g) All Purpose Flour (Plain in the UK)
1 Cup Sour Cream (227g)
½ cup (121g) Milk
½ cup (108g) Vegetable Oil - we used canola oil
3 Large Eggs
2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract (see notes)

For the Vanilla Cream Filling

One small box instant vanilla pudding (3.9 oz)- I like to sift the pudding mix.
Two cups heavy cream or whipping cream

For the Chocolate Glaze

6 oz semisweet or dark chocolate (this is 1 cup or 171g) We used Ghirardelli chocolate chips
6 oz heavy cream (this is ¾ cup or 171g)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, grease and flour two 8x2 or 9x2 inch round pans. We like to add a circle of parchment paper to the bottom of each pan as well.
Add the cake mix, sugar, and flour to the bowl of your mixer. Whisk to blend.
Add the remaining 5 ingredients to the mixing bowl.
Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. (Use a paddle attachment if using a stand mixer.)
Increase speed to medium and mix for two minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans. For 8 inch pans, bake 25-30 minutes. For 9 inch pans, 23-28 minutes. Baking times may vary.
The cake layers are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.

For the Vanilla Cream Filling

Combine the sifted pudding mix and heavy cream in a mixing bowl. I prefer to mix with a handheld mixer, but a whisk is fine too. If using a mixer, start on low speed until well combined.
Then, switch to medium-high speed and whip the pudding until thick and fluffy. If mousse is too thick, mix in a bit more heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency.

For the Chocolate Glaze

Place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl.
Pour heavy cream over the chocolate and place in the microwave for 30 seconds. (times may vary)
Remove and stir. Microwave for 30 seconds more and when the chocolate has melted almost completely, allow it to sit for 1 minute more before stirring. Stir until you've reached a silky smooth consistency.
* If your chocolate hasn't melted after the 1 minute recommended in the instructions, microwave in small 10-15 second increments until it has nearly but not completely melted. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth.
The ganache will cool thicken as it cools. Cool for about 15 minutes or until the ganache has thickened to the desired consistency. It should not be hot when applying to the cake. You can speed up the cooling process by pouring it into an elongated glass casserole dish.
If the ganache becomes too thick to work with, just microwave for a few seconds at a time until it returns to desired consistency.

Assembling the Boston Cream Pie

After the cake layers have completely cooled, place the first layer on a cake plate or pedestal.
Spread with a layer of vanilla cream and top with the second cake layer.
Fill in any gaps between the cake layers with more vanilla cream (you can do this with a disposable piping bag with the tip snipped away, and smooth away the excess with a spatula.
Top with thickened (but still soft) ganache and use a spoon or spatula to guide the chocolate ganache over the top and slightly down the sides of the cake.

Notes

Do not use the instructions on the back of the box. Just the ingredients and amounts listed in our recipe.

The recipe also works well for cupcakes. Makes 24-26 standard size cupcakes. Bake cupcakes at 350 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes.

You can use Yellow Cake Mix or White Cake Mix. White Cake Mixes will have more of a vanilla flavor and lighter color- but not a true "white" cake as this recipe calls for whole eggs rather than egg whites.