Best Vegan Boston Cream Pie

This Boston Cream Pie recipe is one of the best I've ever had, and has become the traditional "birthday cake" in my family. Not only is it delicious, but it is pretty simple to make. And, to top it all off, it's vegan! The filling is made using cashew cream and silken tofu. But don't worry, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference from the classic dairy version! Even my grandmother, who can "taste the tofu" in dishes that don't even have tofu in it, loves this cake, so don't be afraid to give it a try!

Step 1: Gather the Ingredients That You Will Need

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups pastry flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup melted Earth Balance, or other vegetable oil spread
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbsp. finely ground flax
• 3 tbsp. water
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup cashews, raw
• 1 3/4 cup water, cold
• 6 oz. Silken tofu
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. melted Earth Balance, or other vegetable oil spread
• 2 tsp. vanilla

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 oz. solid baking chocolate, unsweetened (make sure it is vegan, if you so desire)
• 2 tbsp. melted Earth Balance, or other vegetable oil spread
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Also, if you would like, some raspberries to garnish the cake.

Step 2: Equipment That You Will Need

To make this recipe, you will need the following equipment:

• 2 9-inch round cake pans, lined with parchment and lightly sprayed with cooking spray. This step is very important, as if you line the cake pans, the cakes will fall right out. If not, they will stick to the pans and be very hard to get out in one piece.
• High-speed blender - this is used for making the cashew cream, where the cashews must be completely ground to make the cream smooth. If you don't have a high-speed blender, you could try soaking the cashews, and then putting the filling through a strainer before you cook it. But of course, a high-speed blender would be best.
• Large serving plate to put cake on.

Step 3: Before You Begin

Here are the steps you should do before starting your recipe:

• If you have a low-power blender, you might want to soak the cashews for as long as possible (overnight) before you start making the cream so that they will blend easier
• Mix the 1 tbsp. of ground flax seed with the 3 tbsp. of water from the cake ingredient section and set aside to thicken. This will be used as a binder to replace the egg. If you have another form of egg replacer you would rather use, that is fine, just use enough for 1 egg.
• Mix the 3/4 cup of milk with the 1/2 tsp. of lemon juice from the cake ingredient section and set aside to curdle.

Step 4: Time to Start! - Begin Making the Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray and line with parchment paper 2 9-inch round cake pans.

Step 5: Mix Ingredients of Cake

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mix together melted Earth Balance, sugar, vanilla, flaxseed and water combination, and soy milk and lemon juice combination. Mix wet cake ingredients into the dry cake ingredients and beat for 2 minutes.

Step 6: Bake the Cake

Pour batter evenly between 2 prepared cake pans and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Move cakes to cooling rack, or other plate, to allow to cool down.

Step 7: Start the Filling

In a high-speed blender, mix the cashews (possibly pre-soaked), water, tofu, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth.

Step 8: Finish Up the Filling

Pour the filling mixture from the blender into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture is very thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in melted Earth Balance and vanilla. Allow to cool, stirring occasionally. When mixture reaches room temperature, cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.

Step 9: Start the Glaze

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water in a small mixing bowl. Set aside. Next, melt the baking chocolate with the melted Earth Balance in a small sauce pan over low heat.

Step 10: Combine Glaze Ingredients

Add the sugar/water mixture from step 11 to the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. After it comes to a boil, remove the saucepan from heat and mix in the vanilla.

Step 11: Time to Assemble the Cake!

Place bottom layer of cake on serving plate and spread with chilled filling. Top this off with second cake layer. Spread glaze over top layer, allowing glaze to drip over the sides, if desired. Finally, garnish with raspberries, or any other additional you would like. If you want to get really fancy, lightly brush the tops of the raspberries with raspberry jelly to give the berries a shiny look. Refrigerate until served (also tastes best chilled).