Bavarian Cream Vs Boston Cream: What's The Difference?

At first glance, Bavarian cream and Boston cream look similar. Both are creamy, thick, lightly sweetened, and super yummy additions to an assortment of pastries. The main differences lie in their ingredients and how they maintain their consistency. Bavarian features gelatin to help it retain its structure. The gelatin produces a smoother texture that melts in the mouth. On the other hand, Boston cream does not use gelatin. Instead, it relies on cornstarch. The cornstarch thickens and binds the Boston cream without adding air for a lush, pudding-like spoonful.

Another huge difference is that Bavarian cream has whipped heavy cream folded into the custardy mixture after it cooks and cools, forming an airy, rich concoction. Boston cream does not have any whipped cream mixed in; instead, once it's cooled, no additional ingredients are folded in that would alter the texture. The result is a glossy, thick, and smooth custard cream.

Traditionally, Bavarian cream is a sweet vanilla pastry cream. It's pale in color, close to off-white. It has a custard base of eggs, vanilla extract, heavy cream, sugar, gelatin, and butter. These ingredients are gently heated until the eggs temper. After it cooks and that mixture cools down, you make a batch of whipped cream to fold into the cooled vanilla custard before letting it chill in the fridge again.

Bavarian cream is often a dessert all on its own and is simply topped with fruit. Think of the silky sweet cream with fresh strawberries and raspberries for a tart, fruity freshness. Or, try chopping up some whole baked cinnamon-cardamom baked apples on top for a creamy, fragrant duo with comforting flavors. 

This custard is also often piped into cream puffs, where the delicate, light pastry encases the dreamy concoction. It's also found in particular donuts, like the Bismark donut, where the yeasty round dough houses the lovely, light cream.

Most often, people recognize Boston cream for being in a Boston cream pie, which (to many's surprise) is actually not a pie. Technically, it's a Boston cream pie cake that features two layers of vanilla cake sandwiched between a thick, custardy pastry cream. These layers are topped with a chocolate ganache-like frosting, creating a crescendo of complementary flavors and textures. Just like Bavarian cream, it's not uncommon to find Boston cream nestled inside a donut. Usually, it's a yeast donut packed with Boston cream and topped with a chocolate glaze, mimicking the flavors of the cake.

To make Boston cream, you need egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and whole milk or half and half. Once you heat the dairy, you slowly add the sugar and eggs to temper, then toss in the cold butter to form a custard before letting it chill in the fridge. Texturally speaking, it's similar to a dense pudding.