This Gluten-Free Vegan Boston Cream Pie is:
- rich and creamy
- perfectly chocolatey
- just as delicious as the traditional version!
Contrary to what the title may suggest, Boston Cream Pie is actually a sponge cake, and I was inspired to make this gluten-free and vegan version because I used to really love Boston cream pie donuts.
The combination of the creamy custard with velvety chocolate ganache is absolutely heavenly, and I was keen to recreate this in a dietary requirement-friendly sweet treat.
For the cake, I used my go-to sponge recipe: it comes together in one bowl, uses familiar ingredients and is vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free. It’s moist and fluffy, and makes the perfect base for a layer cake like this Boston Cream Pie.
For the custard filling, I used unsweetened cashew milk, which I love because it’s so naturally sweet and creamy, and a shop-bought custard powder.
You’ll be surprised that a lot of custard powders are actually naturally vegan and gluten-free, so be sure to look out for that if you have any dietary requirements. If you can’t get hold of cashew milk, unsweetened almond milk would also work.
I use this 
custard powder which I love because it’s vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free and contains just 4 simple ingredients!
And now for my favourite part of this Gluten-Free Vegan Boston Cream Pie – the chocolate ganache topping! My version here is so easy to make as all you need to do is melt some dark chocolate and mix in any type of milk.
This creates a seriously indulgent, melt-in-your-mouth silky ganache that stays pleasantly soft even after having been refrigerated, as opposed to just using melted chocolate, which will harden completely when refrigerated, making the cake impossible to cut.
If you’d like to keep the cake completely refined sugar free, you could buy a refined sugar free dark chocolate, or use my coconut oil-based chocolate sauce recipe here.
I hope you’ll love this Gluten-Free Vegan Boston Cream Pie! For more cakes, check out my:
- Coconut Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Cherry Bakewell Cake
- Purple Carrot Cake
- Victoria Sponge Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- German Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle Cake
- Brooklyn Blackout Chocolate Cake
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Helpful tools to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Boston Cream Pie:
glass mixing bowl
measuring jug
18 cm / 7 inch sandwich baking tin
baking paper
cooling rack
Gluten-Free Vegan Boston Cream Pie
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds* (almond meal)
- 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking power (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For the custard:
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cup) unsweetened cashew milk (or sub any other milk)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup to taste (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons custard powder (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary - the amount you need may vary depending on the brand)
For the chocolate ganache*:
- 40 g (1.5oz) dark chocolate* (ensure vegan if necessary)
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
- Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and ground almonds
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
- Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
- Transfer mixture between two greased baking tins lined with baking paper (I used two 7inch/18cm springform baking tins)
- Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean
- Once done, turn the cakes out onto wire racks and leave to cool completely before applying the custard
For the custard:
- Heat up the milk in a saucepan with the maple syrup and vanilla
- Dissolve the custard powder in a separate bowl in a little extra milk
- Once the milk in the saucepan is steaming, add a little of the hot milk to the bowl with the dissolved custard powder, mix well and transfer the custard powder mixture to the saucepan
- Mix well and keep stirring on a low heat for a few minutes until thickened. If it's looking too thick, add a little extra milk, and if it's looking too thin then add some more custard powder as required - in general, it's better for the custard to be too thick than too thin
- Leave the custard to cool for around 30 minutes before applying to the cake - it doesn’t have to be completely cooled but it should have firmed up a little
For the chocolate ganache:
- Melt the chocolate either over a bain-marie or in the microwave, add the milk and mix well
To assemble:
- Place one half of the sponge on a cake stand or plate, and spread the custard evenly on top of it
- Place the other half of the sponge on top of the custard
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and spread evenly
- I’d recommend keeping the cake in the fridge for a few hours until the chocolate ganache has set before cutting to avoid making too much of a mess
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days
Notes
almond flour **If you'd like to keep the cake completely refined sugar free, you could buy a refined sugar free dark chocolate, or use my coconut oil-based chocolate sauce recipe here. Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of the products, a small percentage will come to me, with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Amanda
I tried using dark Enjoy Life allergy friendly chocolate chips for the ganache, but the melted chocolate turned hard as soon as I added the milk! What did I do wrong?
Rhian Williams
Hi – sorry to hear that. To prevent that happening agin, you can either gently melt the chocolate again, add the milk at the beginning before melting the chocolate or add lukewarm milk that’s been gently heated. I hope that helps!
Lisa Loney
Hi Rhian! I’ve had this recipe saved on my computer after searching for a vegan Boston Creme Pie. I finally made it this past weekend and I’m mad at myself for not making it sooner! I love the ingredients. I have a lot of food sensitivities so its rare to eat a cake and not feel miserable afterward. Thank you! I followed your instructions and it turned out perfectly. Thanks also for introducing the vegan custard. That combined with the ganach make this cake irresistible. This is going to be a staple in my household from now on. Looking forward to trying your other cake recipes as well!
Lisa Loney
Hi Rhian! I’ve had this recipe saved on my computer for a while since I searched for vegan Boston Cream Pie. I’ve finally made it this weekend and am mad at myself for not making it sooner! I love all the ingredients. I have a lot of food insensitivities and usually feel miserable after eating cake. I feel great after eating this one so thank you! Thanks also for introducing the vegan custard powder. That coupled with the ganache make this cake irresistible. I can’t wait to try your other cake recipies!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you liked it!
Annie
Hi Rhian! Wondering if it’s ok to omit the almond meal or if you have a recommended alternative. Making this for my bf’s bday and he’s sensitive to nuts. Thanks!
Rhian Williams
Hi – instead of the almond meal you could use ground sunflower seeds. They can’t be omitted unfortunately!
Annie
Hmm, ok, thanks! He’d rather not have seeds either. What’s the purpose of this ingredient? Maybe I can figure something else out?
Rhian Williams
The purpose is for texture – using just flour doesn’t work for this recipe unfortunately! The almonds can be replaced with a fifth of the amount coconut flour if that works!