Cream pies are chilled pies. The crust is baked and cooled first and can be either a flour-based pie crust or a graham cracker crumb crust. Chocolate, Banana, Coconut and Key Lime are the most popular kinds of cream-style pies. Boston Cream Pie is also popular, however, it’s actually a cake.
Boston Cream Pies have two sponge cake layers filled with the same type of custard-like mixture found in cream-style pies, but the cakes are covered in a chocolate glaze. Credit for invention of the Boston Cream Pie is given to a Chef named Sanzian who called it Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie. He worked at Boston's 1856 Parker House Hotel which later became the Omni Parker House Hotel. On 12 December, 1996, the Boston Cream Pie was officially declared as Massachusetts’s State Dessert.
Chocolate Cream Pies, as we know them today, are made by adding chocolate to the custard cream filling and placing the filling in a pie crust. Bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate is often used in the cream filling. The cream fillings in this desserts are actually prepared with milk, not cream, and are made richer with egg yolks added.
Banana is one of the most well-known cream-style pies. Some bakers like to add mashed banana to the melted butter and crushed graham crackers to form the crust. Very ripe bananas add extra flavor to the crust, but firmer bananas should be used inside the pie, so the slices aren't too mushy. The banana slices are placed in the bottom of the pie and the custard mixture is poured on top.
Coconut pie is a richly refreshing dessert. Flaked coconut is often added to the custard cream filling as well as toasted lightly to top the finished pie. Coconut could also be used in the graham cracker crust.
Key Lime Pie is another refreshing cream-style pie. Unlike other pies made with fresh milk, Key Lime Pie is often made with sweetened condensed milk. Either fresh or bottled key lime juice can be used for the pie. Meringue often tops a Key Lime Pie, but some people prefer whipped cream.