Here is another of my Grandmothers recipes that I adapted. It was a very well-used recipe card, to the point there were several stapled together, which I wished I asked her why not throw out the older ones instead of stapling them together, Hmm, but anyway. I never understood why this is called a pie, it's more of an unfinished cake, sort of on-trend right now. I see all, that I consider unfinished, who knows. My Grandmother did say it was a favorite of my Dad and his brothers.
Ingredients
Cake
2 cups of unbleached flour
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup of raw sugar
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of Almond extract
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Filling
1 cup half & half - room temp
1/2 cup of raw sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons of corn starch
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of Vanilla extract
pinch on salt
Icing/Glaze
4 ounces of dark unsweetened chocolate
2 cups of powder sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup of warm Bourbon
1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
Flaky sea salt - Garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Grease, flour, and parchment paper line to 9-inch cake pans.
In the stand mixer cream together the sugar and butter until smooth.
Place dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together, set aside.
Next, add the egg and extracts to the creamed butter and mix well.
Alternating, add the flour and the buttermilk in two portions to the butter mixture.
Divide the mixture between the 2 cake pans and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, transfer to cooling rake. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto the rack and remove the parchment paper.
Filling
While cakes are cooling, whisk eggs, corn starch, and sugar together in the top of a double boiler and set them aside.
In a small saucepan warm the half and half: warm to just below a simmer. Add the butter and the vanilla to the half and half and whisk until butter is melted and well combined.
Place the bottom of the double boiler of medium heat and until the water is just about to simmer, place the bowl with the sugar mixture on top and slowly whisk in the half and half mixture. Keep whisking until the sauce, filling become very thick, just above pudding. You want to be thick enough that when added to the cake but do not want it to pour out over the sides. Remove heat and set aside.
At this point I let the filling cool some, so it will be easier to handle and make the icing/glaze last after I have assembled the cake.
Place one cake, bottom side up, on a cake plate or stand, spoon the filling over the cake, and spread within in a 1/4 to 1/8 of an inch from the side. Place the second cake on top, bottom side down and press slightly until filling comes to the edge. Use a knife to remove any of the fillings that ooze down the sides.
Icing/Glaze
Over the same double place a new bowl with the chocolate and melt until smooth, next add the butter, whisking until smooth, followed by the vanilla extract. Remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar, alternating with the Bourbon. Add more bourbon if the icing/glaze is too thick.
Pour icing/glaze over the cake: pour from the center of the cake and let it spread over the top and drip down the sides. You do not want the icing/glazes to tin that it just runs off the cake. Once iced/glazes garnish with Flake Sea salt, this is optional.