bake
Classic Vanilla Slice
recipe by
claire wood // carÈme pastry
A classic vanilla slice, is there anything better? Light, crunchy puff pastry custard slices are the perfect dessert, morning or afternoon tea or party treat. Add this classic sweet to your baking repertoire and you’ll find yourself wanting to make them over and over again! For perfect pastry layers we used a perforated puff pastry baking tray, these can be purchased online from Meilleur du Chef.
Ingredients
- 2 x 375g Pack Carême Butter Puff Pastry, defrosted
- 1/3 cup custard powder
- 90g corn flour
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 3 cups milk
- 1 cup thickened cream
- 50g butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large egg yolks
Icing
- 1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp milk
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced (220°C non-fan). Line a baking tray with baking paper. Trim each sheet of puff pastry to the size of a square 24cmx24cm baking tin. Place each sheet of puff pastry on a baking tray, lay another sheet of baking paper on top, followed by a second baking tray*. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 180°C fan-forced (200°C non-fan) and bake for a further 10 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Set pastry aside to cool completely.
- Line a square 24cm high sided tin with baking paper and aluminium foil ensuring the lining extends up over the sides of the tin so you can use it as a handle to remove the vanilla slice once set. Place one piece of baked pastry in the base of the tin and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan (off the heat) combine custard powder, cornflour and sugar and whisk until well combined. While whisking add half the milk and whisk until smooth, then add remaining milk and all the cream and whisk until well combined. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the mixture is very thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Turn the heat down to low, add the butter and vanilla extract and whisk until butter has melted. Remove from heat, add egg yolks and whisk again until well combined. Working quickly pour custard mixture into the prepared tin on top of the pastry and level with an offset spatula or spoon. Place the second piece of pastry on top and then set aside to cool at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator to set overnight.
- To make the icing combine the icing sugar and milk in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour on top of the vanilla slice and set aside to set completely. When ready to serve, remove the slice from the tin using the lining as a handle and slice into 10 pieces.
