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Vanilla slice
Makes: 10
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Vanilla slice
A tea-time treat of velvety custard sandwiched in crisp, flaky pastry. For the traditional bakery look, top with glacé icing and a chocolate drizzle
Makes: 10
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time:
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
527Kcal
Fat
32gr
Saturates
18gr
Carbs
52gr
Sugars
24gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
7gr
Salt
0.6gr
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
Ingredients
- 2 x 320g sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
- icing sugar to dust
- 700ml whole milk
- 300ml double cream
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- 4 medium egg yolks
- 175g caster sugar
- 100g cornflour
- 40g custard powder
Step by step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Unroll one sheet of pastry and lay it on a baking tray, keeping the paper underneath. Dust with a little icing sugar using a small sieve or tea strainer, then cover with another sheet of baking paper. Place another baking tray on top and then weight this down with two loaf tins filled with baking beans – this method controls the rise of the pastry and ensures it will be really crisp. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the top tray and leave to cool. Repeat with the other sheet of pastry. Leave to cool completely.
- Remove the base from a 23cm loose-bottomed square tin and use to measure and cut out two evenly sized squares from the pastry sheets. Cut one slice into 10 rectangles, by slicing in half horizontally and then into 5 vertically. Put the base back in the tin and line with a sheet of baking paper, leaving the edges overhanging so the slices are easy to remove. Carefully place the whole square of pastry in the base of the tin.
- For the custard, put the whole milk and cream in a pan with the vanilla pod and scraped-out seeds. Heat gently until steaming, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, then slowly whisk in the cornflour and custard powder, using a splash of the infused milk to create a smooth paste. Reheat the infused milk mixture until it starts to steam, then slowly pour this over the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Wipe out the milk pan and return the custard to the pan, removing the vanilla pod.
- Cook the custard over a low heat, stirring continuously, until it has thickened. Remove from the heat and spoon the custard into the tin, smoothing until you have a level surface. Top with the pre-cut pastry slices while the custard is still warm so that they adhere to the surface. Chill for 3-4 hours, until fully set.
- When ready to serve, carefully remove the whole slice from the tin. Leave to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes, dust with icing sugar, then cut into portions. Best eaten on the same day, but the slices will keep in the fridge for up to two days.