Ingredients
Slice
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2 sheets frozen puff pastry
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1 cup (220g) caster sugar
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90g corn flour
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1/3 cup (50g) custard powder
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3 cups (750ml) milk
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1 cup (250ml) pure or thickened cream (see note)
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60g butter
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2 tsp Queen Concentrated Vanilla Extract
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4 large egg yolks
Icing
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1 ½ cups (225g) pure icing sugar, sifted
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2 tbsp (40ml) milk
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1/2 tsp Queen Concentrated Vanilla Extract
Method - Vanilla Slice
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1
Preheat oven to 180°C (fan forced) and defrost puff pastry sheets. Line two baking trays with baking paper and lay the pastry sheets on top. Place another baking tray on top of your pastry sheet to prevent pastry rising too much during baking. Bake in oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
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2
Line a 23cm square tin with aluminium foil, extending it over the sides so you can use it as handles to remove the slice when cool. Place one sheet of pastry in base of tin, top side down.
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3
Combine sugar, corn flour and custard powder in a saucepan. Gradually add half the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the rest of the milk, and cream and stir over medium heat until mixture starts to boil and thicken. Allow to boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, add butter and Queen Natural Concentrated Vanilla Extract and whisk until butter is melted. When the mixture is smooth, remove pan from heat, then whisk in egg yolks until combined.
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4
Spread vanilla custard over pastry inside the tin, then place the second pastry sheet on top and allow to cool. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Method - Vanilla Icing
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1
Combine icing sugar, Vanilla Extract and milk, mixing until smooth the spread over the top of pastry.
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2
Cut Vanilla Slice into 16 portions and serve.
Tips:
Ensuring your vanilla slice sets properly
To ensure your vanilla slice sets properly, be sure to boil the custard for at least a minute, stirring constantly. Set in the fridge for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight) before slicing.
Find it hard to cut your vanilla slice?
- A perfect cut starts with perfectly set custard. If the custard isn’t set well, it’s going to make it harder to cut. To make the custard a little easier to set, this recipe suggests using 4 large egg yolks instead of three which will really help with the custard setting without compromising the texture. Then of course make sure the slice has enough time to set.
- Then when it comes time for the all-important cutting, here’s an expert tip… The key to cutting it without squishing the custard is to use a serrated knife (like a bread knife), first to gently cut back and forth through the icing and top layer of puff pastry, then switch to a sharp chef knife to cut through the custard and base pastry layer.
More tips:
We ran an Australia competition asking our Queen Bakers to submit their top tips for perfecting the vanilla slice. Check out the full round up here!
*Some thickened creams contain gelatine, look for one that has thickeners instead.
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