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.
Comments & Reviews
My husbands favourite and I am looking forward to baking it.
Valerie
In the recipe it does not say when to add the second lot of cornflour. Could you please add it into the method. Thank you
Monica
Hi Monica, you’ll need to slowly add it to the mixture after adding the first amount. Thanks!
Queen
So where in the recipe does it say to add the second amount of cornflour ? Thankyou,Jo.m
Jo
Hi Jo, you’ll need to slowly add it to the mixture after adding the first amount. Thanks!
Queen
Still don’t understand when the second amount of cornflour is added.
Celia
Hi Celia, you’ll need to slowly add it to the mixture after adding the first amount. Thanks!
Queen
When does the second lot of corn flour go in?
Shaun
Hi there, it will need to be added slowly to the bake. Thanks!
Queen
Made this for Xmas in Australia got excellent feedback they all want more
Shereen
This is EXACTLY the same as what we call Custard Slices here in Eng!and.Generally a very thick vanilla custard thickened with cream..I.personally prefer the Barvarian Slice which has some raspberry jam on the lower pastry piece & a few cubes of cold butter is added to the custard insfead of cream to make a glossy confectioners custard…sone fresh rasberries on the edges with the custard in tbe middle is wonderful.Its just decorated with a simple water icing and a few lines of milk chocolate feathered across with a knife if a nice touch..Both cakes remind me of children’s birthday parties in the 70′ s & the beautiful smell of my lovely mum baking 🙂 xx
Sophie
Hi had my first attempt at the Vanilla Slice… Found the custard very thick… Was I right to put 90g cornflour & 50g custard powder
Pam
Hi Pam, we’re so glad you gave it a go! This recipe is pretty tough to get right and takes a little bit of practise!
Eloise
Love it! Great recipe. I honestly didn’t think home made vanilla slice would taste the same as a bakery one but they were perfect. Making them again today 😇
Ash
So nice. Great recipe
Dion
My Dad asked for vanilla slice and now it is my signature dish
Shareen
Made this yesterday OMG it’s delicious. The custard is creamy and set perfectly. This is a keeper.
Carol
Ya
B
With the cornflour it’s got 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup are they both to be used
Patricia
Hi Patricia, they are indeed! Added in separate steps of the recipe.
Eloise
Yummy food love the recipe
Wendy
You seem to have great recipes. Thanks.
Raquel
I made this recipe, first time making vanilla slice. It worked perfectly! Tasty and easy recipe.
Great for lockdown treats!
Heidi
Yum
Maureen
Great tasting, however the custard did not firm up.
Jacqui
Hi Jacqui, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! The custard can take a few go’s to perfect, its a tough one!
Eloise
Great recipe my family loved it.💕
Janice
I love this recipe but I have the sugar for very sweet
Suzanne
It’s nice to see a classic that is easy to make
Audrey
The recipe looks great I am hoping to try it soon thank you for all the easy instructions
Christine
Thanks for the recipe. I made this using GF pastry … turned out really well! Here’s my question, though: why is custard powder needed? Couldn’t you leave it out and adjust the cornflour, milk and vanilla quantities?
Chris
Brilliant recipe. Had a bit of an issue on the first attempt though. I wanted to avoid any chance of the custard not setting by boiling it for a little longer than for one minute… and I ended up overcooking it and made it lumpy. Second attempt was absolutely perfect though, so five spoons from me 🙂
Peter
I have made this 3 times, the first time perfect, the second a disaster ( must have made a mistake) this time i was very careful but i just checked it and the custard seems runnier now than when i put it in the tin! Not sure if it is my custard powder or the cornflour or what issue is. Double checked every measurement by measure and weight.
Margaret
Hi Margaret, we’re glad to hear your first attempt went well! This recipe is a tricky one, it takes a bit of practice to get it right every time!
Eloise
Can I substitute the vanilla extract with a vanilla bean? Thanks.
Keimyr
Hello, do you use single or double cream
Caitlin
Hiya I want to make these but I seen the recipe is for 16 but I only want 8 so will it still be ok if I half the recipe?
Shauab
HI Shauab! Yes that will be ok! Happy Baking!
Maria
First time making a desert and this recipe turned out exactly… tasted just like a traditional vanilla slice my kids and I loved it thank you!!
Dan
I dont eat wheat so havent had custard slices for such a long time, found this recipe that seemed easy enough and made today, cut down recipe to a third and it has come out really well. Both dad and i throughly enjoyed it, worth the effort and easy to make and adapt to be gluten / wheat free. Would give it a 5 but for some reason it wont let me!
Tania
I followed your instructions to the letter after reading through the tips and they came out perfect thank you so much.
paula
It came out perfectly – I did not have the paste but used vanilla essence instead – delicious
Andrea
Is there a difference between vanilla slice and custard slice? Some have the very yellow custard while others have the almost baked cheesecake appearance?
Deborah
Hi Deborah – The colour of the custard tends to vary based on the brand of custard powder used.
Queen
This recipe is so much better than the last recipe I used. I made a variation to the icing by replacing milk with passion fruit syrup.
Jim
Made for the 1st time yesterday, perfect, followed recipe to the letter other than no vanilla paste so used extract for custard.
Elaine
Do you have to beat cream first
Jeanette
Hi Jeanette, no, the cream does not have to be whipped or beaten.
Queen
Can you use semi skimmed milk please
Kay
Hi Kay, This recipe works best with full cream milk. If semi-skim or skim milk is used it will not thicken as much. To compensate for this please add an additional 2 tsp of custard powder.
Queen
This recipe was excellent, the perfect vanilla slice. Very simple to make and could stand up to the finest pastries in a French bakery. I added a tbsp of lemon juice to my icing and added chocolate drizzled on top.
Monica
This recipe never fails me
use it all the time all the family love it !!
wendy
How long does this keep?
Janette
Hi Janette, This slice should keep up to 2-3 days. The puff pastry will start to soften on the 3rd day.
Queen
I read the comments before I made slice. I made sure I boiled the custard for more than a minute and that it was a thick almost too thick to stir custard, yet it was a sloppy slice, after leaving
in the fridge over night.
Leah
Hi Leah, oh no! We’re so sorry your slice didn’t set properly 🙁 Unfortunately this usually happens when the custard hasn’t been cooked long enough, although it’s strange that yours was almost too thick to stir. It should be incredibly thick and the cooking time will vary depending on the brand of cream you use – some contain starch or gelatine, or neither. It usually takes a good few minutes to get to the right consistency.
Queen Fine Foods
I tried your vinilla slice recipe and followed it precisely but the custard failed miserably. After overnight in refrigerator it was exactly the same as it came of the stove
Tom
Hi Tom, oh no – we’re so sorry to hear your slice didn’t set! This usually happens when the custard isn’t heated to a high enough temperature for long enough. It should get to a point on the stove where it’s almost too thick to stir. Hopefully you’ll give this recipe another go, but in the meantime enjoy your vanilla custard with some fresh fruit! – The Queen Team
Queen Fine Foods
Thank you very much for this recipe…First attempt turnout very good 5stars..
Ruth
Can you freeze them after baking?
Mary
Hi Mary Anne, unfortunately this recipe does not freeze well as the texture of the custard will split and change once thawed.
Queen Fine Foods
Nice recipes
Judy
What cream do you use please? x
Stacey
Hi Stacey, pure or thickened cream works perfectly for this recipe!
Queen Fine Foods
Even though I had to replaced the milk and cream with long life milk, the custard slices have now become our favourite recipe. We replaced the puff pastry with cream cracker biscuits which makes it easier to serve.
Elze
I did this exactly and custard is just runny everywhere this morning i don’t know what happened
Tiffany
Hi Tiffany, so sorry to hear your custard didn’t set! Sometimes this can happen if the mixture isn’t boiled for long enough (step 3). This can be a bit scary as you don’t want it to burn – the trick is to keep stirring! Hopefully you’ll give this recipe another try, and in the meantime enjoy your delicious vanilla custard with a slice of cake or some poached fruit 🙂 Happy baking – The Queen Team.
Queen Fine Foods