Vanilla Slice

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 30 – 35 minutes + cooling time
  • Servings: Makes 12 pieces
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Ingredients

  • 2 sheets butter puff pastry, thawed
  • 1½ cups (375ml) milk
  • 1½ cups (375ml) cream
  • 60g unsalted butter, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
  • ½ cup (75g) cornflour
  • ½ cup (125ml) water
  • 6 egg yolks
  • icing sugar, sieved, for dusting (as alternative to icing)

 

Passion Fruit Icing (optional)

  • 1 ½ cups (240g) icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon softened butter
  • ¼ cup (60ml) passionfruit pulp

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
  2. Place the pastry sheets on baking-paper lined baking trays. Cover each with another sheet of baking paper and another baking tray to weight them down and prevent the pastry rising. Bake for 20–30 minutes or until deep golden. Remove from oven, take off top trays and paper and cool. Measure the top and bottom of a 20-22 cm square baking tin. (Sometimes the top is wider than the bottom.) Using a very sharp or serrated knife, trim the pastry sheets to squares to fit the top and bottom of your tin. Set aside.
  3. Heat milk, cream, butter, vanilla and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until only just boiling. Remove from the heat. Combine the cornflour and water and whisk into the hot milk mixture. Then add egg yolks one at a time, whisking continually. (The cornflour and the whisking help prevent curdling.) Return to the heat, whisking continually, and bring to the boil. This takes several minutes. Cook, whisking, for 1 minute or until thick. Test by drawing your finger over the back of a spoon which has been dipped in the custard. Pour into a heatproof bowl, press plastic wrap down over the surface to prevent a skin forming and cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  4. Line lightly greased 20-22cm-square cake tin lined with baking paper, ensuring it hangs over the sides so it is easy to lift the slice out. Top with the cooled custard and the remaining pastry sheet and press down gently. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours to set. Lift out of tin. Either dust with icing sugar or top with icing. Cut with a sharp knife into 12 pieces.
  5. For the icing: Place sugar, butter and pulp in small heatproof bowl over small saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl does not touch the water); stir for about 1 minute, or until icing is spreadable. Spread on cold slice and refrigerate 20 minutes or until set.

Notes

Lyndey’s Note: Most puff pastry comes in 24-25cm squares which then shrink a little with the baking. Depending on the size of your tin, you will need to trim some off the sides to fit. The offcuts are lovely dredged with icing sugar to enjoy with a cup of coffee.

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