Fluffy Vanilla Slice
Also called vanilla slice, custard slice, custard square
Puff pastry around an egg custard lightened with whipped cream and set with gelatin, closer to a mousse than a traditional dense vanilla slice.
- Makes
- 9 squares
Ingredients
Pan sizes, times and temperatures in the method are not scaled.
Pastry
Custard filling
Passionfruit coconut icing (optional)
Method
Pastry
Heat the oven to 220°C (440°F) and line two trays with parchment. Dock each sheet of pastry all over with a fork. Bake 15 minutes, until golden and crisp on the base. Cool completely.
Line the base and sides of a 20 cm (8 inch) square tin with parchment, leaving an overhang to lift by. Trim each pastry sheet to fit the tin and set one in the bottom.
Custard
Custard base. Heat the milk (600 ml2½ cups) until almost boiling. Whisk the egg yolks (6) and sugar (250 g1¼ cups) together, then whisk in the cornstarch (28 g4 tbsp). Add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking constantly, then return everything to the saucepan. Stir over low to medium heat until thick and coating the back of a spoon. Stir in the vanilla bean paste (1 tbsp). Transfer to a bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface and cool completely.
Gelatin. Sprinkle the gelatin (2½ tbsp) over the water (125 ml½ cup) in a wide, shallow bowl and leave it until set and wrinkled. Microwave 20 seconds, until liquid. Cool 1 to 2 minutes, then stir it into the cooled custard. The two must be about the same temperature, or you get lumps.
Lighten. Whip the cream (500 ml2 cups) to thick peaks. Fold the custard into the whipped cream until fluffy and cohesive. Pour into the tin over the pastry base and smooth the top. Set the second pastry sheet on top and chill at least 2 hours.
Ice and slice
Icing, if using. Blend the powdered sugar (180 g1½ cups), coconut cream (2 tbsp) and unsalted butter (45 g3 tbsp) in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the passionfruit purée (2 tbsp) by hand; blending would grind up the seeds. Spread over the top pastry and sprinkle with the shredded coconut (50 g½ cup).
Chill overnight before slicing. Cut into 9 squares with a sharp serrated knife, which gets through the pastry without crushing the custard.
Notes
- Less or no sugar. Allulose can replace some or all of the sugar in the custard. It is about 70% as sweet as sugar, so if you use only allulose, use about 40% more: around 350 g in place of the 250 g of sugar.
- The older version. Cremșnit (Custard Slice) is the Habsburg-era original: puff pastry and a dense, pure custard with no cream.