Vanilla Slice

Ingredients

Pastry

• 2 sheetsready-rolled puff pastry
• a little flour, for the bench

Custard

• 800 mlwhole milk
• 200 mldouble cream
• 150 gcaster sugar
• 80 gcornflour
• 60 gcustard powder
• 4egg yolks
• 60 gbutter
• 2 teaspoonsvanilla bean paste

Passionfruit icing

• 250 gicing sugar
• pulp of 3 passionfruit
• 20 gbutter, melted
• a little hot water, if needed

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 200C with a shelf in the middle. Lay each pastry sheet on a lined baking tray. Prick them all over with a fork. Lay a second sheet of paper on top of each. Set another baking tray on top as a weight. Bake them for about twenty minutes.
2. Remove the top tray for the last five minutes. They should be deep golden and completely crisp. Let both sheets cool on a rack. Trim each one to fit your tin exactly. Line a square tin with baking paper. Leave the paper hanging over two sides as handles.
3. Set one pastry sheet in the base, cooked side down. Making the custard needs constant whisking. Whisk the cornflour and custard powder with a little of the milk. Work it into a smooth paste with no lumps. Whisk in the egg yolks as well. Put the rest of the milk, the cream and the sugar in a pan. Heat it until it is steaming but not boiling. Pour a ladleful of hot milk into the cornflour paste.
4. Whisk it in before adding any more. Set the pan over a medium heat. Whisk continuously and do not stop. Keep whisking hard as it does. Let it bubble for two full minutes once thick. It should be extremely thick, like a stiff paste.
5. Take it off the heat and beat in the butter and vanilla. Beat until it is glossy and smooth. Assembling it must be done while the custard is hot. Pour the hot custard straight onto the pastry base. Spread it level with a palette knife. Work fast because it sets as it cools. Lay the second pastry sheet on top.
6. Press it down very gently to level it. Do not press hard or the custard will squeeze out. Let it cool to room temperature. Six hours is the minimum and overnight is better. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the passionfruit pulp and the melted butter. Stir it into a thick spreadable icing.
7. Add a little hot water if it is too stiff. It should be thick enough to hold its shape. Spread the icing over the top pastry sheet. Take it right out to the edges. Let it set for thirty minutes in the refrigerator. Lift the whole slab out using the paper handles.
8. Cut it with a long sharp knife dipped in hot water. Press straight down rather than sawing. Cut it into nine generous squares. Serving it is done cold from the refrigerator.

Technique

• The Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph was held at Ouyen in Victoria from 1998 and later moved to other towns.
• It made the slice a serious competitive category for country bakeries across Australia.

Substitutions

• Custard powder can be replaced entirely with cornflour, though the colour will be paler.
• A plain icing sugar glaze is used where passionfruit is unavailable.

Variations

• Some bakeries dust the top with icing sugar instead of icing it.
• The New Zealand version is very similar and often uses a plain white icing.
• The French mille-feuille is a lighter relative with cream rather than set custard.

History

A country-bakery institution; Ouyen in Victoria ran a national Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph competition from 1998.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vanilla Slice?

Vanilla Slice is a bread & pastry from Australia: thick custard set between puff pastry sheets under passionfruit icing. A country-bakery institution; Ouyen in Victoria ran a national Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph competition from 1998.

How long does Vanilla Slice take to make?

Vanilla Slice takes 40 minutes plus overnight chilling of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 9 slices. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Vanilla Slice?

Yes, within limits. Custard powder can be replaced entirely with cornflour, though the colour will be paler. A plain icing sugar glaze is used where passionfruit is unavailable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Vanilla Slice?

Whisk it in before adding any more. Set the pan over a medium heat. Whisk continuously and do not stop. Keep whisking hard as it does. Let it bubble for two full minutes once thick. It should be extremely thick, like a stiff paste.