Vanilla slice is a classic bakery treat that has a huge following – there’s even a Facebook group dedicated to finding and sharing the best vanilla slices in Australia. But if a road trip to taste test vanilla slices isn’t on the cards right now (nice as it sounds), you can also make your own delicious vanilla slice at home. With layers of pastry, thick custard and sweet icing dotted with passionfruit seeds, this classic vanilla slice recipe is a true Aussie icon. Best of all, it only takes about 40 minutes to make.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to very hot, 220°C. Lightly grease and line a 20 x 30cm slice pan with baking paper.
Grease and line 2 baking trays. Place pastry sheets on oven trays. Bake for l0-12 minutes, until golden. Gently flatten pastry with hand. Trim pastry to cover base of prepared pan.
In a jug, combine sugar, cornflour and custard powder. Add a little of the milk to form a smooth paste. Place paste in a large pan with remaining milk and stir until smooth.
Add butter and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and smooth. Remove from heat. Add egg-yolks and vanilla. Pour over prepared pastry sheet. Top with remaining trimmed pastry sheet. Chill for 1 hour.
Meanwhile to make passionfruit icing; combine icing sugar, butter and passionfruit pulp in a small heat-proof bowl. Stir in enough water to make a smooth paste. Place over saucepan of simmering water and heat gently, stirring for 2-3 minutes until mixture is of spreadable consistency. Spread over pastry. Chill for 20 minutes until set. Cut into squares.
Continue stirring custard mixture while heating until boiling to prevent any lumps forming.
Test Kitchen tip
How do you cut a vanilla slice without squashing it?
We all love the classic vanilla slice, but cutting the slices from the pan can be a bit of a nightmare. So, how do you cut a vanilla slice without squashing it and smushing custard in every direction? The best tip is to use a serrated knife, and to direct your knife downwards, almost vertically, and use a gentle sawing motion, back and forth to separate the pastry sheets. Voila, you’ll have perfect slices of vanilla slice in no time!
What is the difference between a vanilla slice and a French vanilla slice?
A classic vanilla slice often has a base and top layer of pastry with custard in the middle, while a French vanilla slice may have a middle pastry layer. In some traditional recipes, you’ll also find the method and ingredients for making the custard is different, as crème pâtissière may be favoured for French vanilla slice or mille feuille recipes.
