Vegan Vanilla Slice

Vegan vanilla slice - these vegan custard slices consist of a smooth, creamy vanilla custard sandwiched between two layers of flaky puff pastry and are topped with a sweet, tangy passion fruit glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Australian, British

Keyword custard

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 10

Servings 10 people

Author Domestic Gothess

Equipment

23 cm (9 in) square cake tin
2 baking sheets
2 loaf tins
baking beans or dried rice

Ingredients

2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry
icing (powdered) sugar for dusting
80 g (8 packed Tablespoons) custard powder
150 g (¾ cup) caster or granulated sugar
900 ml (3 + ¾ cups) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy)
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
120 g (½ cup) vegan block butter

Passion Fruit Glaze:

150 g (1 + ¼ cups) icing (powdered) sugar
1 Tablespoon vegan butter melted
2 passion fruit

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200℃/180℃ fan/400℉/gas mark 6.
Unroll one sheet of pastry and lay it on a baking tray, keeping the paper underneath. Dust with a little icing sugar using a small sieve, then cover with another sheet of baking paper. Place another baking tray on top and then weigh this down with two loaf tins filled with baking beans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Remove the top tray and slide the pastry onto a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the other sheet of pastry.
Using the base of a 23 cm/ 9 in square cake tin to guide you, use a sharp knife to cut each piece of pastry into a 23cm square.
Line the tin with two strips of baking paper, leaving some overhanging on each side so that you can easily lift the slice out of the tin later. Place one of the pastry squares in the base of the tin.
Cut the other pastry square into 10 rectangles, by slicing it in half horizontally and then into 5 vertically. Set aside.
To make the custard, place the custard powder and sugar in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in the milk a little at a time to avoid lumps. Add the vanilla paste.
Place the pan over a medium heat and stir constantly with a balloon whisk until the custard comes to a boil and thickens considerably. Remove from the heat, add the butter and stir until melted and fully combined.
Immediately pour the hot custard over the pastry base in the tin and spread it level.
Top the custard with the pre-cut pastry slices while it is still warm so that they stick. Chill for about 4 hours until set.
When you are ready to serve them, carefully lift the whole slice out of the tin using the overhanging parchment, and use a sharp knife to slice it into portions along the pre-cut pastry lines.
To make the glaze, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the melted butter and the flesh of the passion fruit.
Spoon some of the glaze onto the top of one of the slices and use the back of a teaspoon to spread it over the top of the pastry, repeat with the other slices and serve. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
These vegan vanilla slices are best eaten as fresh as possible, as soon as the custard has set, as the pastry will soften over time. They will keep in the fridge for around 3 days but the fresher they are eaten the better.
Instead of the passion fruit icing you can simply dust the vegan vanilla slices with icing sugar or make a simple glaze by mixing icing sugar with a little milk, water or lemon juice to make a pourable icing.