Decadent vanilla custard slice dessert you won’t be able to resist!

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I’ve had several questions lately about how to make vanilla slice pastry, and I’m happy to share the answer. It’s one of my top three favorite desserts, and it’s so good that it’s made all around the world. I’ve heard it’s very popular in Australia, France, and all over Europe. So, it goes by many names: vanilla custard slice, vanilla cream pie, vanilla cream cake, custard square, kremsnita, and krempita, to name a few. It’s made with a silky vanilla custard sandwiched between two flaky puff pastry layers. I’m telling you, this dessert is divine!

Why you’ll agree that this is divine

Smooth and creamy vanilla custard

Melt in your mouth puff pastry

Hint of almond crunch

To die for decadent vanilla custard with crumbly puff pastry and an almond crunch!

Everything you need

Puff pastry thawed
Sliced almonds -skin on or off
Confectioner’s sugar

For the Custard:

Whole milk -works best to create a thick custard
Cornstarch -to help thicken
Granulated sugar
Salt
Egg yolks –here’s how to separate the egg yolks
Heavy whipping cream -not the same as half and half
Pure vanilla extract -good quality for the best flavor
Unsalted butter -cut into 8 pieces

How to make Vanilla Slice Pastry

Make the Custard:

Combine the milk, half of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan and cook it over medium heat until steaming hot.
Combine the egg yolks, remaining sugar, cream, and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Whisk a small amount of the hot milk into the egg mixture.
Then, transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat while whisking it constantly until thickened.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter.
Pass the cream through a strainer set over a large bowl.
Cover the cream with plastic to prevent a skin from forming and set it aside to cool.
The pastry cream can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Whisk it together until smooth before spreading it between the puff pastry layers.

Prepare the Puff Pastry:

Preheat the oven to 400 °F, 200 °C.
Line 2 (half-sheet) baking trays with parchment paper.
Roll out each pastry sheet a few inches larger than a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
Place the pastry onto the prepared pans and dock them with a fork. (see video).
Sprinkle the top of each pastry with the sliced almonds and press them into the pastry.
Dust with a generous amount of confectioner’s sugar.
Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and another baking tray over the paper.
Bake the puff pastry in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes.
Rotate the pans halfway through baking and press them down to flatten the pastry.
The puff pastry is ready when it is golden brown and crisp.
Carefully remove the top pan and top layer of paper and set aside to cool completely.

Assemble the Dessert:

Trim each pastry sheet to fit inside a 9 x 13-inch (23cm by 33 cm) baking pan.
Criss-cross two parchment papers and place them inside the 9 x 13-inch pan.
Place one of the puff pastry sheets, almond-side down, into the prepared pan and dust with confectioner’s sugar.
Spread the chilled vanilla cream on top of the pastry.

**Baker’s tip** Carefully slice the other sheet of pastry into 12 equal rectangular portions. Each one should measure 3 1/2 x 2 inches. (9cm by 5cm) This keeps the custard from squishing out when you cut the dessert into pieces.

Place the slices on top of the cream and gently press them into it.
Dust the top with confectioner’s sugar and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours until the pastry sets or in the freezer for 1 hour.
Carefully lift the pastry out of the pan using the parchment paper.
Slice down to the bottom to separate the pastries, wiping the knife each time.

Serve

I like to serve my vanilla slice on large cupcake liners. If your slices are big, you can even use two liners together. Once you carefully place them on the liners, put them on a pretty platter or cake stand. The liners will make serving easier and neater for your guests to pick up rather than trying to balance it on a knife or spatula. I always serve it with hot Greek coffee, and any leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for a few days. However, it never lasted more than 24 hours at my house. Kali Orexi!

How to Make Vanilla Slice Pastry

Yield: 12 slices

Ingredients

1 (17 oz/490g) puff pastry thawed
sliced almonds, about 60g
confectioner's sugar

For the Custard:

4 cups (950ml) whole milk
1/2 cup (80g) corn starch
1 and 1/2 cups (375g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 oz (113g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

Instructions

Make the Custard:

Combine the milk, half of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan and cook it over medium heat until steaming hot. Combine the egg yolks, remaining sugar, cream, and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add the hot milk to the egg mixture and whisk together. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat while whisking it constantly until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and butter. whisk together until incorporated. Pass the cream through a strainer that has been set over a large bowl. Cover the cream with plastic to prevent a skin from forming and set aside to cool.

The pastry cream can be chilled in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Whisk it together until smooth before spreading it in between the puff pastry layers.

Preheat the oven to 400 °F, 200 °C.

Line 2 (half-sheet) baking trays with parchment paper.

Roll out each pastry sheet a few inches larger than a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Place the pastry onto the prepared pans and dock them with a fork. (see video). Sprinkle the top of each pastry with the sliced almonds and pres them into the pastry.

Dust with a generous amount of confectioner's sugar. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and another baking tray over the paper.

Bake the puff pastry in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking and press them down to flatten the pastry. The puff pastry is ready when it is golden brown and crisp.

Carefully remove the top pan and top layer of paper and set aside to cool completely.

Assemble the Dessert:

Trim each pastry sheet so that it fits inside of a 9 by 13-inch (23cm by 33 cm) baking pan.

Criss-cross two parchement papers and place them inside of the 9 by 13-inch pan. Place one of the puff pastry sheets, almond-side down, into the prepared pan. Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Spread the chilled vanilla cream on top of the pastry.

Carefully slice the other sheet of pastry into 12 equal rectangular portions. Each one should measure 3 and 1/2 by 2-inches. (9cm by 5cm)

Place the slices on top of the cream and gently press them into the cream. Dust the top with confectioner's sugar and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours until the pastry sets or in the freezer for 1 hour.

Carefully lift the pastry using the parchment paper. Slice down to the bottom and wipe the knife each time.

Serve with coffee. Kali Orexi!

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How to Make Vanilla Slice Pastry

Watch the Video:

Why you’ll agree that this is divine

Everything you need

For the Custard:

How to make Vanilla Slice Pastry

Make the Custard:

Prepare the Puff Pastry:

Assemble the Dessert:

Serve