Vanilla Custard Cream Squares

[Aliza Pointon]

Whilethis dessert is a little tricky to eat without making a complete mess, it rivals any decadent layer cake out there. We say the crunchy layers of puff pastry and cool vanilla custard are well worth any minor cleanup that might ensue. See, it's the complete package. It's airy and creamy and just sweet enough and it's all sandwiched with that little snappy bite of puff pastry. (And an extra dusting of powdered sugar doesn't hurt matters either.)

It's based upon a pastry that's popular throughout Central and Eastern Europe called 'kremsnite.' Well, it goes by many names (kremsnita, cremeschnitte...) but most of them mean 'cream slice.' And we're sure they're all delicious. Our version is almost no bake and involves a quick vanilla custard topped with an airy layer of whipped cream.

The component that makes these slices so unique is the puff pastry. You bake two sheets of puff pastry for just ten minutes and let them cool while you go to work on the fillings. One sheet lines the bottom of the pan and is then layered with the vanilla custard and whipped cream. You cut the other sheet into squares before laying them on top - this makes serving MUCH easier - and dusting the whole thing with powdered sugar. It goes into the fridge to chill for a few hours, but for such a pretty pastry, it really is simple! A note on the rum: we find it cuts through any lingering egginess in the custard, but it's absolutely optional, so feel free to leave it out if you prefer.

Place first cooled square of pastry on a cutting board and use bottom of the cake pan to cut it into a square that will fit tightly inside the pan. Repeat with second square. Place the first square inside the pan; save the second square until needed.

Make the custard: In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, starch, and salt. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth and no pockets of sugar-starch remain before adding the second. Whisk in vanilla extract, and then, very gradually, whisking the whole time, pour in milk, then cream. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking the whole time. As the custard begins to bubble, it will thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until it is fully melted.

Assemble the squares: Immediately pour the warm custard into the baking pan over the first sheet of puff pastry and spread evenly. Place the second sheet of pastry on top, pressing gently to secure in place.

Chill the squares: Cover the pan in plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the custard to fully set. Once chilled and set, use the foil to carefully lift the mixture from the tin. Dust with powdered sugar then use a sharp, serrated knife to cut it into squares.

The perfect custard square recipe - sheets of crisp homemade puff pastry sandwich a creamy rich vanilla bean custard. The whole thing is then loaded up with a vanilla bean icing. Custard Slice is a delicious take on a classic New Zealand childhood favourite.

Hi! Just popping in to share this recipe with you for Custard Square. Often also called Vanilla Slice in Australia, Custard square is two layers of puff pastry, surrounding a creamy, smooth custard. The whole thing is then topped off with a vanilla bean icing. It's a New Zealand Classic, and something I always used to get from the bakery growing up. Making custard slice from scratch takes a little more effort, but it is so, so worth it. Whether to you it's a custard square, a custard slice, or a vanilla slice recipe, it's just the best.

Custard Powder is similar to what is used to make instant pudding here in the states. It is corn starch based, then uses other flavours and thickeners. The taste is super nostalgic so I used it in these custard squares. You can grab some online - I use it to make my Nanaimo Bars too! If you can't find you should be able to sub corn starch. I haven't tried it but it should work just fine.

I used a homemade puff pastry for these custard squares. It is a little labour intensive but once you get the hang of it, it is super fun and simple to make. The recipe comes from my friend Erin's book (she has a new one out VERY soon and it's amazing), and you can watch a great video here of her making it. The puff pastry recipe here makes enough for two batches of the custard squares, so you can store some pastry wrapped tightly in the freezer for another time.

I haven't tried this recipe with rough puff, but I am sure that it would work just fine! Rough puff pastry is made by just incorporating the butter into the pastry and then performing folds, rather than locking in a butter block like you do with a traditional puff pastry. Erin also shows that recipe in the same video! (Skip to about 22:30 for it!, and do 1 or double the recipe. You need 700g pastry approx for this recipe)

I tested a small batch custard square with this recipe and it worked just great. I used a 9x5" loaf pan and worked out quantities needed using my pan size calculator. I did 0.56x the recipe needed and just calculated it that way. Instead of scaling the egg I just did one egg and one yolk.

Please note that those are just the quantities that worked for that exact pan! The custard layer was a teeny bit thicker but worked great. The good thing about this recipe is that you can just pop extra custard into another bowl and have with some of the pastry scraps!

This can absolutely be made with store bought pastry - I tested it recently and it worked just fine. Just ensure that you have rolled out the pastry enough to account for any shrinkage when it bakes. You will need about 700g of pastry for a full batch of custard square. When I tested it with the small batch I used a 500g packet and had a little left over / probably could have rolled it a little thinner. It is much better to have a little too much pastry than not enough! Watch the bake time as it may be different with a different pastry - mine was done in 35 minutes then I gave it a further 5 minutes with the top tray off. To use store bought pastry, follow the steps from 12-16 for the pastry recipe.

The perfect custard square - sheets of crisp flaky pastry sandwich a creamy rich vanilla bean custard. The whole thing is then loaded up with a vanilla bean glaze. This is a delicious take on a classic New Zealand childhood favourite.

Hi Dee! Thanks so much for reaching out. I don't provide recipes in cups sorry as they aren't an accurate measure and my recipes require accuracy in order to get best results. I go more into this on my FAQ page if you would like to have a wee look, otherwise I am more than happy to recommend a scale! They are a total game changer in terms of baking with accuracy and they save so much on cleanup!

This was my first time making custard squares (vanilla slice in Aus) from scratch and my father in law dreamily said it took him back to his days in Paris. Such a perfect recipe! Thanks for sharing ?

Hi Erin. Very good recipe. Used pre-made pastry as I had two squares left over from making Spanakopita. My only issue was with so many processes it would be great to have the ingredients repeated again above the process. Was a long way back to the top of the recipe for qty's when making the icing, especially when using grams rather than cups.

Hi! Thanks so much for the feedback! Unfortunately adding in the ingredients like that makes google upset and makes the recipe a little hard to read, sorry about that! I suggest printing it if you need. My apologies again!

Made the small batch version and it worked perfectly and tasted delicious. I used store brought pastry to make life easier. Definitely recommend and was the perfect size for a family of four during lockdown.

Very tasty recipe, but I had the problem with my custard not setting so it squirted out when I tried to cut into pieces! I cooked the custard for about 20m until very thick, any tips on what might have gone wrong?

Wonderful recipe thankyou Erin ? I use a rough puff pastry from Sally's Baking Addiction blog, which gives the perfect amount for an 8x8" tin, and fill with 2/3 of your custard recipe and it is just divine! I have eaten a lot of vanilla slice in my life haha, and this custard is so spot on!!

I made these for Christmas after returning from New Zealand. They were a big hit and the custard recipe is perfection! I made 2 batches, one with the custard powder and one with just cornstarch (55g). Both were very good, the taste difference was negligible. I used a frozen puff pastry but baked as instructed. This is a wonderful recipe!! Thank you!

Made these using store brought pastry but the instructions and filling were AMAZING. I shared a couple of slices with friends and even over 2 years later they still comment how good it was. My go to recipe for custard squares. I do recommend if using store brought to get the good stuff made with all butter.

Hi Erin

This Custard Slice was so yummy. I used store bought extra buttery puff pastry. My eggs were on the small side & as a precaution I added an extra yolk. Once the custard set & I had a little taste test, I chose to just dust the top.

Thank you.

I made this Gluten Free by using a GF frozen pastry from the supermarket. It was delicious!

Roll out the pastry sheet a bit thinner, and just stick the GF pastry in the oven without a tray or weight on top and cook until golden, easy peasy!

The small batch size is perfect for my husband and I. Thank you for a great recipe and notes.

My recipes range from quick & easy all the way to complex & impressive. I love the science and process of recipe development almost as much as baking itself. I specialize in rigorously tested recipes that are fun, reliable, and accurate.

True to the traditional Polish recipe, named after Karpaty (Carpathian Mountains), a 1500km long mountain range in Southern Poland. Unlike the traditional French Mille-Feuille, it is made with choux pastry, which once cooled gives the slice its trademark Carpathian shapes of ridges and valleys.

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