Vanilla Slice | Community Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

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Introduction

An Aussie favourite, in spite of it's colloquial name of 'snot blocks'! This recipe ideally needs to be made the day before it's needed.

Ingredients

Serves: 8 or 16 depending

MetricCups

2 sheets puff pastry (shop-bought)
250 millilitres milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 vanilla bean scraped)
110 grams cornflour
110 grams custard powder
220 grams caster sugar
750 grams thickened cream
50 grams unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
230 grams icing sugar (pure)
4 passionfruit (sifted pulp from)

2 sheets puff pastry (shop-bought)
8⅘ fluid ounces milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 vanilla bean scraped)
4 ounces cornstarch
4 ounces custard powder
8 ounces superfine sugar
26 ounces thickened cream
2 ounces unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
8 ounces confectioners' sugar (pure)
4 passionfruit (sifted pulp from)

Method

Vanilla Slice is a community recipe submitted by Coby and has not been tested by Nigella.com so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe.

Preheat oven to 210°C.

Line a 23cm square pan with aluminium foil, so that the foil comes up over the sides (this allows you to lift out the slice).

Place each pastry sheet on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper, then bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Set aside to cool. Once cool, place 1 pastry sheet, cooked-side up, in bottom of pan. (You may need to trim it slightly to fit.)

Place milk in a pan over medium heat, add vanilla bean paste or scraped seeds and add bean too.

Warm gently, then set aside for 10 minutes.

Place cornflour, custard powder and caster sugar in a pan.

Strain milk, discarding bean, into pan with cornflour and whisk until smooth.

Add cream, then return to heat, stirring constantly, over low heat until the mixture thickens and boils.

Add butter, stirring well to combine, then remove from heat and whisk in egg yolks, one at a time, until smooth.

Pour into pastry-lined pan and set aside to cool slightly before placing other piece of pastry, cooked-side up, on top.

Place icing sugar and passionfruit in large bowl and stir until smooth and glossy. If required add the smallest amount of lemon juice or water.

Turn slice out onto a large chopping board and remove the foil. Spread icing over the top of the slice with the back of a spoon.

Set aside for 20 minutes or until icing is set. Use a serrated knife to cut the vanilla slice into pieces.

Preheat oven to 210°C.

Line a 23cm square pan with aluminium foil, so that the foil comes up over the sides (this allows you to lift out the slice).

Place each pastry sheet on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper, then bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Set aside to cool. Once cool, place 1 pastry sheet, cooked-side up, in bottom of pan. (You may need to trim it slightly to fit.)

Place milk in a pan over medium heat, add vanilla bean paste or scraped seeds and add bean too.

Warm gently, then set aside for 10 minutes.

Place cornstarch, custard powder and superfine sugar in a pan.

Strain milk, discarding bean, into pan with cornstarch and whisk until smooth.

Add cream, then return to heat, stirring constantly, over low heat until the mixture thickens and boils.

Add butter, stirring well to combine, then remove from heat and whisk in egg yolks, one at a time, until smooth.

Pour into pastry-lined pan and set aside to cool slightly before placing other piece of pastry, cooked-side up, on top.

Place confectioners' sugar and passionfruit in large bowl and stir until smooth and glossy. If required add the smallest amount of lemon juice or water.

Turn slice out onto a large chopping board and remove the foil. Spread icing over the top of the slice with the back of a spoon.

Set aside for 20 minutes or until icing is set. Use a serrated knife to cut the vanilla slice into pieces.

Additional Information

It's important when cutting vanilla slice not to push down with the knife or the custard will ooze. Just let the knife do the work.

Try This Tip

Home-made vanilla sugar

From Clairette

Asked and Answered

How Long Will The Vanilla Sugar Last?

From BluebelleofTheWoods

Tell us what you think

What 5 Others have said

I'm a kiwi, and "Snotblock" is nice compared to what my dad bought me up, calling them "pus cake".
Posted by gwoodall on 27th August 2020
I'm Australian born and bred, and I only knew them by the 'disgusting' term initially IAMRIVER. It wasn't until I was in secondary school that I found out their proper name of Vanilla Slice!
Posted by Coby on 18th May 2016
We always called them Snot Blocks, much to our parents disgust. Grew up in Australia & all the kids in our neighbourhood called them that as well. It's not disrespect just funny kid stuff.
Posted by miffy46 on 16th January 2016
It's definately known as snotbloc in Melbourne. A term of endearment for the vanilla slice.
See Also
The Ultimate Guide: Homemade seed & Nut butter recipes
Posted by janaleckel on 24th November 2015
I am an Australian and never ever heard vanilla slices called by that disgusting name. I asked my friends and family and they were disgusted as they also have never heard the description, I think some one is having you on, it's more something like some English School kid would call something the vanilla slice is treated and named with respect down under.
Posted by IAMRIVER on 25th October 2014