Vanilla Custard Slice is a fantastic dessert with tons of history. It is popular in Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland and of course, Bosnia.
This creamy, flaky cake is just sweet enough to make you smile, while never cloying. It’s always satisfying. And there’s good news, Vanilla Slice aka Krempita is very gratifying to make!
You’ll find this vanilla custard cake in different variations and presentations, there are many different recipes, and I guess everyone has its favorite. My Krempita recipe reminds me of my childhood and, for me, gets the best, and most consistent results.
What goes into my Vanilla Custard Slice?
The base of this dessert and its structure is puff pastry. The laminated dough that makes all those crispy, croissant-like baked treats. You can buy puff pastry in your local market, and since you’ll probably buy in frozen, you can keep it that way for a few months before using.
Eggs are a big part of this recipe; it’s, in essence, a custard after all. Find large eggs, fresh, if possible, cage-free when available. Milk and heavy whipping cream are an important part of this recipe too, so just find good old whole milk from your local dairy.
We’ll be using plenty of sugar here, but the result is not as sweet as you might think. Vanilla, especially a good real vanilla extract or vanilla sugar will give the final taste to our tasty Krempita.
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What you’ll need
You’ll need a 13×9-inch pan (or a pan of different dimension but close in size) , a large mixing bowl and a small one, a large pot and a whisk. Now you’re ready to take on this daring, but delicious recipe.
Can I use filo dough instead of puff pastry? I wish it were that simple, but no. Filo dough has little fat, so it dries out quickly, it doesn’t have the richness of puff pastry. Filo is better for strudels and other treats but not for this dessert. Croissant dough is not a good substitute either since it’s richer (they make it with milk), so it ends up as a layered bread, but it won’t have the crispness we’re looking for.
Whisk thoroughly and then mix some more, you’ll only achieve the texture you want is by incorporating all the ingredients evenly.
Refrigerate your Krempita for at least eight hours before serving, overnight is better. It will be easier to serve and will hold its structure way better.
VANILLA CUSTARD SLICE
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pack puff pastry (1lb-2 sheets)
- 10 extra large eggs (separated)
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2–1/2 cups sugar (divided)
- 5 packs vanilla sugar or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup corn starch
- 21g unflavored gelatin
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INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 and thaw puff pastry so it can easily be stretched.
- Using rolling pin stretch the puff pastry sheet to be slightly bigger than 13×9.
- Bake stretched out puff pastry on 425F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Bake your second sheet. Leave to cool.
- Separate eggs; leave the whites in a mixer bowl and egg yolks in another bowl.
- Add 1 cup of milk to the yolks and your corn starch and mix well.
- In a small bowl combine gelatin with 3 tablespoons of water.
- Pour remaining two cups of milk and whipping cream into a large pot, add 2 cups of sugar, vanilla and bring everything to a boil.
- Then add your yolk mixture, stirring constantly until it thickens (about 1 minute).
- Transfer to a large bowl and add gelatin. Mix with a wire whisk until gelatin is completely melted.
- Put a plastic wrap directly onto the filling to prevent it from forming a crust at the top and let it cool down just a little.
- When the custard cream is lukewarm start mixing your egg whites. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and mix until a meringue gets firm. Add whites to the custard in thirds and mix well after each addition.
- Put one baked puff pastry sheet on the bottom of your pan. Pour custard cream over it.
- Cut another sheet in 12 squares and arrange them onto the top of cake. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- You can now dust with powder sugar before serving and cut into your pre-arranged squares to serve.
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