Cremeschnitte (Vanilla Slice)

Side view of two cremeschnite stacked on top of one another showing the flaky pastry layers and the creamy vanilla pudding.

Two layers of crispy puff pastry filled with creamy and rich vanilla pudding and cut into individual slices - these Cremeschnitte are the perfect combination of crunchy and creamy.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Setting Time6

Total Time6 40

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Dessert

Cuisine: American, German

Keyword: puff pastry, vanilla pudding

Servings:

Calories: 367kcal

Ingredients

Puff Pastry

2 sheets puff pastry
50 grams granulated sugar

Vanilla Cream Filling

70 grams corn starch
160 grams granulated sugar
700 milliliters milk
300 milliliters heavy cream
4 egg yolks
80 grams butter cubed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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Instructions

Puff Pastry

Preheat the oven to 400 F and place arrange two baking racks so that they divide the oven into thirds.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper on two different baking sheets.
Defrost two sheets of puff pastry and just gently and barely roll them out and trim to the size of a 9" x 9" baking pan.
Place one square of pastry onto each parchment lined baking sheet.
Prick the surfaces all over with a fork and sprinkle 50 grams of sugar onto one of the sheets of pastry.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes have passed take both sheets out of the oven and flatten them out with a metal spatula or another baking sheet.
Place both baking sheets back in the oven but this time swap the racks that they were baking on and rotate them 180 degrees.
Bake for another 5-10 minutes until golden brown.
Once baked, take them both out of the oven and place on wire racks. While still warm, move the sheet of baked puff pastry with the sugar on top to a cutting board.
Use a serrated knife to cut the large square into 16 smaller squares by cutting it into quarters in each direction.
Allow both sheets of pastry to cool while preparing the pudding.

Vanilla Custard Pudding Filling

In a medium pot whisk the sugar and cornstarch together.
While whisking, slowly pour in the milk. Stopping as needed to fully whisk the sugar and cornstarch into the milk to avoid clumps.
Pour in the heavy cream and whisk again. Finally add in the egg yolks and whisk until fully combined.
Place the pot over medium heat and whisk regularly (does not need to be forceful but slow and steady).
Just be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot as you stir. The mixture will begin to thicken and once the lines of the whisk stay for a couple of seconds, it is finished cooking.
Remove the pot from the heat and add in the butter and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined.
Pour the pudding into a large shallow dish and cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
The pudding should cool down but not all the way to room temperature so that it is still fluid enough to create an even layer.

Assemble the Vanilla Slices

Line a 9" x 9" baking pan with a rectangle of parchment paper that is just under 9" wide and about 15" long.
Lay the intact piece of puff pastry in the bottom of the pan.
Pour the vanilla pudding over the top and gently smooth it out with a rubber or offset spatula.
Place the 16 squares that make up the top sheet of pastry onto the pudding in the original arrangement with the sugar side up.
Place the tray in the fridge and leave to set for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
Once set, use a thin knife along the two sides of the pudding, where there is not parchment paper, to separate it from the pan.
Use the two parchment paper ends to lift the cremeschnitte out of the pan and place on a cutting board.
Using a long sharp knife, make long smooth cuts in between the 16 squares of pastry through the bottom sheet of pastry.
Gently, pull each cremeschnitte square away from the adjacent slices and serve. Optionally dust with powdered sugar.

Notes

Be sure the puff pastry is cooled and the pudding is only slightly warm before assembling. When cutting the set slices, you may need to slightly adjust where you cut depending on where the cut squares of pastry are sitting in order to not squish the pudding underneath the pastry. Once cut, I find it easiest to use a spatula to move the custard slices from the cutting board to the plate or serving tray.

These are best immediately after setting however they will keep for a few days in the fridge in an airtight container.

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