The custard slice is an architecturally perfect piece of pastry. The crisp flakiness sandwiches the silky custard in just the right way, adding the perfect amount of texture. The added jam brings some fun to the party, injecting a layer of colour into your otherwise beige masterpiece. If you’re looking for a bit more sophistication the next level addition to this would be to use finely sliced fresh strawberries instead of jam. 

Ingredients

• 2 sheets of shop-bought puff pastry, thawed, if frozen
• 1 jar of strawberry jam (or flavour of your choice)
• 375ml whole milk
• 375ml single cream
• 60g butter, chopped
• 2 tsp vanilla paste
• 150g caster sugar
• 100g cornflour
• 6 egg yolks
• icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan and line your 20cm square tin using the snip method.

Line two flat baking trays, big enough to fit your pastry sheets, with greaseproof paper. Lay a sheet of pastry on each one, then top the pastry with another sheet of greaseproof paper and stack another flat tray on top. Alternatively, if you don’t have four trays, you can bake them separately. Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and crisp, then set aside to cool.

Using the base of your lined, square baking tray as a guide, trim the cooled pastry sheets to size. A very sharp serrated knife will work best for this. Place the bottom pastry square into your lined tray and top with a healthy layer of the strawberry jam, spreading it evenly. Put to one side whilst you prepare the custard.

Add your milk, cream, butter, vanilla and sugar to a large pan and set over a medium heat. Allow the ingredients to almost come to the boil, then remove from the heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornflour and 125ml water until smooth, then add this to the milk mixture, followed by your egg yolks. Put the pan back over a medium heat and bring to the boil, whisking continuously. Once the custard begins to boil it will become very thick but keep whisking vigorously for around 1 minute to cook out the cornflour, then remove from the heat. Immediately pass the custard through a sieve into a jug.

Pour the custard on top of the jam-covered pastry layer in your prepared tin, spreading it evenly into the corners, then lay the other square of pastry on top of the custard and press down gently. Put the tin in the fridge to set for a minimum of 5 hours.

Once set, gently lift the custard slice from the tin, holding onto the parchment paper for support, and place on a chopping board. Dust with icing sugar and cut into portions with a very sharp serrated knife.

Capturing the essence of spring with some forced rhubarb can bring some much-needed light and colour to the table after a long winter. The bright acidity paired with the vibrant fuchsia pink has been scientifically proven to warm the soul by a whole 5°C. The billowy cloud of whipped cream engulfs the sponge landscapes, allowing the bright batons of rhubarb to shine. 

Ingredients

To make the cake

• 220g soft butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

To cook the rhubarb

• 400g rhubarb, diced into 2cm batons 
• 1 orange
• 50g caster sugar

To make the whipped cream

• 275ml double cream
• 85g icing sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C and line your 20cm round tin. 

To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl using a wooden spoon, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl. Finally, sift in the flour and baking powder until you achieve a smooth dropping consistency. Give the bowl a last scrape to make sure all the ingredients are mixed properly. 

Transfer the cake mixture to the prepared tin, smooth the top of the batter with a spatula and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

While the cake is baking, prepare the rhubarb. Place the batons onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Zest and squeeze the juice of the orange on top, then sprinkle over the sugar. Place the tray into the oven whilst your cake is baking and roast for 25-30 minutes. 

Remove the cake and rhubarb from the oven, then pour the juices that have come out of the rhubarb over the sponge. Leave the cake to cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and allow to fully cool. 

Next, prepare the whipped cream. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl, add the icing sugar and whisk until you achieve soft peaks. An electric whisk makes this job much easier if you have one, but be careful not to over whip the cream. 

Finally, assemble the cake. Add half of your roasted rhubarb to the whipped cream and mix through, then evenly spread it over the cooled sponge. Finish by piling the remaining batons of roasted rhubarb on top of the cake, then serve and enjoy!

If you’re lucky enough to live near a bakery that makes a good cardamom bun, you’ll know how delicious they can be, especially with your morning coffee or a small glass of calvados at Christmas. If you can get your eager hands on some cheap or reduced pre-baked supermarket croissants (it’s best to go just before the shop shuts), then try this cheat’s version of a cardamom bun. You can get the baking tin filled the night before with a menagerie of croissants and cardamom stickiness, then all you need to do is wake and bake for your pre-prepared breakfast pastry. Using freshly ground cardamom pods is important here to get the best flavour hit, but if you have to use a jar of the pre-ground stuff, then you’ll need to add a little extra to compensate for the lack of flavour.

Ingredients

• about 30 cardamom pods (to make 1 tsp ground cardamom)
• 50g butter
• 30g caster sugar
• 50g marmalade
• 100g golden syrup
• 6–8 croissants (250–300g)

Method

Preheat the oven to 140°C fan and line your loaf tin using the scrunched-up method.

Bash up the cardamom pods to release the seeds. Discard the husks, then continue grinding to a fine dust using a pestle and mortar, or a spice or coffee grinder will also work. Put about three-quarters in a bowl, keeping the rest for later. Melt the butter and add to the bowl along with the sugar. Mix together to form a wet, sugary emulsion, then add your marmalade and half the golden syrup. Mix until fully combined.

Tear up your croissants, then add them to the bowl with the other ingredients. Using your hands, rub the mixture onto the croissants. Once thoroughly coated, place in the loaf tin as randomly as you like, creating a couple of layers. Use a spatula to scrape any of the remaining mix on top of the croissants.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes until golden on top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

While the loaf is cooling, heat the remaining 50g of golden syrup in a pan for a few minutes until it starts to boil, then pour over the cooling cake, brushing it into the corners and down the sides of the loaf. Sprinkle with the remaining ground cardamom.

Leave the loaf to cool down – the syrup will soak in and help it to firm up before slicing and serving. Best eaten while guzzling down some delicious coffee.

Notes

To jazz things up a little, chuck in a few chunks of dark chocolate and finish the loaf with a scattering of crushed, toasted hazelnuts (after the golden syrup).

Alternatively, use the cardamom paste in this recipe to coat 600g frozen croissants (around a dozen), then bake according to the packet instructions on a lined baking tray.

Try using ground cinnamon instead of the cardamom.