Vegan Vanilla Custard Slices

Instructions

1. The night before: Place the cans of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the cream to separate from the water. Do not shake or rotate the cans after refrigeration.
2. Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F).
3. Turn a baking sheet upside down to create a flat surface. Cover it with parchment paper.
4. Place one sheet of puff pastry on the parchment paper. Prick it all over with a fork.
5. Cover the pastry with another sheet of parchment paper, then place another baking sheet on top to prevent the pastry from rising too much.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
7. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat the process with the second sheet of puff pastry.
8. Allow both pastry sheets to cool completely.
9. While the pastry is cooling, prepare the custard filling:
10. In a large bowl, whisk together the instant vanilla pudding powder and 100ml of plant-based milk until smooth.
11. Open the chilled cans of coconut milk and scoop out only the solid cream on top. Add this to the pudding mixture along with the vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
12. In a separate bowl, whip 200ml of the vegan whipped cream with one package of cream stiffener according to package instructions.
13. Gently fold this whipped cream into the vanilla-coconut mixture using a spatula.
14. Refrigerate the custard filling for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
15. In another bowl, whip the remaining 400ml of vegan whipped cream with two packages of cream stiffener. Refrigerate this as well.
16. To assemble the slices:
17. Place one sheet of baked puff pastry in a baking pan or rectangular pastry frame.
18. Spread the chilled custard filling evenly over the pastry.
19. Refrigerate for one hour to set the custard.
20. After an hour, spread the plain whipped cream evenly over the custard layer.
21. Cut the second sheet of puff pastry into squares slightly smaller than your intended slice size.
22. Carefully place these pastry squares on top of the whipped cream layer.
23. Refrigerate the assembled dessert overnight to allow all layers to set properly.
24. Before serving, you may dust the top with powdered sugar if desired.
25. Cut into slices and serve chilled.
26. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.