Easy Cheat's Vanilla Slice Recipe

The finished vanilla slice made with lattice biscuits and instant dessert mix, sprinkled with icing sugar.

Easy Cheat's Vanilla Slice Recipe

Make this cheat's Vanilla Slice recipe in just 5 minutes! With vanilla instant dessert mix sandwiched between two layers of crisp biscuits, it's a no-fuss recipe guaranteed to impress.

Course Snack

Cuisine Australian

Prep Time 5

Setting Time 1

Total Time 1 5

Servings slices

Calories 268kcal

Author Wandercooks

Cost $5-$10

Equipment

Ingredients

100 g vanilla instant dessert mix aka instant pudding mix
300 ml thickened cream / heavy cream aka heavy cream
150 ml milk full cream
18 SAO biscuits or baked puff pastry sheets (lattice biscuits now discontinued)

Optional:

icing sugar / powdered sugar to garnish

Instructions

Pour the milk and cream into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the vanilla instant dessert mix and beat until thick and creamy (around 1-2 mins).
300 ml thickened cream / heavy cream, 150 ml milk, 100 g vanilla instant dessert mix
Line a square baking dish with baking paper and place a 3x3 grid of SAO biscuits into the tray. Pour whipped dessert mix into the centre, gently pressing it out towards the edges and smoothing out the top as you go.
18 SAO biscuits
Top with another 3x3 grid of SAO biscuits. Pop in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
18 SAO biscuits
Sprinkle with icing sugar, then cut into slices by gently running a knife between the biscuits.
icing sugar / powdered sugar

Video

Notes

Lattice Biscuits Discontinued - Lattice biscuits have been discontinued by Arnott's in Australia. There are still plenty of "Cheat" options as a substitute for Lattice. We recommend:
- SAO Biscuits - These are almost the same size as lattice biscuits, without the sweet coating. So dust icing sugar a little more liberally on top, and you'll have the perfect sweet treat.
- Nice Biscuits - These are the closest sweet biscuit replacement, and thin enough to work well.
- Square Crackers - Any square biscuits, crackers or thin cookies can work well. Especially if you make them the day beforehand and let them soften overnight in the fridge. Think Graham Crackers, Salada Biscuits or Saltines.
- Puff Pastry - This works great as a substitute. You can cut it into small squares, then pre-cook them in the oven until puffed before placing them on the bottom and top of your vanilla slice. Place them on a lined baking tray and prick holes with a fork all over the top so that they don't puff up too much while baking. Bake for around 15-20 minutes (220˚C / 430˚F), then follow the recipe below as normal to assemble.
Vanilla Instant Dessert Mix - We used Aeroplane brand. Cottee's Instant Pudding Mix is another popular option and essentially the same thing. It's the easiest and quickest prep for our cheat's vanilla slice recipe, requires no cooking, and sets perfectly after just an hour in the fridge. You could use custard powder if you prefer - just cook it on the stove according to packet directions and allow it to cool before proceeding with the recipe below. If making homemade custard from scratch, make sure it's cooked long enough until it's nice and thick so it will set firm enough to make into a slice.
Cream - We use thickened cream for this recipe, which is the same as heavy cream for our readers in the US/Canada. We don't recommend pouring cream or whipping cream as they won't give the right texture for the custard to set.
Topping (Optional) - For this simplified recipe we prefer a quick sprinkling of icing sugar - it tastes and looks great for such a simple decorative effect. It's also much less sweet than a traditional icing sugar glaze. For more topping and icing ideas, see our variations section below.
Line the Baking Dish - Use a sheet of baking paper or aluminium foil that's a bit wider than you'd normally use when lining a baking tray. This way you can use the edges to neatly pull the slices out of the tray.
Don't Over-Whip - Instant dessert mix only needs to be whipped for a minute or two before it's thick and ready to use. If you over-whip, it just means the filling will look a little lumpier and less smooth, but will still be totally fine to use.
Quick Set - If you need to shave off a bit of time, you can pop the tray of vanilla slices in the freezer for half an hour (after slicing) to help them set more quickly.
Variations
- Dairy Free - Swap out the milk for soy milk and cream for coconut cream. You'll end up with just as creamy a finish with a hint of coconut.
- Dessert Mix - Instead of vanilla, try it with strawberry or chocolate flavoured dessert mix instead.
- Extra Flavour - Try adding a tsp of vanilla, almond or lemon essence in with the instant dessert mix before whipping.
- Icing - It's a popular tradition in some Aussie bakeries to serve vanilla slice with a passionfruit icing. You can make it from 100g icing sugar and 1 tbsp passionfruit pulp. Mix and slather a thin layer over the top and refrigerate to set before slicing into portions. If you don't like passionfruit, try it with a splash of lemon juice instead.

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