35gicing sugar(powdered/confectioners sugar) plus extra for rolling out
20gcustard powder or instant vanilla pudding mix
¼teaspoonfine salt(kosher salt)
120gcold unsalted buttergrated or in small pieces
1large egg yolk
1 teaspoonvanilla bean pasteor vanilla extract
4tablespoonmilk
Custard filling
50g unsalted butter softened
120gicing sugar
2tablespooncustard powder
1tablespoonmilk
Here's what we do...
Shortcake biscuit
Add your first 6 ingredients to a food processor with the blade attachment fitted and give it all a whizz to fully mix together.
Dot your grated butter evenly over the flour mixture.
Pulse for about 10 pulses until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. You may need to scrape down and mix around with a spatula in between to ensure equally mixed.
Add your egg yolk, vanilla bean paste and milk and pulse until the mixture just starts to clump together a little. 12 pulses should be enough.
Spread a little icing sugar out onto a clean work surface and tip your biscuit mixture out onto it.
Bring the mixture together into a large ball, knead it slightly just so it fuses together.
Flatten the ball to a depth of about 1 inch, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
Heat your oven to 180°C/160°C fan/355°F/Gas mark 4
Place a piece of greaseproof paper onto the base of your baking trays.
Roll out your biscuit dough to a depth of 3mm.
Cut out 50 biscuits.
Place the biscuits onto your baking trays, leaving 1 cm between each one.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until the biscuits start to just brown at the edges and slightly on the base.
Leave to cool on the baking tray for 2 minutes, then carefully remove to a cooling rack.
Custard filling
Beat all of your filling ingredients together until soft, pale, creamy and spreadable.
Take one of your biscuits and carefully spread ½-1 teaspoon of butter icing onto the base of the biscuit.
Sandwich together with another biscuit, giving it a gentle twizzle to ensure it sticks together, but be careful as the biscuits are fragile. Wipe the sides of the biscuits to ensure a neat presentation.
Ensure your biscuits are cold before baking them, this may mean popping them into the fridge to cool for 10-20 minutes after being cut.You may need to cool your baking trays with cold water if using for the next batch of custard creams. The baking trays need to be cold to ensure the biscuits do not spread.These custard creams will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.