Cake & Cookie Recipes > NAAFI Vanilla Slice

How to make NAAFI Vanilla Slice:
Costing 2d each, these Vanilla slices are easy to make and taste delicious. They form part of the tradition of enriched pastry, in this case using jam and buttercream (they would have used margarine in the war) rather than spice and dried fruit as with other regional pastry cakes such as Eccles cakes. What better way to raise morale in the wartime armed forces than to serve these sweet, creamy, flaky pastry slices?





Ingredients (to make 6)

Vanilla Slice
8oz puff pastry

for the filling:

3oz icing sugar
3oz butter
vanilla essence
red jam

for the icing:

icing sugar
hot water
(see measure conversions for more information)

Method

- Roll out the pastry to 1/4 inch thick and 16 inches in length.
- Cut into strips of 5 1/2 inch width.
- Prick all over with a fork.
- Bake until brown and flaky.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Cut the pastry into pieces of about 2 1/2 inches by 5 inches.
- Spread half of the slices with jam and butter cream.
- Cover with the other slices.
- Cover top with water icing.
- Allow to set.
- To make the butter cream filling.
- Cream together the butter and icing sugar.
- Add a few drops of vanilla essence.
- Mix well.