Custard creams

My next foray into recreating the classics are those good old favourites, custard creams. Maybe not very exciting, but an ever present feature in a biscuit selection box and as traditional as they come! Surely we need a friendly version of such a common staple?

I don’t know why, but until I started thinking of how to recreate the recipe, it had never occurred to be that custard creams were flavoured with custard! I’d always thought that because they are plainest, cream filled sandwich biscuits, that the term came from that alone – now I feel totally silly for not realising that they’d be flavoured with custard – it’s so obvious!

So for those who are unaware of the British classic custard cream, they’re basically a custard flavoured cream filled sandwich biscuit, often found in selection tins that are a favoured prize in raffles!!

The biscuit needs to be slightly crumbly, not as crisp as a petit beurre, preferably cut into a rectangle and then sandwiched together with a stiff buttercream filling. I’m pretty pleased with the authenticity of these. There is no doubt that you’re eating a custard cream, all that is missing is the embossed outisde and a cup of tea on the side!

Custard creams

(dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soya-free, sesame-free, vegetarian and vegan)

Makes 18

For the biscuits

100g dairy-free margarine

100g caster sugar

200 plain flour

3 tbsp so custard powder ( Bird’s custard powder in a tin is dairy-free)

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp so dairy-free milk

For the filling:

2 tbsp a dairy-free margarine

2 tbsp so trex vegetable fat

2 tbsp custard powder

1 tsp vanilla

300g icing sugar

3 tsp dairy- free milk

1. Start by making the dough. Cream together the margarine and sugar. Stir in all the other ingredients, using the milk to loosen the mixture
2. Wrap in cling film and chill
3. Meanwhile make the filling. Combine the icing sugar and custard powder. Whisk the margarine and fat together, then whisk in the other ingredients a little at a time, alternating wet and dry
4. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees centigrade
5. Roll out the chilled dough and cut into even sized shapes, ideally rectangles
6. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until starting to turn golden around the edges. Cool.
7. Sandwich together with the cream filling. These keep well for 3-4 days