Ingredients
⅔ cup custard powder
⅔ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 litre milk, divided
2 eggs
50 g butter
1 (200 g) packet Cream Crackers
Icing
2 cups icing sugar
25 g butter, softened
4–5 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Method
Grease or line a 20 × 20 cm square baking dish.
Pour 3 cups of the milk into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until just warm.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the custard powder, sugar, vanilla essence and ½ cup of the milk until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and the remaining ½ cup of milk.
Slowly whisk the custard mixture into the warm milk. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until the custard is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Gradually whisk in the egg mixture, then return to low heat and stir continuously for 2 minutes. Do not allow the custard to boil.
Stir in the butter until melted and well combined. Set aside for 10–15 minutes to cool slightly.
Assemble
Arrange a single layer of Cream Crackers over the base of the prepared tray.
Carefully pour the custard over the crackers, spreading it evenly so the crackers stay in place.
Top with another layer of Cream Crackers, pressing them down gently.
Leave to cool completely.
Icing
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.
Add the softened butter and hot water, then mix until smooth.
Spoon 3 tablespoons of the icing into a small bowl and stir in the cocoa powder. Add a little extra hot water if needed to make it pipeable. Transfer to a piping bag or small snap-lock bag.
Spread the white icing evenly over the top layer of crackers.
Snip a small 1–2 mm opening in the piping bag and pipe parallel lines of chocolate icing across the top.
Using a wooden skewer or toothpick, drag it through the lines in alternating directions to create a feathered pattern.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, before slicing and serving.
A couple of extra tips
Chilling overnight gives the crackers time to soften and makes the slice much easier to cut.
For the cleanest slices, dip a sharp knife in hot water and wipe it clean between each cut.
The recipe makes about 12–16 slices, depending on how large you cut them.
