Creamy Custard Vanilla Slice - I love you! (Tesco Custard Slices)

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Tesco Custard Slices
Date:	17/06/08 (903 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: They are divine!

Disadvantages: Loads - probably very unhealthy and artificial.

Vanilla, custard slice, or if in France - (Mille-feuilles). My favourite pastry of all time. I am hopeless at making cakes or biscuits by hand and for someone of my generation this shouldn't be so. Put me in front of the stove with a whole bunch of veg, fish or meat and I can come up with some terrific culinary delights but when it comes to cakes - oh boy disaster after disaster. My mum says that I don't have the delicate touch - I would say I don't have the patience. That is the reason I always buy cakes from supermarkets and one of my favourites is Tesco's custard slice.

Ooops! Dooyoo have given me the Tesco logo again instead of the picture of custard slices. What is going on there today?

Let's continue

Packaging

Simple, blue and peachy coloured box with a transparent viewing square so you can see the two vanilla slices inside the box. On the front of the box it states Tesco Vanilla Slices. The display date is shown and also it states to keep the slices refrigerated. A panel with the nutritional values showing is on the front of the box for you to view also.

The Vanilla Slice

Once taken the cake out of the box the next task is to eat it. I bet there are many different ways to eat this. Some people may eat it whole, others eat the top layer with icing on and then the custard and then the bottom layer. Others may choose to cut the cake in slices which is what I do but I usually lick the icing off the lid as it always sticks. To be honest one of these slices is too much for me so I usually eat half and then put the rest in the fridge. The french mille-feuilles are enormous and one of these used to last me 3 or 4 days.

Aroma

As soon as you open up the box the sticky icing followed by that lovely vanilla custard smell permeates. It is delicious.

Taste

The custard for me is the best part as it is so soft and fluffy but still custardy if you know what I mean. I love the sweet, sticky texture of the icing and the top layer is always lighter in texture than the bottom layer of the pastry. Sometimes depending on what mood the baker is in at Tesco the bottom layer of pastry can taste a bit doughy and the texture always isn't as light, but most times it is spot on.

Is It Healthy?

I doubt it very much. Let's look at the ingredients:

Vanilla Custard (60%) contains whipping cream, cream dextrose, stabiliser (sodium alginate), water, sugar, potato starch, milk protein, butter powder, gelling agent (sodium alginate), preservative (calcium sorbate), colour (beta carotene) flavouring.

Puff Pastry contains wheat flour, vegeatble margarine vegetable oil, water, salt, emulsifier (mono- and di-glycerides of fatty Acids), acidity regulator (citric Acid), butter, soya flour, salt, colour (beta-carotene).

Icing contains sugar, water, dried glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup, vegetable oil, emulsifiers (mono- and Di-glycerides Of Fatty Acids, Lactic Acids).

Lacing ( this is the fancy design on the top) contains white chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, dried whole milk, emulsifier,soya lecithin), flavouring, colour (lutein).

Oh dear, oh dear - not very healthy at all. You wouldn't think two small slices of cake needed all those ingredients to make it tasty!!!

Now let's take a look at the nutritional chart:

Per 108gm (equivalent of one slice)

Energy Kcal 275kcal
Sugar 15.6gm
Fat 11.1gm
of which saturates 5.6gm
Salt 0.7gm

Sorry folks not very healthy being high in saturated fat and sugar, medium, in salt content.

I only eat these once in a blue moon as I don't generally have a sweet tooth so I think you are allowed one of these sweet, sticky pastries every now and again.

Price

94p for 2 slices (Tesco have an offer at the moment any 2 for £1.50 which is valid until 08/07/08).

These slices are to be found on the Fresh Desserts Shelf.

Allergies

For people who suffer from certain allergies these vanilla slices may contain traces of nuts and do contain gluten, wheat, wheat flour, milk, dried milk, milk proteins, soya , soya flour & soya lecithins.

Some extra snippets of info regarding the vanilla slice:

What is a vanilla slice?

It is a cake with a top and a bottom layer of flaky or puff pastry filled in the centre with usually custard but can be whipped cream and jam. Some countries like France have alternative layers of pastry alternating with cream hence the name mille-feuille which in French means a thousand layers. The top layer is iced with white sticky fondant icing but again can vary as in some countries chocolate or strawberry icing can be used.

Although I can't find a definite country for it's origin it seems that Hungary is the most likely as a great writer in the eighteenth century called Careme said that the pastry originated from a Hungarian town known as Szeged. It was formerly known as a "gateau de mille-feuilles" a 'cake of a thousand leaves'.

It's amazing what you learn on the net.

I always thought this cake or pastry was particularly English but reading up about it I have found that it is eaten in various other countries.

In Italy it is called mille foglie and fillings can be savoury as well as sweet.

As I have mentioned in France it is called mille-feuille. The icing differs as it is usually white with chocolate combed stripes.

Australian slang word for it is snot block (charming). and icing flavours can be of chocolate, Vanilla, Raspberry, Strawberry and passion fruit.

Scandanavin countries name the cake a Napoleonbakelse (Napoleon pastry) and the filling is cream custard and jam topped with currant jelly and icing.

In the Netherlands it is named tompouce. The icing is smooth and pink, or occasionally white. However there are a couple of variations on the colour of the icing - it changes to orange when Holland are taking part in International tournaments like now for instance and also when it is the Queen's birthday the icing is changed from pink to orange.

Finally my summary

These slices used to be a household favourite when I was a child. It was always a special treat for Mum to bring home 4 slices always packed in a box with a bit of ribbon wrapped around the box from a bakers in Lancashire called Tootall's. Not sure if it still exists.I have always loved these and although I don't eat cakes regularly I do always buy vanilla slices as a special treat or if I feel a bit fed up. I love the smell of the custard and fresh icing and I just love the gooiness of them. I think they are well worth 50p. What do you think?

Summary: A piece of sticky heaven